Look at the pictures of Marriages signs, listen to their descriptions, try to guess what it is and say it in one word.

1. It is a shape of red colour, used as a symbol of love. Every person has it.
2. These are birds, used as a symbol of “fidelity” because they mate for life.
3. It is the most popular flower in the world. It speaks of someone’s love.
4. It is a round piece of jewellery worn on a finger as a symbol of fidelity or loyalty.
5. It is something that is given without being asked for to show friendship and love or to say " thank you" to somebody for something.
6. It is a soft toy representing a large strong animal with thick brown hair. It is one of the most popular toys in the world.
7. It is a delicious thing cooked from cocoa and sugar, usually of brown colour, eaten as sweets or used in cakes.
8. It is one of the gods of mythology, represented as a naked, winged boy with a bow and an arrow.

Unknown words

Wedding Customs

A.. Picture a wedding in North America. You will probably think of a bride wearing a white dress and veil walking down the aisle, accompanied by her father. The groom is dressed in a suit, and accompanied by his best man. During the ceremony, the groom puts a ring on the bride's finger, or perhaps they exchange rings as a judge or religious leader pronounces them husband and wife.

B. Did you ever wonder where these traditions come from? Many wedding traditions are very old and come from different lands. For example, the tradition of having a best man comes from northern Europe in about 200 AD. At this time, a person who wanted to get married usually chose someone from the same village, but sometimes there were not enough women for all the men. Since men did not have the opportunity to meet women as they do today, the only way to find a wife was to capture one. When a man set out to seize a bride, he and a friend would go to the next village and snatch any woman they could find walking alone. The two men had to be strong to carry the woman away. Obviously, the " best man" was needed for the job. Perhaps this is where we get the tradition of carrying a bride over the threshold of her new home on the wedding night. We also get the saying -" to sweep a woman off her feet" from this custom.

C. Today a bride in North America usually wears white. Around the sixteenth century, white became the symbol of purity and innocence. The veil was first introduced by the ancient Greeks and Romans, who wanted to protect the bride from the evil eye of a jealous suitor. The custom of having bridesmaids and ushers probably began with the Romans, who required ten witnesses at a wedding. Bridesmaids dressed like the bride, and ushers dressed like the groom. The idea was to outwit the evil spirits, who would not know who were the real bride and groom. Today, a bride wears " something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." The item that is old is generally a piece of clothing from a woman who is happily married. This item is supposed to transfer good fortune to the new bride. Something borrowed is often a relative's jewellery. It should be made of gold to represent the sun, which is the source of life. Something new is usually the wedding dress or veil. Something blue is a bit of blue ribbon that represents loyalty or permanence, since blue is the colour of the heavens.

D. Long ago, wedding guests did not eat the wedding cake - they threw it at the bride! The wedding cake symbolized fertility, and was an important part of the ceremony since every marriage was expected to produce children. Wheat, another symbol of fertility and prosperity, was also thrown on new brides. Other young women tried to catch the grains of wheat, to ensure their own future marriages. Today we carry on this tradition by throwing rice at the newlyweds.'"

E. A wedding ceremony often concludes with the bride tossing her bouquet to the bridesmaids. The bridesmaid who catches the flowers is said to be the woman who will marry next. Today, the bridal bouquet is made of delicate flowers such as roses, orchids or lilies of the valley. In the past, it was not made of flowers, but of herbs. The herbs often had a very strong odour, and were selected to ward off witches and demons. Brides carried bouquets of rosemary, chives and even garlic.

F. There are also traditions for the best time of the day for a wedding. In the seventeenth century, morning weddings were considered bad luck because the groom often arrived at the wedding unshaven and wearing dirty and disheveled clothing the result of a late-night bachelor party, no doubt. Today, we continue to have bachelor parties, although not always the night before the wedding. Weddings can take place at any time of the day - morning, afternoon or evening.

G. There are several theories about the origin of the wedding ring. It is made from gold, thought to be the most enduring metal. The circle of the ring symbolizes eternity - the endless love of the couple and a perfect, lifelong union. Wedding rings have been placed on different fingers, according to country. The early Hebrews wore the wedding ring on the index finger. In India, wedding rings were worn on the thumb. In the East, wedding rings had no religious or symbolic significance, and were not worn at all. Today the wedding ring is usually wornon the fourth finger of the left hand, following the traditions of the Greeks. The Greeks believed that a vein called the " vein of love" ran from this finger directly to the heart. Since the heart controlled both love and life, it was logical that this finger should wear the pledge of love.

• Notes on the text:

- an aisle - a long passage between rows of seats

- a best man - the man who helps the bridegroom (the man getting married) at a wedding ceremony

- to capture - to catch somebody in order to make him/them (a) prisoner(s)

- to set out to do something -l.to start a journey (esp) a long one; 2.to set out with the intention of doing something

- to seize -to take hold of something suddenly and violently

- to snatch -to take somebody or something away from, a place by force

- a suitor - (old use) a man who wants to marry a particular woman

- to outwit - to gain an advantage over someone by using tricks or clever plans

- loyalty - the quality of remaining faithful to your friends, family, principles, country, etc.

- fertility - the ability of a person, animal or plant to produce babies, young animals or seeds.

- prosperity - a condition of having money and everything that is needed for a good life

- newlyweds - a man and a woman who have recently got married

- to conclude with... - to end something such as a meeting or speech by doing or saying one final thing

- an orchid -орхідея

- lilies of the valley -конвалії

- chive -a long thin green plant that looks and tastes like onion and is used in cooking

- disheveled (clothing) - untidy

- enduring - continuing to exist for a long time

- Hebrew - a member of a Jewish people, especially in ancient times

- a pledge of love - a serious promise of love, etc. made by two people.

Exercise1. Look in the text for the answers.

1. Who accompanies the bride down the aisle?

2. Who accompanies the groom down the aisle?

3. Who pronounces them husband and wife?

4. Explain how the tradition of having a best man began.

5. What does the white colour symbolize?

6. What was the reason for the veil?

7. Why did the Romans have bridesmaids and ushers in their wedding parties?

8. What things are traditionally used in these categories?

a) something old

b) something new

c) something borrowed

d) something blue

9. How was the wedding cake originally used?

10. What did the wedding cake symbolize?

11. What has replaced the custom of throwing wheat at the bride and groom?

12. What is the meaning of catching the bridal bouquet?

13. Why did bridal bouquets have a strong odour in the past?

14. Why morning weddings were considered unlucky in the 17^th century?

15. Why are wedding rings made of gold?

16. Which finger was used for the wedding ring by the following?

a) the early Hebrews

b) people in India

c) people in the East

d) the Greeks

17. What was the heart believed to control?

Exercise 2. Review Vocabulary

Find words in the text with the same meaning as the words below.

Exercise 3. Paraphrase the following using the words and word-combinations you know now:

-two people who are married or having a sexual or romantic relationship

-to become someone's husband or wife

-a man who has never been married

-the relationship between two people who are married

-a set of equipment of tools you need for a particular activity

-something that is needed or asked for

-a formal or traditional set of actions used at an important social or religious even.

-someone who has a responsible position in an organization

-someone who is present when an official paper is signed or who signs it to prove this

-to decide finally to do something, esp. after delaying it or worrying about it for a long time

-an agreement to marry someone

-someone whose job is to advise people about laws, write formal agreements or represent people in court

-a serious promise

-a woman at the time she gets married or just after she is married

-a man at the time he gets married or just after he is married

-a member of your family

-to be the person who has achieved the best results in...

-to legally end one's marriage

-the crime of being married to two people at the same time

-the act of asking someone to marry you

Exercise 4. Discuss these questions in a group.

1. What is love?

2. Do you believe in love at first sight?

3. What do you think is the best age to get married?

4. Choose the things that are most important to you in a marriage partner. Put them in order. Number 1 is the most important.

a) intelligence e) occupation

b) good looks f) interests/hobbies

c) personality g) temperament

d) money h) religion

5. Choose the people you would have at your wedding.

a) relatives (which ones?) e) best man

b) friends f) maid/matron of honour

c) bridesmaids g) flower-girl

d) ushers h) page-boy

6. At what time of the day would you have your wedding?

7. On what day of the week would you have your wedding?

8. How long would the ceremony last?

9. Where would you have your reception? How long would it last?

10. What kind of food would you serve at the reception?

11. In your culture, who pays for the wedding?

12. Where would you go on your honeymoon?

Pay attention to some words which may appear unknown to you:

Hunchback – сутулий

Merchant – купець

Misshapen – потворний

Repulse – відмова

Humpbacked – горбатий

TRUE LOVE

Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well-known German composer, was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a grotesque hunchback.

One day he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Frumtje. Moses fell hopelessly in love with her. But Frumtje was repulsed by his misshapen appearance.

When time came for him to leave, Moses gathered his courage and climbed the stairs to her room to take one last opportunity to speak with her. She was a vision of heavenly beauty, but caused him deep sadness by her refusal to look at him. After several attempts at starting a conversation, Moses shyly asked, " Do you believe marriages are made in heaven? "

" Yes, " she answered, still looking at the floor. " And do you? "

" Yes, I do, " he replied. " You see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord announces which girl he will marry. When I was born, my future wife was pointed out to me. Then the Lord added, 'But your wife will be humpbacked.'"

" Right then and there 1 called out, 'Oh, Lord, a hump­backed woman will be a tragedy. Please, Lord, give me the hump and let her be beautiful.'"

Then Frumtje looked into his eyes and was stirred by some deep memory. She reached out and gave Mendelssohn her hand and later became his devoted wife.

Barry and Joyce Vissell