Festivals and Celebrations: Holiday Vocabulary and Dates in English

Learn to talk about celebrations and say when they happen. This free A1 English lesson for adult beginners introduces festival vocabulary, celebration activities, months, and ordinal numbers. Its 18 interactive slides include vocabulary audio, videos, matching games, date questions, a listening activity, and a short writing task about your favourite celebration.

What you will learn

• Use six key festival words, including party, parade, and invitation.
• Name holidays and personal celebrations.
• Describe activities people do on special occasions.
• Say dates using months and ordinal numbers.
• Ask When is ...? and answer with in or on.
• Write a short paragraph about your favourite celebration.

Six useful festival words in English

Listen to each word in the vocabulary slide and repeat it. Use these words to describe a celebration you know.

• Party: a social gathering where people enjoy themselves.
• Celebration: an occasion that marks something special.
• Parade: a group of people moving along a route, often with music.
• Fireworks: colourful lights and loud sounds in the sky during a display.
• Gift: something you give to another person.
• Invitation: a message asking someone to join an event.

Practice the discussion question What do people usually do at celebrations? Try an answer such as People give gifts, eat together, and listen to music.

Holidays and personal celebrations

The festival video and picture cards introduce names such as Eid al-Fitr, Halloween, Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Diwali. Listen to the names and greetings, including Eid Mubarak!, Merry Christmas!, and Happy Diwali!

Other vocabulary includes Easter, Thanksgiving, and Valentine's Day. The lesson also covers personal occasions: a birthday party, engagement, wedding ceremony, wedding reception, wedding anniversary, graduation, retirement, and the birth of a baby.

Use the picture matching activity to recognize each occasion. Then talk about a celebration that is important to you: My favourite celebration is my birthday.

Activities at celebrations

Learn action phrases and match them with the special days in the lesson.

• Birthday: blow out candles on a cake and sing Happy Birthday.
• Graduation: wear a cap and gown and get a degree or diploma.
• Wedding: exchange rings and have a reception.
• Halloween: wear a costume and go trick-or-treating.
• New Year's Eve: see fireworks and say Happy New Year.
• Valentine's Day: give chocolates or go out for dinner.

These are examples used in the lesson. Practice describing your own traditions with We usually ...: We usually eat together. or We usually give gifts.

Months and ordinal numbers for dates

Review the twelve months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December. Use the audio calendar to practice their pronunciation.

Ordinal numbers tell us the position of a day in the month. Listen to the date numbers from 1st to 31st. Pay attention to these common forms:

Practice saying May twenty-fourth or the twenty-fourth of May. Both use an ordinal number for the day.

In or on: talking about birthdays and event dates

Use in with a month and on with a specific date.

• My birthday is in May.
• My birthday is on May 24th.
• The party is in April.
• The party is on April 15th.

Ask When is your birthday? or When is the party? In the date quiz, the numbers use day/month order: 09/02 means the ninth of February, and 21/04 means the twenty-first of April. Read each date carefully before choosing an answer.

A short conversation about a celebration

Friend A: What is your favourite celebration?
Friend B: My birthday.
Friend A: When is your birthday?
Friend B: It is on May twenty-fourth.
Friend A: What do you usually do?
Friend B: I celebrate with my family. We usually eat cake and sing.

Take turns asking and answering. Change the celebration, date, and activities to make your own conversation.

Listening practice: talking about dates

Listen to the conversation about vacation dates and a party. Focus on the ordinal numbers and fill in the missing words. Notice the difference between twenty-second and twenty-seventh, then replay the audio to check the dates you heard.

Writing practice: my favourite celebration

Write four short sentences using the final writing guide: My favourite celebration is ..., It is in/on ..., I celebrate with ..., and We usually .... Here is a 30-word model you can adapt:

My favourite celebration is my birthday. It is on May twenty-fourth. I celebrate with my family and close friends. We usually eat cake, give gifts, and sing happy songs together.

Read your paragraph aloud. Check the month, ordinal number, and whether your time expression needs in or on.

Practice with the interactive lesson

1. Review the order of the months in the warm-up quiz.
2. Discuss celebrations and learn the six festival words.
3. Watch the festival video and practice the occasion vocabulary.
4. Match celebration activities and pictures.
5. Watch the birthday video and practice in and on.
6. Listen to months and ordinal numbers, then complete the date activities.
7. Write your paragraph and share a new word or phrase.

Teachers can model a date and a short celebration description before learners speak in pairs. For self-study, repeat the vocabulary audio and practice saying three dates aloud.

Review sports and invitation vocabulary in Lesson 13, or browse more free A1 English teaching materials.