४ этап исследовательской работы. Платонова Карина 8б

Christmas in Russia

In Russia, Christmas is annually celebrated on January 7th. Previously the occassion was observed on December 25th in much the same way as it was in the rest of the world, complete with Christmas trees, Christmas gifts and Saint Nicholas. But these days, a few Russians have begun to celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December.
Today, Christmas is celebrated in the country in a grand fashion, with the faithful participating in an all-night Mass in Cathedrals. The main religion in Russia is called Russian Orthodox. In Russia, many people don’t eat meat, eggs or milk from a few weeks before Christmas and it is customary to fast until after the first church service on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but festive. The menu usually depends on the wealth of the families. A typical Christmas dinner however, includes delicacies such as hot roast "пирог" (Russian pies made out of meat or cabbage), and "пельмени" (meat dumplings). The most important ingredient is a special porridge called kutya. The traditional ingredients that go in its preparation are wheatberries (or other grains which symbolize hope and immortality), and honey and poppy seeds which ensure happiness, success and peace. The kutya is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity.
A Christmas ceremony of great significance here is the blessing of individual homes. During Christmastime, a priest visits every home accompanied by boys carrying vessels of holy water. A little water is sprinkled in each room, which is believed to usher in happiness and fortune to them. Another popular custom here is that of young children going from house to house on the first day of Christmas carrying a star and singing carols and getting sweets from adults.
Russia celebrates a white Christmas what with the weather being very cold and snowy during this time and the temperature always dropping to minus degrees.

An incident

One day I have decided to do some shopping after a difficult week. I went to very fashionable boutique and have started to look for beautiful and smart clothes for myself. Near to me there was a guy, who also wanted to look better and he was choosing for himself new and trendy T-shirts. When he went to the cash desk and was going to pay for his goods, I saw, like one suspicious man imperceptibly approached to this guy and accurately took out a purse from his pocket. I saw the security guard and told them about this man. They hastened and when this man already left the shop with a stolen purse, the security guard quickly caught him and called the police. He was taken away and police gave the purse to it's owner. When the guard told the guy about me, he delighted and was very happy. He thanked me. This story ended well for everyone, except that mean thief. I was wery proud of myself.

A trip to London

Since I was a child, I always wanted to visit one of the most exciting cities - London. And now my dream came true. Last weekend I bought a ticket to the plane and went there. At the moment, I've seen Big Ben - the great bell of the clock at the north of the Palace of Westminster in London and the historic fortress and scheduled monument in central London, on the north bank of the river Thames - the Tower of London. I liked it very much - these places waere amazing ! The tower has very unusual construction, that I've never seen before. Also I visited the Royal Botanic Gardens - botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London. This place is very interesting - it contains 14,000 trees, there are displayed over 580 species of grasses and there are currently 2,480 different 'accessions' growing in the garden. I have visited Westminster Abbey - a large ghotic church to the west of the Palace of the Westminster. The design of this church is unusual and fantastic ! Also there is a museum in the Westminster Abbey, which include a unique collection of royal and other funeral effigies together with other treasures. But I also want to visit the Palace of Westminster - the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom - the House of Lords and the House of Commons. I heard, that this place is wonderful - when you go into it, the conditions grasp your spirit and you feel, that you're in that time. And at last, I want to visit St. Margharet's Church - an Anglican church, which is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, because it'a a World Heritage.

My sort of holiday

In 2007 I have visited the USA for the first time. It was the best and the most unforgettable trip in my life. I went to my grandmother, who lives in San Francisco, California. We stayed there for a month. I have visited three states - California, Nevada and Colorado. First of all we went on a big trip in California. I've visited many beautiful and exciting cities, but the most amazing were Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego. There I swam in a warm Pacific ocean, sunbathed on the beach, got acquainted with many new and interesting people. After that we visited Las Vegas in Nevada. It was tremendous and the greatest city I've ever seen. There we went on popular and various shows, saw many fountains, visited chocolate factory and won in the casino ! Then we visited Colorado, where lives my uncle. We had a boat trip on Poeblo Reservuare lake, where was spectacular view and wild nature. At last, we have visited The Grand Canyon - one of the wonders of the world. It's wery big - 1609 metres deep and 446 kilometres long. That exciting and dramatic view I still remember. I want to visit this wonderful country again, and again.