Healthy Life

Rest and relaxation are just as important to our body as exercise and healthy eating. If you don’t get enough of them you can make yourself ill. Your body is a bit like a battery. If it is not allowed to recharge itself through sleep and relaxation it may stop working properly. Lack of sleep affects our ability to concentrate. When you dream, your brain may be clearing itself out and preparing itself for the next day's thinking.

During your teens, you need at least eight hours' sleep a night. If you stay out late, try to go to bed early the next night. The effects of lack of sleep can build up over several days. When you are awake you make many demands on your mind and body.

Your body needs a period of rest to repair itself and prevent it from getting worn out. During sleep, substances called hormones stimulate body tissues to grow and repair themselves. If you have troubles getting to sleep, try reading a book to calm your mind or take some exercise and avoid tea, coffee or food before bedtime. A hot, milky drink may help you relax.

14. My favorite holiday (Christmas)

My favourite holiday is Christmas as it is the most cheerful festival and is of religious origin. It’s the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. The Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on 7 January according to the Julian calendar. In the middle of the 4th century it was established by the Roman Catholic Church as a separate feast. Now the Catholic Church celebrates Christmas on 25 December according to the Gregorian calendar.

The Christmas Eve is considered as the most interesting part of Christmas as it has ritual and magic acts aimed at ensuring a good harvest and a life of plenty. Carolling is a characteristic feature of the feast, it expresses respect for the master of the house and his children, and sometimes it’s accompanied by a puppet theatre (vertep). The religious festival lasts three days and involves Christmas liturgies, carolling, visiting and entertaining relatives and acquaintances.

In Ukraine its main feature is Holy Supper consisting of 12 dishes, when the family gathers around the dining table. The first dish is "kutya”. The beginning of the holy supper is signaled by the first star. There is also a custom for the Ukrainian children to go from house to house at Christmas to proclaim "Christ is born” and to sing Christmas carols. They expect some money or candies in return for their musical efforts. Everybody likes Christmas, but a folk proverb says: "Christmas comes but once a year”.