Otázka: Customs and holidays
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Milan Štefek
New Year´s Day– 1. January
– Family time, entertainment programs on TV usually enjoyed from the comfort of home
– many football matches are played
-people traditionally take a shower in the fountain in Trafalgar Square
St. Valentine’s Day – 14. February
-a lover´s day
-young people send valentines (Valentine´s cards), which may include poem or message
– they are mostly anonymous
– lovers exchange small gifts such as plush animals
– St. Valentine secretly wedded soldiers, who were banned of marrying, because of what he was beheaded
St. David´s Day 1.March
-very important for Welsh people
-the Welsh celebrate this day and wear daffodils in the button holes of their coats or jackets
St. Patrick´s Day 17.March
– St. Patrick was the Irish saint and became the patron of Ireland
– people often wear something green and some pubs sell green beer
Easter – late March or early April
– a spring fest of the Christian Church by which is celebrated the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday after crucifixion on Good Friday
– bakers sell cross buns, which are toasted and eaten with butter
– On Easter Sunday people give colored and chocolate eggs to each other and send cards
– Some cities have Easter parades with games and sports and a big Easter egg hunt
– habits like pouring water to boys
All Fool´s Day – 1. April
– people play practical jokes and trick to the other
– successful tease shouts at the victim “April Fool!”
– In earlier das, 1. April looked very different. Servants become masters and on the contrary. Masters used to have obey the servants.
St. George´s Day 23.April
– St. George Cross flag is flown and some people wear red rose
May Day – 1.May
-important day in the Middle Ages
-very early morning, young girls went to the fields and washed their faces with dew (believing it will make them beautiful)
-even now many villages have maypole and on 1. May they dance around it
Midsummer´s Day – 24.June
– at Stonehenge is held very old ceremony during the sunrise
– In Scotland and Cornwall are somewhere lit the fires to give the sun the strength
Halloween – 31. October
– old word for ”Hallows Evening”, the night before ”All Hallows” or ”All Saints‘ Day”
– for old Celts Halloween (Samhain) was the last day of the year and the beginning of winter
– children dress on Halloween costumes and go from house to house knocking at the door and saying “Trick or treat!”. People give then some sweets or money. But if the children are not treated, they soup the windows of house and car or sprite the water to owners face.
– some people cut the face in the pumpkin and put candle inside = jack-o´-lantern
– also many parties are held
Guy Fawkes Day 5.November
-one of Britain’s most popular festivals
-people have fireworks parties where they build big wood fires (bonfires) in their gardens and burn ”Guys“ on the top of them
-Children usually make „Guys“ with straw, old clothes and newspapers before November 5th and they use them to collect money for fireworks. Children stand with their ”Guys“ in busy streets or outside shops and ask people for ”a penny for the guy“
Remembrance Day 11.November
-day to remember all the people who fought in the wars – the living as well as the dead
– people wear artificial poppies on clothes
St. Andrew´s Day 30.November
-national holiday of Scotland
-St. Andrew was martyred on an X-shaped cross and became the Scottish patron saint
Christmas
Cristmas Eve 24. December
– people haven´t traditional celebration, the day is reserved for the office parties
– before going to the bed children hang up Christmas stockings on the fireplace, believing that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and fills up the stockings with presents
– children leave pies for Father Christmas
– Christmas trees are decorated with lights and ornaments, but no sweets are hung on the tree
-on the wall or over the door is hung a sprig of mistletoe – girl standing under it can be kissed without having any objections to it
– in London people go to Trafalgar Square where they sing, dance or paddle in the fountain
25. December
– the most festive day
– in the morning children find presents
-at midday is served traditional Christmas dinner consisting of roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing, roasted potatoes and Christmas pudding made of dried fruit, eggs, suet and little of flour boiled for many hours
– people sing carrols
Boxing Day 26. December
– traditionally people gave postmen, milkmen or newspapers boys small sums of money, which they collected in small wooden boxes
– now, Boxing Day is the real day for Christmas parties and visiting friends
New Year´s Eve 31.December
– people stay up till midnight to see old year go and the new come
– the new year is celebrated by singing and dancing
Hogmanay– it´s the Scottish version of New Year´s Eve
– dinner contains haggis
– before midnight people gather in the square and sing folk songs while dancing
– at midnight they link the hands and sing Auld Lang Syne (The good old days)
– the first visitor of the house in the new year must bring the coal and wish: ”LANG MAY YOUR LUM REEK” (hope your chimney will smoke for a long time)
