2
Getting started
Festivals and Celebrations
Look at the pictures and talk about them.
Holi Eid
Machhindranath Jatra Biska Jatra
Reading I
Answer the following questions.
a. What is the man in the picture doing?
b. Which is your favourite festival? Tell to the class about it.
English 10 17
Battle of the Oranges
All I can see is a [Link] of orange, then I
am hit in the chest. It knocks my
breath away. I slide backwards, fall
bun1-first in a pile of orange mush.
What the heck ! I touch my head: my
red hat is still there.
During the carnival, official public ..
notices are plastered on the walls
around Ivrea, ordering people,
especially tourists, to wear a red hat. Or else they can be considered
a 'fair target for gentle and moderate orange-throwing'.
The red hat people are ordered to wear is not just any hat. The berretto
frigio, a sock-shaped hat sold on every street corner, is the symbol of
the carnival itself. It is a symbol of freedom; worn in Roman times by
freed slaves. During the Middle Ages it was on the heads of peasants
rioting against feudal lords.
Back on 1ny feet, I 1nake sure 1ny hat is on, and visible. I want to get
another look, but soon I am hit again on my forehead. My head jerks
back, I wipe my face, oh my goodness, it's blood! I am going to need
stitches, maybe it's a concussion!
Then I re1nember blood oranges.
Shivering from_ the quick succession of shock and relief, I retreat
to the back of the square, away frorn any flying fruit. This is the
first of three yearly battles; everybody is fresh and excited from a
year-long wait. Nine teams of aranceri (orange-throwers) on foot,
wearing uniforms, hurl oranges at their opponents on horse-drawn
carriages, clad in Doctor Whoesque costumes with padded shoulders
and leather-covered cylindrical helmets. An hour into the battle, the
square is covered in a thick sludge, mixture of orange pulp and horse
manure. It smells sharp, sweet-and-sour.
Aranceri on foot rush back and forth, to the sides of the square stacked
with orange crates, filling their shoulder bags and baggy tops. As
soon as a cai·t approaches, they chai'ge, bombai·ding it with oranges.
18 English 10
Horses halt, for a few minutes;
oranges explode, then the cart
takes off again, the aranceri chase
it for a while, hurling the last of
their supplies. They wear no
protection, and walk around with
their hair caked in orange bits,
juice running down their faces.
Some have broken noses, some
clutch a side of their face, arms
or ribs. They hold their heads high, shouting their team's war cries.
"This is the moment we wait for all the year," says Silvia, holding an
orange cut in half on her right eye. "I'll be happy to have a black eye
tomorrow."
She sits 'Nith me, sipping a glass of mulled wine. "I think carnival is
good for our psychological health. During these three days I can let it
all out, all the frustrations I have built up during the year. Afterwards
I feel refreshed. Of course, accidents happen'' she adds, pushing the
orange on her swollen eye, "but you should try, it's good for you".
I a1n curious to know what it feels, I adn1it. I keep thinking I am
wearing a hat, and the public are not supposed to join in the battle.
Even so, that doesn't seen1 to stop hat-wearers frmn throwing the
occasional orange. To prevent further trouble, volunteers advise the
public to stay behind protective nets.
"Forget the nets" says Massi, an arancere of the Morte team, with
a gigantic skull on the back of his orange-stained uniform, "if you
want to live the carnival, you have to be in the middle of the battle."
'½.ren't you afraid of getting hurt?"
Massi laughs. "If you compare the risk to the rush you get, a black
eye is a s1nall price to pay."
He fills his top with oranges. A cart is approaching. "Come on, throw
your red hat away and come with me".
I an1 te1npted, but I decline.
- Afargl1m·ita
E11glish 10 19
A. Match the words with their 111eaning.
a. mush 1. to throw something violently in a
particular direction
b. jerk 11. to hold something tightly
C. COnCUSSIOn 111. a soft thick 1nass or mixture
d. hurl 1v. to drink smnething, taking a very
small amount each time
e. pulp v. to make something move with a
sudden short sharp movement
f. clutch vi. a temporary loss of consciousness
g. sip vii. the soft part inside the fruits and
vegetables
B. Write 'True' for true statements and 'False' for false ones.
a. The tourists are infornied to wear a red hat through public
notices.
b. Arancezi seem dressed in Doctor Whoesque costun10s.
c. When a cart approaches, aranceri run away from the square.
d. The narrator feels bored during the festival period.
e. The volunteers encourage the visitors to join the battle.
f. The narrator accepts Massi's offer.
C. Answer the following questions.
a. What does the red hat symbolize?
b. How does the narrator feel when she wipes her face?
c. What does the square look like after an how·- battle of the
oranges?
d. How do aranceri me1nbers chase the cart?
e. Does Silvia enjoy this carnival? Why?
f. Why does Massi say, "Forget the nets"?
20 English 10
D. You might know about some unique festivals like 1Battle
of the Oranges 1• Strange festivals are celebrated in many
parts of the world. Collect smne information about anyone
of such festivals and share in the class.
Pronunciation
Listen to your teacher. Find the number of syllables in each
word. And note which of the syllables is stressed. One has
been done for you.
Words Number of syllables Stressed syllable
retreat two second
concussion
opponent
succession
explode
celebration
consciousness
liberty
Speaking
A. Study the following question and its reporting.
Are\ll't yov1u1fru1id Tltle reporter
of 0etti\11t)viv1rt? u1skedV'/\u1ss1if vie
wu1sviot u1frn1dof
0ettivit3 viv1rt.
English 10 21
Now, report the following questions in pairs.
tvu1 \./DIAreVY\eVY\l.?er
viow
\./DIAevijoyedtvie
festivtt1I
+ttt1Ve\./DIAever seevi ivi yo1Aryo1AtV1?
vidiNt,1t,1CVJ1
C,V)t,1
Is tviere u1viyrit1Au1I
to perforVYlit?
Po yov1ivivi-te-vi prie-s-t
for -t\rle,ri-tv1v1I?
+tow did yolll
du1vice?
wviu1tu1ctiVity did
yolll u1ppreciu1t
e?
Grammar I
A. Change the following sentences into indirect speech. The
beginning of each sentence is given.
a. "Are you working tonight?"
Agaman asked Timothy ................ ..
b. "Is this the road to the station?"
A stranger wanted to know from me ................. .
c. "Did you do your homework?"
N1yfriend inquired her ........................ ..
d. "Have you been to Paris?"
The tourist was asked ........................ .
e. "How long have you been working in this company?"
Usha inquired of Anju ........................ .
f. "What flavour ice cream did you have at the party?"
My mother asked me ....................... .
22 English 10
g. "Have you studied reported speech before?"
The teacher wanted to know ................. .
h. "Where will you stay tonight?"
I asked him ........................ ..
1. "How many players were shown yellow [Link] by the
referee?"
Sumangal asked his friend ................................. .
j. " What magic did the medicine have on the patient?"
Sarita wanted to know from Somma ya .......................... .
B. Change the following remarks into reported speech.
a. Kritika asked 1ne, "Why did you go out last night?''
b. "VVhowas that beautiful woman, Usha?" said Sunita.
c. "How is your mother?" said Gaurab to Yang Dolma.
d. N1yfriend wanted to know, "What aI'e you going to do at
the weekend?"
e. "VVherewill you live after graduation?" said n1y teacher.
f. Anusha said to Melisha, "What were you doing when I
saw you?"
g. I said to the pilgrim, "How was the journey?"
h. "How often do you go to cinema?" said Krishna.
1. "Do you live in Patan?" said the Principal.
J. Niraj said to Luniva, "Did Phadindra arrive on time?"
Writing I
Write an essay describing a festival which is celebrated in
your cmnmunity. Include its brief history, people involved,
major activities, religious or social importance, duration, and
drawbacks, if any.
English 10 23
Reading II
Answer the following questions.
a. What are the rnain festivals celebrated in your community?
b. Why are they celebrated? Discuss.
Thanl<sgiving around the World
Festivals are not just the means of entertainment or rejoice. They
also reflect our heritage, culture and traditions. Thanksgiving is
celebrated around the world to extend thanks for the harvest, enjoying
bountiful food, and spending time 'With family and friends. Even
though Thanksgiving seerns to be uniquely Arnerican, the tradition
is followed in different countries in various forms.
Thanksgiving, USA
Celebrated on the fourth
Thursday of November,
Thanksgiving in the USA is
a national holiday that
commemorates the feast the
Pilgrirns held after the first
harvest in 1621. The first
celebration was attended by
90 Native Americans and 53
pilgrirns. Thanksgiving has
been celebrated intermittently ever since.
Thanksgiving dinner with family plays a central role in the
celebrations, with Americans eating rnore food on Thanksgiving Day
than any other day of the year, including Christrnas. Roast turkey is
essential - approximately 45 million of then1 are consumed every
year - as well as mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn and
assorted fall vegetables, all food that is native to the Americans.
Parades are a big part of the celebrations too. They range from
small town affairs featuring the local marching band to Macy's
Thanksgiving parade through the streets of New York. Billed as the
world's largest parade, it features parade floats and huge balloons,
24 English 10
usually based on cartoon characters, current Broadway shows and
other topical themes.
Chuseok, South Korea
Chuseok, also called Hangnail, is a
Korean festive holiday celebrated
on the 15 th day of August,
according to the lunar calendar.
The festival 1s celebrated
to commemorate the fall harvest
and to honour one's ancestors.
Similar to Thanksgiving Day in
the USA, the Harvest Moon
Festival, as it is also known, is one of the most popular holidays in
Korea. Traditionally, Koreans return to their ancestral hometowns to
celebrate with their families.
The festival day begins with a
ceren10ny in which food and wine are ..
offered to ancestors. This is followed
~-
by a meal that typically consists of
fish and newly harvested vegetables
and grains. The food most associated
with the holiday is songpyon, a
crescent-shaped rice cake that is
cooked on a bed of pine needles. Later in the day, celebrants visit the
graves of relatives, where 1nore ceremonies are performed. Chuseok
is also marked by gift giving and athletic events, including tug-of-
war competitions, archery contests, and sirrun1, Korean wrestling
matches. Other activities include dancing and music playing. On
this day, many Koreans wear hanbok, the traditional clothing.
Dia de Acao de Gracas, Brazil
In Brazil, Thanksgiving is a
relatively new festival - but it's
celebrated with great gusto. It
is said that when the former
Brazilian President, Gaspar
Dutra visited the USA, he was
English 10
fascinated with the holiday and established the festival in his home
country in 1949.
Dia de Acao de Cracas begins with the mass to offer thanks for an
abundant harvest - then there is a vibrant carnival and revellers
head to the beach, Peru. Roasted turkey is still the centrepiece of
the Brazilian Thanksgiving feast, but there are a few exotic twists.
Cranberries do not grow in Brazil, so a sauce made of Jaboticaba,
known as the 'Brazilian grape', is whipped up to spread on the bird.
Thanksgiving, Liberia
Liberian Thanksgiving is
a vibrant and spicy affair.
Founded in the 19th century
by liberated American _
slaves, the festival gives
thanks for freedmn.
Liberians celebrate the good
things in life, while also
marking their troubled past.
,,,
After a church service,
families gather for a spread of roasted chicken, traditional green
bean casserole and mashed cassava - all liberally doused with
spices, of course. The Thanksgiving
feast is topped off with an evening of
dancing, singing and celebration.
Crop Over, Barbados
The celebration of Crop Over
is Barbados's biggest party. The
festival spreads over a length of 12 -
weeks, from May until August, when
it culn1inates in the niassive finale: the Grand Kadooment.
Originally a celebration of the sugar cane harvest, Crop Over has
been celebrated since the 1780s when Barbados was the world's
largest produce of the sweet-stuff. Carnivals pervade the lengthy
celebrations, and calypso bands and dancers compete in ever grander
and more flamboyant displays.
26 English 10
Hmnowo, Ghana
The Homowo festival, meaning to jeer
or hoot at hunger in Ghana historically
celebrates the ending of a long famine
suffered by the Ghanaians. What
could be better to celebrate the end
of shortage than a feast? Palm nut
soup with fish is served alongside
traditional Kpokoi, a kind of grits
made from unleavened corn dough and palm oil.
Starting in May with the sowing of millet, the festival takes place
through August and September after a ban on drumn1ing and singing
that is meant to encourage proper care of the crops. The festival
cuhninates in a night of singing and dancing and frantic beating of
drums in loud defiance of hunger and famine.
Mehregan, Iran
A festival that dates back at least to the 4 th
century BC, Mehregan in Iran is held on the
196th day of the Iranian year. The festival
celebrates a successful harvest and the
goddess Mehr.
The celebration calls for new clothes,
community blessings and a feast on a table
decorated with marjoram. The spread includes sherbert drinks and
lavish dinners; in some villages, a sheep is sacrificed and slow-
roasted throughout the day.
Revellers rub kohl around their eyes as a good 01nen, and throw
handfuls of marjoram, lotus and sugar plurn seeds over each other.
A. The n1eanings of some of the words from the text are given
below. Find the words and write against the correct meanings.
a. in a way occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or
steady ................. .
English 10 27
b. to remind people of an important event or person from the
past .......................... .
c. in a way that shows the usual qualities or featlues of a
particular type of person or thing ........ .
d. a curved shape that is wide in the n1iddle and pointed at
each end ................. ..
e. full of life and energy ............................ ..
f. a person who is having fun in a noisy way, usually with a
group of other people ..................... .
g. from or in another country; seeming exciting and unusual
h. to spread through and be easy to notice ...................... .
1. brightly coloured and likely to attract attention ............... ..
j. done quickly and with a lot of activity, but not very well
organized .................. ..
B. The following events represent different activities
observed during Thanksgiving around the world. Study
them carefully and write the na1nes of countries where
they are celebrated.
a. Fa1nilies gather for a feast in the evening accompanied by
dancing and singing.
b. People wear new clothes and get cornmunity blessings.
c:. Palm nut soup, fish and traditional Kpokoi are served.
d. People return to their hometowns to celebrate the festival.
e. Celebrants go to the beach in a noisy way.
f. Parades are taken out in the streets.
g. Food and wine are offered to the forefathers.
28 English 10
C. Answer the following questions.
a. What is the main feature of American Thanksgiving?
b. What do parades include in Thanksgiving in Anierica?
c. When and why is Chuseok celebrated in Korea?
d. How did Thanksgiving begin in Brazil?
e. Who started Thanksgiving in Liberia? Why was it started?
f. What is Thanksgiving celebrated in Barbados for?
g. What is Homowo marked in Ghana?
D. How do people extend their gratitude for food and harvest
in your con1munity? Share with your friends.
listening
A. Look at the pictures below and answer these questions.
a. What do you see in the
pictures below?
d. What special days do they
denote? I
B. People are talking about special days. Do they like or
dislike each day? Mark (0) the correct answer.
Speakers Special Days Likes it Dislikes it
1 April Fool's Day
2 Earth Day
3 Mother's Day
4 Father's Day
5 New Year's Eve
English 10 29
C. Listen to the five speakers again and write True for the
true and False for the false statements.
Speaker- 1
a. One of his co-workers played tricks on everyone.
b. He had a wonderful time.
Speaker- 2
a. The book club planted flowers.
b. He didn't go anywhere on Earth Day.
Speaker- 3
a. Her mother did not enjoy them making a mess in the kitchen.
b. The kids served the n10ther breakfast in bed.
Speaker- 4
a. He had a party with his friends.
b. He went to a big family dinner.
Speaker- 5
a. She went to a great party.
b. The neighbotll's had a noisy party.
D. Tell the class about a special day which you celebrated
this year.
Grammar II
A. Rewrite the following sentences choosing the correct
alternative from brackets.
a. Sujita asked her 1nother ....... (when her father would come
home, when will her father come home, when might her
father come home).
b. She replied that she had never had caviar when I said to
her," ............. caviar?" (Have you ever had, Will you have,
Would you have)
c. The salesperson said to him, "What ........... for you?" (I can
do, can I do, I could do)
d. The tourist inquired from me ........ to Banepa. (whether I
belonged, whether I would belong, whether I am belonging)
e. The little girl asked us what time ...... to come back. (were
we supposed, we were supposed, we had been supposed)
f. The head teacher asked her ........ the exam form the week
before. (whether she had filled out, whether she fills out,
whether had she filled out)
g. Renuka asked 1ne ......... her. (ifl have called, ifl had called,
if had I called)
B. Nihar Chaudhary interviewed her Social Studies teacher
last week. Here is the report prepared by her after the
interview. Read it carefully and list out direct questions
asked by Nihar.
Today, I got an opportunity to interview :[Link] deep Prasad Joshi,
our Social Studies teacher about a Newari tradition known as
Ihi. Here is a brief report of the information imparted to me.
:[Link] stated that Ihi is a Newari ceren10ny in which pre-
adolescent girls are married to the Suvarna Kuniar, a symbol
of god Vishnu. I asked him why it was done. He said that it is
done to ensure that the girl becmnes and remains fertile. It was
started to escape the Sati tradition. According to the tradition,
E11glish 10 31
when a girl was married to Vishnu, she would not be a widow
even after the death of her mortal husband. He added that it is
performed to the girls between the ages five to nine. It is known
as Bel Bibaha (Ihi)because when a girl was married to Lord
Vishnu, bel (wood apple) fruit was given as a witness. Mr. Joshi
explained why this particular fruit chosen was because of its
peculiar quality of not getting rotten. Because of this property,
bel is considered as Divya Purusha or incarnation of the god. He
said that the ritual goes on for two consecutive days, which is
tiring for the girl and her parents. During the cere1nony, those
participating could not eat certain foods or drinks, especially
those with salt.
Writing U
A. Write a news story using the following clues.
Vita1nin A Capsules Given to Children
health assistants give Vitamin A Capsules, October 19-20
children from six months to five years
deworming tablets to children between 1-5 years
announced by the Department of Health Services
Vita1nin A prograin1ne continues since 2050 BS and deworn1ing
capsules since 2056 BS
Project work
Prepare a short questionnaire to gather inforination about
various local festivals celebrated by your friends. Collect the
information fro1n your friends. Then make a brief report and
present it to the class.
32 English 10
Word Stress
Stress is an extra force used when pronouncing a particular
word or syllable.
The rules of word stress
1. A word of one syllable has stress on the first letter, e.g. 'Do,
'Pot, 'Song, 'Read.
2. Nouns and most adjectives and adverbs of two syllables
have stress on the first syllable, e.g. FA-ther, HAP-py,
UN-der, PRES-ent.
3. A verb of two syllables has stress on the second syllable,
e.g. cor-RECT, pre-SENT,be-LIEVE.
4. Most three-syllable nouns and adjectives have stress
on the first syllable (except words with long vowel
sound: engiNEER), e.g. POL-i-tics, GEN-er-al, DEL-i-cate,
EX-eel-lent.
5. Three-syllable verbs have stress on the first syllable
(except words with prefixes: reMEMber, conTINue), e.g.
OR-gan-ize, DEC -a-rate, SIG-ni-fy.
6. Words that end in -cy, -ty, -phy and -gy have stress on
the third-from-last syllable. e.g. de-MOC- ra-cy, un-CER
-tain-ty.
7. Compound nouns have stress on the first part, e.g.
HAIR-brush, SOivIE-thing, CLASS-romn, BREAK-fast,
FOOT-ball.
E11glish 10 33