How to understand the light curves of symbiotic stars

I introduce fundamental types of variations observed in the light curves (LC) of symbiotic stars: the orbitally-related wave-like modulation during quiescent phases, eclipses during active phases and apparent orbital changes indicated during transitions between quiescence and activity. I explain their nature with the aid of the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the composite spectrum of symbiotic stars and their simple ionization model.