Калейдоскоп Британских праздников

British celebrations

Christmas New Year

St Valentine’s Day

Mother’s Day Pancake Day

St. Patrick’s Day

All Fool’s day

Easter Halloween

Guy Fawkes Night

Christmas

The most important and popular holiday is Xmas. It’s celebrated on the 25 th of December. People begin to prepare for this holiday in advance. They buy presents for their nearest and dearest, they decorate Christmas Tree at their homes, send postcards wishing a happy Xmas. There’s a traditional Queen’s speech on TV. She congratulates the whole nation and wishes good luck.

Houses , offices , shops and streets are decorated before Christmas.

Christmas is a favourite holiday for children. They wait for Santa Claus to bring them presents . On the eve of Christmas children hang their stockings, so that Santa Claus could put presents into them.

New Year

New Year is not so popular among British people. Usually it’s time for parties, dances and songs. Some people like to celebrate the holiday in the streets. Many people get together At Trafalgar Square or Piccadilly Circus. There is a New year tradition to give promises to get rid of bad habits. They are called Near Year resolutions.

Every year people from Norway give English people a huge Christmas Tree. The Tree is displayed in Trafalgar Square from the beginning of December till the 6 th of January. It’s the main Christmas Tree in the country.

St. Valentine’s day

It is celebrated on the 14 th of February. It’s a very romantic and tender holiday. It was named in the honour of Saint Valentine, a Roman priest. People send Valentine cards to whom they love. They also give flowers, small presents and sweets to their sweethearts.

Mother’s day

• It is usually celebrated in the middle of March during the Lent.

• It has been celebrated since the 17 th century.

• Children give their mothers flowers, small presents , greeting cards and a special cake, called “Simnel cake”.

Pancake Day

• Pancake Day is celebrated in February or in March. It is also known as Shrove Tuesday.
• It is celebrated only one day and it’s a merry and exciting holiday .
• People go to the church this day to confess their sins and begin to prepare for Easter.
• It is the day for eating tasty pancakes. They are eaten hot with honey, jam or sour cream .

In some villages and towns in England there is a pancake race every year. One has to make a pancake and then run with it, tossing the pancake and trying not to drop it.

St. Patrick’s Day

It is a very popular festival in Great Britain and other English-speaking countries.

It’s celebrated on the 17 th of March in honour of the Patron Saint of Ireland.

People wear green clothes this day and decorate them with shamrocks.

There are parades in many large cities.

All Fool’s Day is not a public holiday, but it’s very popular among all people . It became famous in the 18th century . People play jokes and fool around this day.

Easter

« Merry Easter » - people of Great Britain say each other this day. Easter is celebrated as a religious feast and the beginning of spring .

It’s the time to give and get presents . People exchange chocolate eggs.

Special buns (Hot Cross Buns) are cooked on this day.

Father's Day

This holiday is celebrated on the 3d Sunday of June. It started in America at the beginning of the 20 th century. Soon it has become famous all over the world. This day people honor their fathers and give them roses, small presents and cards.

Отмечается этот праздник в третье воскресенье июня. Появился он как выражение любви и благодарности, которые дети посвящаются своим отцам. В это день принято дарить папам розы, маленькие подарки и открытки

Halloween

It is also known as All Saints’ Day. It is marked by costumes balls and fancy parties and is popular among children who play trick-or-treat game. Pumpkin is one of the symbols of this holiday. People cut out eyes, a nose and a mouth and put a candle inside. This is made to scare friends. Children tell each other horror stories.

This holiday commemorates the discovery of Gunpowder plot on November 5 th , 1605. It was planned by the Roman Catholics to destroy the English Houses of Parliament and to blow up king James I. But the organizer of the plot Guy Fawkes was caught, arrested and soon hung.

Now people make bonfires and burn a figure of a guy made of old clothes and straw. During this day children ask a passer-by in the streets to spare “a penny for a guy.” The traditional dishes are baked potatoes and apples, sausages, bread with garlic and spices and cinnamon pies.

Birthday