Holidays and Festivals
St.Valentine‘s Day: it‘s on 14th February
- it‘s a special day for young people, who love each other; people send cards (they are decorated of roses and hurts)
- men often give such a flowers and chocolates
President’s Day: it’s on 16th February
- there’re some special programs in TV connect with the president of United States, what he promised, what he did or didn’t do, what he said
- ordinary people are asked for their opinion in Government
- public holiday in the United States
St. David’s Day: it’s on 1.3
- this day is very important for Welsh people, because St. David is a patron of Wales
- the Welsh were the Daff
St. Patrick’s Day: it’s on 17th March
- St. Patrick is the patron of Ireland; there are public holiday in Ireland
- People often were shamrocks on the badges – there’s: Erin go bragh = Ireland forever
All fools Day: it’s on 1st April
- it’s a day for jokes and funny trips
Easter: in England:
- Maundy Thursday = the Queen gives a money to a group, to a poor people
- it’s over 1000 years old tradition
- Christian holiday = people remember the death of Christ and return to live
- people always go to the church, they give the eggs and chocolate to each other
- hot cross buns
- Easter Monday = a lot of people go to the seaside or watch the horse racing
In Czech republic:
- boys have to prepare plaited willow canes decorated; girls have to prepare decorated eggs
- on Monday morning, boys go from house to house, chose girls and say traditional rhymes
- the girls try to hide and pretend to run away but all have a lot of fun
- sometimes they also pour water for each others
- traditional foods: sweet cake called mazanec, small plain sweet called Jidáše, sweet cake in a shake lamb
- all houses are cleaned and decorated
- people also sends card with Easter symbols /baby animals/
St. George’s Day: it’s on 23rd April
- St. George is the patron of England
May Day: in many villages in UK maypoles are put up; people sing and dance
Mother’s Day: it’s on second Sunday in May
- children give a presents for mother
Spring Bank holiday: = last Monday in May; public holidays
- all banks in UK are closed
Summer Bank holiday:
Trooping the Colour: the Queen has an official birthday in second Sunday of June
- it’s a traditional ceremony with brass bands and soldiers at horse guards parade in London
Father’s Day: it’s on third Sunday of June in USA
Christopher Columbus Day: it’s on 12th October
- in 1492 = the America was discovered by Christopher Columbus on the ship Santa Maria
Halloween: it’s on 31st October
- it’s special day for children; they go from house to house and say “trick or threat”
- they wear special clothes – witch or ghost
- some people give them homemade candies or typical American candies as peanut butter /it’s made from peanuts, oil and salt/ with toast bread, jelly and candy corn
- all is decorated – Americans have a typical decoration: they carve the pumpkin with special knives and papers to carving; they put into a carving pumpkin the light inside
- they eat the pumpkin pie /cave + sugar/
- hide ride = people go to the farms and they make afraid of ghosts in the forests
Thanksgiving Day: 4th November
- for the first time, it was celebrated in 1621 for the first harvest
- the Pilgrims came from Europe /Holland/in the ship called Mayflower and they try to settle America
- they settle Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts
- it’s occasion to family get together
- typical food: roast turkey with pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes
- the first Thanksgiving wasn’t a dinner, but it was a breakfast = they eat boiled eel, lobster and roast pigeon
- the settlers invited Indians to take part in their celebration and 92 Indians came and brought turkey, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce
- the pilgrims wanted to thanks god and native Americans for their help
- the native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to plant, how to hunt, how to cook and fish
- in 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared this day as a national holiday
Guy Fawkes Night: it’s on 5th November; celebrated in England
- in 1605, Guy Fawkes wanted to kill the king James I., he put gun powder into the cellar under the Houses of Parliament, but he was caught before he could kill the king
- boys and girls make a large dolls called “Guys”; the doll is made of straw and children put on some masks and old clothes and they go into the streets and say: ”Penny for a Guy”.
- they buy a lot of fireworks, in the evening children light them, put the Guys on the top of it and burn it
- it’s day for fun
Remembrance Day: it’s on the 11th November
- it’s ceremony in Whitehall, in London; 2 minutes silence for killed people in wars
Christmas:
- it’s the day of the birth of Christ
- Christmas in our country and in the Great Britain is celebrated a little bit different
- In England: day before, on the 24th December is the Christmas Eve
- the Christmas tree is decorated with candles, bells and sweets
- socks are hung up and children believe that they will be filled by the Father Christmas
- the next day is: the Christmas Day = on the 25th December
- in the morning, you can open the presents; then is Christmas dinner – there’re differences between food in England and food in USA
- in England = food is consist of roast turkey or goose with different vegetables, potatoes and Christmas pudding
- in USA = they eat roast turkey with stuffing and many different cookies
- Boxing Day: 26th December
- it’s called “boxing” because long ago, boxes with presents were given to servants and postmen
- many parties are given; games are played and all the men want to watch their favourite sports on TV
- In Czech Republic:
- we eat our Christmas dinner in the evening; we eat carp with potatoes salad; carps soup and sandwiches or some special homemade candies
- Christmas customs: in Great Britain = they have special crackers – cracker is a little present wrapped in colour paper and it explode with crack when the two ands are pulled by two people
- when Christmas pudding is made, the silver pence may be put into it and if you find this coin, you’ll be wealthy next year
- they sing Christmas carols, for ex. Gingle bells
- you can kiss anybody who stands under the mistletoe during the Christmas and New Year
- in Australia = young people like to have a Christmas dinner on sunny beaches
New Year’s Day: on the 31st December
- 31st December is called New Year’s Eve and on the 1st January is a public holiday in UK and in Czech Republic too
- it’s time for parties with friends and relatives
- at midnight, a toast is drunk and in Britain everyone holds hands in a large circle and people sing “Old Lang Syne” – it’s poem written by Robert Burns
- there’re a lot of people in the Trafalgar square and everyone wants to hear the chimes of Big Ben
- a lot of people make a New Years resolution
- in Scotland, the Nee Year’s Day is called Hogmanay = they think that their Hogmanay is more celebrated day than in England
- most of Scots celebrate “First Footing” = after midnight people visit family and friends
- the first visitor get a glass of whiskey and he have to bring some small present
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