2006 m.

anglų kalbos VBE

Task 2

Dear Yiang,

Thanks for your letter and it was great to hear from you. First, I would like to start by saying how
much I miss you and that I think about you all of the time. How are you doing? What’s new in
Taiwan, can you cope with the coronavirus? Are you and your family healthy? I’m so glad you
enjoyed our school calendar and the photos in it.

I see that you are interested in the traditional holidays of our country. All Saints’ Day on November
1st is a rather sad holiday. On this night, cemeteries are visited and candles and flowers placed on
graves as the living say prayers for the deceased. The nature of the holiday does not dictate that
only family members' graves are decorated; old and forgotten graves and the graves of strangers
are also visited. On a national level, the graves of important figures and military tombs are
honored. Personally, I and my family visit cemeteries later in the evening because then, at dusk, all
the candles look impressive. For me, too, this holiday is very important because there are many
dead relatives in our family and we all want to honor them. This day makes it possible to
understand how important their dead loved ones are to people.

Christmas Eve on December 24th is a much happier celebration. It’s a real family celebration
where everyone gathers at a common dinner table. Kūčios is one of the most archaic celebrations
associated with the period of change and the winter solstice. During the dinner on the Christmas
Eve all the family gathers around the table and 12 dishes are served. It is essential to try all the
dishes so that the coming year would be plentiful and prosperous. The first meal is always the
flatbread wafers. They are identical in the recipe to the Holy Communion and inscribed with
Christian imagery. Everyone starts with a separate wafer but is expected to break it down and give
every other participant its piece. Only after all the pieces are consumed the other meals may be
tasted. This celebration means to me the preparation for the biggest celebrations of the year that I
think all of us are most looking forward to.

I hope I have introduced you to our holidays at least to some extent, if you have any questions do
not be shy and be sure to ask. I also want to know about your traditional holidays, I think they are
no less interesting than ours. Most I want to know about your Mid-Autumn Festival.

I look forward to your reply.

Best wishes,