📙 Part 2: Describe a traditional festival in your country

This episode's vocabulary

To be thin on the ground (idiom) - to exist only in small numbers or amounts.

To showcase (verb) - to show the best qualities or parts of something.

Prowess (noun) - great ability or skill.

To peddle (verb) - to sell things, especially by taking them to different places.

Mainstay (noun) - the most important part of something, providing support for everything else.

Shot put (noun) - a sports competition in which a heavy metal ball is thrown from the shoulder as far as possible.

Commonality (noun) - the fact of sharing interests, experiences, or other characteristics with someone or something

Gist (noun) - the most important pieces of information about something, or general information without details.

For one (idiom) - used to say that you think your opinion or action is right, even if others do not.

To float around (phrasal verb) - to not be in any specific location.

Questions and Answers

M: Tell us all about it.

R: I'm afraid my knowledge of national festivals is a bit thin on the ground, to be honest. I'm much more interested in other people's countries than my own. However, there is one event in particular that sticks out in my mind. It's called the Highland Games and it's like a traditional festival showcasing Scottish culture and sporting prowess that happens in a few different places. Usually in the summertime. Though I'll confess, I've never been to one since I think it's a bit boring. To go into greater depth about what the festival is about. I think you can probably guess from the title it's about different Scottish sports and achievements in them. Around the main events, there will be people peddling various locally produced goods and services. There are mainstays like the Caber toss, which is when large men throw big bits of trees around and the shot put, where large men throw metal balls around. All in the comfort of kilts, naturally. When it comes to where and when it's held, it's actually something that's held all over Scotland by different communities, though, usually in the summer. And with a few other commonalities. The whole idea is showing off your sporting prowess in the sunshine surrounded by aspects of Scottish culture, like the food and music. I'm probably oversimplifying a bit because I've never actually been to one. But that's about the gist of it, to be honest with you. To say more about what happens at the festival, I think I've already gone into enough detail about the sport side of things. But there's also traditional Scottish country dancing with groups of people and a band, and more specialized dances, like sword dancing, which I think is done by one person and someone else playing the bagpipes. It sounds more dangerous than it actually is, to be honest. It's just someone dancing around a pair of swords trying not to hit them and win good luck if they succeed. In terms of whether or not I enjoy the festival, I can't actually say with any certainty, since I've never been. However, I think I'd like it as long as the weather was nice. I can't imagine it's much fun in the rain. If we didn't have this festival, then, well, I wouldn't have anything to talk about for one. And I think things would be much duller for any tourists floating around the country in the summer.

M: And do you think you'll visit this festival anytime soon?

R: Not in the near future. No.

Discussion

M: So, dear listener, a traditional festival in your country. Now you should make a choice what you're gonna be talking about. What are the traditional festivals in your country? Choose one, which is easy for you to talk about and talk about. Okay, dear listener? Maybe you want to read about it first. Pick out some words about your traditional festival and then talk about it, right? Because again, it's different from country to country. Scottish Rory talked about the Highland Games, surely. Because Scotland, Highlands, the Highlander, you know.

R: And so the Highland Games.

M: Yeah, these wild games they have in the mountains in Scotland. And Rory started off with, I'm afraid my knowledge of national festivals is a bit thin on the ground. So if something is thin on the ground.

R: You just don't have much of it. My knowledge of festivals is a bit thin on the ground. I think for some people money is a bit thin on the ground, which means you struggle to pay for things.

M: And you can say like, okay, I don't know much about traditional festivals. I'm much more interested in cooking or in languages rather than festivals. So you can just say that, really, examiner, it's not my thing. Festivals, yeah? However, there is one event, there is one festival in particular. There's like one particular event that sticks out in my mind. Okay? So there's one particular event that sticks out in my mind. It's called the Highland Games. In Russia, we have only one traditional festival. Because a festival, usually lasts for a week or for a month, or for two weeks or, I don't know, for three days, so it's kind of not one day. It's not one-off event, but it kind it should last for some time. And in Russia, it's the pancake week. Shrovetide you can call it. Yeah? So this is the only traditional festival that we have in Russia. Yeah? The pagan festival. So if you're from Russia, feel free to talk about our pancake week.

R: When you set things on fire as well? There's a big bonfire, right? And they burn something?

M: Well, yeah, we say goodbye to winter and we welcome spring by burning the... What do you call it? The dummy of spring or the effigy? Sorry, not spring. Winter.

R: The effigy, yeah.

M: The effigy of winter. So it's kind of like a huge doll made of straw, and we put on some clothes on it. So to make it kind of like the embodiment of winter, in a kind of like a, in a woman kind of shape. So we burn it. And we say hello to winter, and then we welcome spring. Yes, such a nice tradition. Anyway, the Highland Games is a traditional festival in Scotland, which showcases Scottish culture. So it just shows Scottish culture and sporting prowess. Ooh, Rory, tell us about prowess.

R: Prowess is just how good you are at something.

M: An example, please.

R: For example, people show off their sporting prowess at the Olympics, because it's a competition where you have to win and like be the best.

M: Yeah, like athletic prowess, sporting prowess, great ability or skill. The Highland Games happen in a few different places. So it's not only like one place in Scotland, in different places, right? Different towns, villages, or in the middle of nowhere.

R: Yeah. But it's, it's like a summer thing.

M: Okay, so all over Scotland. And just throughout summer, or there's just one month? Like in June, everybody is having the Highland Games.

R: Well, I think it's not just in June, it's in July and August as well. They have them at different times for different regions. But the basic idea is the same. It's like let's play some Scottish sports in the summer.

M: Oh, wow. Okay, because in Russia the pancake week is just like one week. We have set dates and it happens all over Russia, people celebrate or don't celebrate. Wow, interesting. I've never been to the Highland Games because I think it's a bit boring. You see? So our Scottish Rory thinks that the Highland Games, his traditional festival is boring. Rory, Rory.

R: Well, I don't think they're very interesting. Sorry. I think I mentioned this when I talked about it before.

M: I think so. You did, yeah.

R: And you were equally disapproving then.

M: Yes, because maybe like, how can you say if you've never been to any games? You'd go visit and then kind of tell me about it. But you've never been.

R: I've never dived into a volcano before. And I know that I don't really want to do that.

M: Oh, that's a good example to illustrate your point, isn't it? To go into greater depth about what the festival is about, I think it's... So it's a nice starter. To go into greater depth. So in more detail. So it's about Scottish sports. About Scottish achievements in sports.

R: Yes. And it's achievement in.

M: And then you can name specific activities, like the caber toss. So people toss, they throw some heavy things.

R: Yeah, I'm not really selling this idea. They have to throw the trunks of trees very far. That's a caber toss. The trunk is the caber.

M: Yeah. How isn't this exciting? I don't know. They're also half-naked, I think. Wearing kilts. Like...

R: Steady on they're wearing kilts. I don't know if they take their shirts off. And, God, I hope they don't.

M: Oh, okay, because I saw some pictures. They're kind of like bare-chested Scottish men.

R: Where?

M: On the Internet, Rory, on the internet.

R: Well, I don't know what sort of images you're looking at, because all I see is men with their clothes firmly on.

M: Okay, okay.

R: I think you were looking at different sorts of images.

M: Maybe, maybe. They throw metal balls around. Okay? It's quite exciting. Like it sounds to me.

R: It is not exciting.

M: All in the comfort of kilts. So they're wearing kilts, traditional outwear. And they throw metal balls and toss cabers. Like also in Russia during the pancake week, so we eat pancakes, we go sledging. You see, dear listener? So the activities depend on the country and if you talk about your traditional festival make sure you know the names of different activities, they should be specific. So it's held in Scotland like it takes place in Scotland. It's held all over Scotland by different communities in summer. And the whole idea is about showing off your sporting prowess. So the idea behind the games is to show off your sporting ability, your sporting skill, when you throw stuff when you kind of run fast. And it's also about Scottish culture. Like the food, music. And still, Rory finds it all boring and dull.

R: I don't think it's very interesting. I'm really sorry. Probably to foreign people, it sounds amazing. But for me, it sounds like the most boring thing in the world.

M: And also, it's about traditional Scottish country dancing. Dancing and singing with groups of people and a band. So there are some specialized Scottish dances, maybe a whiskey-drinking competition. Or playing the bagpipes. Yeah, bagpipes, dear listener, a traditional Scottish musical instrument. So playing the bagpipes. In Russia, they play the balalaika. It's nice. Like this. Yes, so like a string instrument, the balalaika. In terms of whether I enjoy the festival or not, I can't actually say that I enjoy it. So I've never been to my own traditional Scottish festivals. Yes. And I'm from Scotland, dear examiner. So I think as long as the weather is nice, it can be fun. Yeah, you can say.

R: Yes.

M: Kind of not in the rain. And this pancake week, usually, the last day of our pancake week is the day when the fire takes place. And all this like, super festive activities take place. And if it rains on this particular day, or it's super cold, or, you know, it's like sleet all over the place. It's not nice, but people still celebrate the festival. So yeah. We finish off with the conditional. If we didn't have this festival.

R: That was a really cheap one, though. I wouldn't have anything to talk about.

M: Oh, come on. Come on, Rory. If we didn't have this festival, we would have something else. There you go. No, but it's also not kind of... It's a bit silly, dear listener, yeah?

R: Yeah. That's so silly. I couldn't think of anything else to say. But I really wanted to have this structure at the end.

M: Maybe we can say something I wish. I wish I could visit this festival in the future. There we go. It's still like I wish I could. Yeah? Structure. Which is nice. And which is more natural here? Even if you have been, you can say that you haven't been, okay? And then you use, I wish I could visit this festival sometime in the future. Because it's this and this. Or I wish I could visit this festival every year. There you go. I wish I could be there more often.

R: But I was lazy.

M: Yeah, you were super lazy. Well, because you don't like it. So yeah.

R: Well, we've already talked about this topic before, haven't we really? It was describe a sporting event. So this is like a festival and a sporting event in one together. I'm very lucky in Scotland. I don't think lots of places have things like this.

M: Ooh, yeah. So, dear listener, what do you have in your country? Yeah? You can imagine you're from Scotland and you can talk about the Highland Games. There you go. Or you can imagine you're from Russia, talk about the pancake week. But if you choose to talk about pancake week, make sure you read some articles. And you do know the specific vocabulary. What helped you to organize your answer, Rory?

R: I did the same thing that I usually do. I gave a brief summary covering all of the different areas, and then I elaborated on them further. So you get a chance to see these different structures being used to talk about different topics. So in my summary, I talked about what it is and where it's held. And what happens. And whether I enjoyed it very briefly. It's the Highland Games. It happens in different places, usually in the summer. And I think it's a bit boring. And then launching into it, to go into greater depth, when it comes to where and when it's held, to say more about what happens at the festival. And of course, in terms of whether I enjoy the festival or not. Or whether or not I enjoy the festival.

M: Yes. And about the pancake week, I forgot to tell you the fun part. The kind of the most exciting event ever.

R: The pancakes?

M: No, no, no, it's just nothing. On the last day of the pancake week, we build a snow fortress. Like it's a freaking fortress, Rory. Made of snow, and ice. And it's massive. Like if it's in the middle of somewhere in the forest. And there's a clearing, so they build this fortress for weeks. And then it just stays there for the last day of this pancake week. And then, on the last day of the pancake week, before we burn the winter, embodiment. People storm this snow fortress. Can you imagine? An army of people. Like... They just storm the fortress.

R: Is anyone defending the fortress? Or is it just like getting inside?

M: Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There are some defenders. They are wearing helmets, like really, like helmets. And they defend the fortress. They push people from the top. So people, just climb and when they reach the top, they fall over, they fall over on each other. And there's just a mess of people. And it's spectacular.

R: That sounds amazing. That sounds much more fun than the Highland Games.

M: Yes, that's amazing. Storming a winter's fortress. You see, you see, dear listener? I'm selling it to you. You see? So you are now more kind of likely to visit our pancake week rather than the freaking boring Highland Games. Yeah, that happened kind of all over the summer. We don't know where, we don't know when but, you know, like pancake week, dear listener. Come to Russia. Okay? Come to Suzdal. It's amazing. Yeah, it's just great. And it's a week. Like every day of the week is special during this festival. And we have special traditions for every day of this pancake week. Amazing. Yum, yum, yum, pancakes. Fortresses. Yum, yum, yum. Thank you very much for listening! We'll get back to you in our next episode!

R: Thank you for listening to this advert by the Russian tourist board.

M: We'll get back to you in our next episode. Celebrations and festivals.

R: Bye!

M: Bye!

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