IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Topic: Describe an important holiday that is celebrated in your country

Today, I am going to talk about an important holiday (or festival) that is celebrated in my country called Lunar New Year. Besides the Western calendar’s New Year, the Vietnamese people also celebrate Lunar New Year according to the lunar calendar.

The Lunar New Year, or Tet usually takes place around the end of January or the beginning of February, depending on when the lunar calendar ends. Tet provides the opportunity for reunions for Vietnamese families, as people tend to return to their hometowns at this time of the year.

Like the Christmas tree in Western countries, in Vietnam, we buy a kumquat tree, an apricot blossom tree or some branches to decorate our houses. People also buy new clothes and clean their houses to welcome in the New Year. Some families make “Chung cake”, a traditional cake for this special occasion. Chung cake is made of rice, mung beans and fat pork, wrapped in a banana leaf in the shape of a square. It is then boiled overnight until it is cooked.

During the Tet holiday, Vietnamese visit their relatives to wish them all a happy new year. They also go to the pagodas frequently to wish for a better year to come for their families. Adults give lucky money to children. I think this is the only time of year when people can forget about all the worries of their daily lives, when they can relax, enjoy, indulge themselves, and get ready for another new year.

– Western calendar: also known as the Gregorian calendar, this calendar is used in Western countries and the New Year begins with the first day of January.
Example: International companies usually follow the Western calendar, though their country may also follow a different calendar.

– according to: as stated or indicated by; following; based on.
Example: According to the Center for Disease Control, all travelers should be up-to-date with their vaccines.

– takes place around: to occur during a certain time period, around is used in this
instance to give you a general idea of when something happens, rather than a very specific date.
Example: The festival takes place around the beginning of May each year, though we won’t know the exact start date until March 15th.

– depending on: to be contingent on, something will not happen unless something else happens first.
Example: Depending on the score you get on your exam, you may qualify for a scholarship.

– reunion: a time when people gather together again after not having seen each other for a while; you can have family reunions, class reunions, work reunions, etc.
Example: The graduating class of 1985 had a class reunion this past summer and it was fantastic to see all my old classmates again.