Diwali, the festival of lights.

1. LISTENING COMPREHENSION.
Look at the video and complete.
Full - meal - women - every year - start - clean - world - wives - first – wear - water – bright – actual –
enjoy- fireworks – everywhere – pours – beginnings - third - busy – vow

For more than a billion Hindus in India and all

around the _________(1), Diwali is the most
important festival of the year. Diwali is ________
(2) of lights and colours and that´s why it’s called
the festival of lights. Diwali comes
________________ (3) in October or November
and people __________ (4) preparing many weeks
before the festival begins. First, people decorate
their homes and __________ (5) every part of
every room. The Diwali festival is five days long
and every day has different customs. On the ___________ (6) day of Diwali, people wash money, first in milk
and then in _________ (7). This day is also an important day to buy gold and silver. Many buy jewellery for
their ________ (8).
It’s the second day of Diwali, these _________ (9) get up early to cook pakoras. But the pakoras are not for
breakfast; they are for a special custom. The woman walks out into the road and throws a pakora in four
directions. Then she ________ (10) water on the ground, she walks forward and she doesn’t look back. Diwali
is about new _____________ (11) and this custom helps people forget bad things in their past and go forward
in their lives.
It’s the ________ (12) day of Diwali. People use __________ (13) colours to make a picture. This is a picture
of a lamp, an important idea in Diwali. For many Hindus, this day is the new year’s day. They buy and
________ (14) new clothes. It’s a very ________ (15) time for clothes shops. The third day is the _________
(16) Diwali day, the Hindu new year’s day. On the third day, people visit their parents and grandparents and
_________(17) to show respect. In family, people give presents to each other. People also send to each other
Diwali cards. Diwali is also a time for the family to have a special _________ (18) together. Food is very
important in Diwali. People buy sweets or sometimes make them at home. This is one part of Diwali that
children particularly like. And finally, this day ends with a big bang with fireworks. All the family _________
(19) this colourful show of light and colour. For the five days of Diwali, light is ____________ (20), in the
candles, in lamps, in the home and in _____________ (21) in the sky. It’s a new beginning for everyone in
this festival of light.

2. READING COMPREHENSION.
Read and choose a) b) or c)

1. Diwali festival takes place in summer.

a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
2. People work very hard before the festival.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
3. It’s very usual for women to buy jewellery.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
4. Diwali symbolizes the end of bad days and the beginning of something new and better.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
5. All the family wash coins in water and milk.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
6. Diwali is a good moment to spend time with the family.
 a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
7. Shops raise their sales during this festival.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
8. Women usually prepare a huge breakfast with pakoras.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
9. The festival comes to an end with wonderful fireworks.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say
10. One of the Diwali’s customs is to throw away food.
a. True b. False c. Doesn’t say

3. SPEAKING.
In groups, explain with your own words the preparations for each day. (1st, 2nd and 3rd)

4. WRITING.
Choose an important festival or your favourite celebration and write about it. Use these questions as a guide.

a. When does it take place? Where?

b. How long does it last?
c. What do people do?
d. What do people wear?

KEYS.

1) 1) world 2)full 3) every year 4) start 5) clean6) first

7) water 8)wives9)women 10) pours 11) beginnings 12) third
13) bright 14) wear 15) busy 16) actual 17)vow 18) meal
19) enjoy 20) everywhere 21) fireworks.

2) 1. c) 2. a) 3. b) 4. a) 5. c) 6. a) 7. a)
8. b) 9. a) 10. a)

3) Students’ own answers.

4) Students’ own answers.