Holydays in Great Britain

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Holydays in Great Britain

The plan

Introduction

1. Christmas and Boxing Day

2. Good Friday and Easter Monday

3. The New Year

4. Bank holiday and special festivals in Great Britain

5. The high of Hogmanay

Conclusion

Used books

Introduction

christmas easter holiday

There are only six public holidays a year in Great Britain, that is days on which people need not go in to work. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Spring Bank Holiday and Late Summer Bank Holiday.

In Scotland, the New Year's Day is also a public holiday. Most of these holidays are of religious origin, though it would be right to say that for the greater part of the population they have long lost their religious significance and simply days on which people relax, eat, drink and make merry.

All the public holidays, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day observed on December 25th and 26th respectively, are movable, that is they do not fall on the same day each year. Good Friday and Easter Monday depend on Easter Sunday which falls on the first Sunday after a full moon on or after March 21st. The Spring Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday of May or on the first Monday of June, while the Late Summer Bank Holiday comes on the last Monday in August or on the first Monday in September, depending on which of the Mondays is nearer to June 1st and September 1st respectively.

Besides public holidays, there are other holidays, anniversaries and simply days, for example Pancake Day and Bonfire Night, on which certain traditions are observed, but unless they fall on a Sunday, they are ordinary working days.

1. Christmas and Boxing Day

The most favourite holiday is Christmas. Every year the people (if Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in the Trafalgar Square.

Before Christmas, gr6ups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charities' and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs Many churches hold a service on the Sunday before Christmas.

The fun starts the night before, on the 24th of December. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and fill them with toys and sweets.

Christmas is a family holiday. All the family usually meet for the big Christmas dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. And everyone gives and receives presents. The 26th of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Christmas. It's the time to visit friends and relatives. This day postmen and servants receive their presents in the boxes.

If you try to catch a train on 24th of December you may have difficulty in finding a seat. This is the day when many people are traveling home to be with their families on Christmas Day, 25th December. For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year, it combines the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ with the traditional festivities of winter.

On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a carol service where special hymns are sung. Sometimes carol-singers can be heard on the streets as they collect money for charity. People are reminded of Charles Dickens' story "Christmas Carol". Most families decorate their houses with brightly-coloured paper or holly, and they usually have a Christmas tree in the corner of the front room, glittering with coloured lights and decorations.

There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but perhaps the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their beds on Christmas Eve, 24th December, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and bring them small presents, fruit and nuts. They are usually not disappointed! At some time on Christmas Day the family will sit down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding. They will probably pull a cracker with another member of the family. It will make a loud crack and a coloured hat, small toy and joke will fall out!

Later in the afternoon they may watch the Queen on television as she delivers her traditional Christmas message to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. If they have room for even more food they may enjoy a piece of Christmas cake or eat a hot mince pie. 26th December is also a public holiday, Boxing Day, and this is the time to visit friends and relatives or watch football.

Christmas is one of the most popular English holidays. It is celebrated on the 25th of December. In Britain this day was a festival long before Christianity [,knsti'aeniti] was introduced. The ancient Angles began the year on that day. And the night was called "mother's night". Later this day became a Christian religious holiday -- the birthday of Christ.

Nowadays this holiday is not purely religious. On Christmas Eve all the people hurry home to spend the evening in the family. It's a time for eating, drinking and making merry. Just like our New Year party. People exchange presents, send each other Christmas cards with pictures of Santa Claus, Christmas robins, branches of holly with red berries.

Christmas with its tradition of giving presents is the most expensive festival of the year. There are big Christmas trees everywhere, especially in shops, and Santa Clauses ringing their bells, greeting people and inviting them to shops to gold bells, greeting people and inviting them to shops to buy presents.

On Christmas morning children find presents from Santa Claus in stockings specially prepared for them.

In small towns and villages carol singers walk from house to house singing, dancing and collecting money for the poor.

The Christmas pantomime ['paentomaim] is another tradition at the festival. Last but not least: wishes. For example: "Wishing You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh,

Over the fields we go laughing all the way.

The bells on bob tail ring making spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight.

Chorus

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh

2. Good Friday and Easter Monday

Easter is the most important Christian holiday. By tradition it is associated with EASTER EGGS and with arrival of spring. The majority of churches are decorated before Easter service colors. In many cities national festivals and fairs are held There are a lot of different entertainments in this day, for example, driving on roundabouts, knocking down by a sphere of subjects, riding a mechanical horse. Flower processions pass along the streets. At the end of the day Princess of Easter is chosen.

People in England celebrate Easter every spring. Easter lasts for a three most important days are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday week. The and Easter Sunday.

On Maundy Thursday, the king or queen of England gives money to poor people. This tradition is very old. On Good Friday, people eat fish instead of meat. They also eat special hot cakes with a cross on the top. They call these cakes hot cross buns. On Easter Sunday, people eat a traditional roast dinner with lamb, potatoes and vegetables. They also give each other chocolate Easter eggs.

Easter is fun for children. They often decorate real eggs in pretty colours or make colourful hats, called Easter bonnets. They can also have an Easter egg hunt outside. Parents hide Easter eggs in their gardens and the children try to find as many as they can and put them in their Easter basket. People tell their children that the Easter Bunny brings the eggs! Bunnies, or rabbits, are symbols of spring. Easter is a wonderful celebration. It is lots of fun for all the family.

3. The New Year

In England the New Year is not so popular as in our country, ilmost nobody celebrates New Year's Day in the South of England, people go to bed at the same time as usual on New Year's Eve. But in some parts in the North and in Scotland it is a great holiday. Hogmanay, New Years Eve is the biggest festival of the year.

Because of in Britain the New Year is not as widely celebrated as Christmas, some people ignore it completely and go to bed at usual time. Others, however, do celebrate it in one way or another. The most common type of celebration is a New Year party.

How do English people celebrate the New Year? Well, usually there is a New Year party, either a family party r one held by some young people. This usually begins at eight 'clock in the evening and ends in the early hours of the morning. Another popular way of celebrating the New Year is to go to New Year's dance. Many hotels and dance halls hold a dance on New Year's Eve. The hall is decorated, there is much music and everybody is very happy. The most famous celebration is in the centre of London where people gather and sing.

The 1st of January, New Year's Day, is now a holiday, people о not go to work. They send New Year postcards and some people ive presents to each other.

New Year's Day is the time for making New Year resolutions, decide to do or stop doing something in the new year. For example, lary Smith's New Year resolution, as she writes in her letter to a iend, is not to talk at the lessons any more.

There is a funny tradition connected with the New Year: the First Foot. This is the first visitor to enter a house on New Year's morning. He is a person of great importance. The First Foot must be a man because it is believed that if a woman first sets foot in the house, bad luck will follow throughout the year. He may be a chance caller or a person who comes on purpose (с целью) to let the New Year into the house and bring good luck to the family. Traditionally, the first visitor of the year must carry food, drink and coal into the house. Coal helps to make a fire in midwinter and there shall never be lack of food and drink during the coming year.

4. Bank holiday and special festivals in Great Britain.

There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. This holidays which are establish by the Parliament. They are days on which banks close as well as most of the offices and shops are closed and business is suspended.

Seven times a year the offices and banks in England are closed or a Monday and no one works in them on these days. These public holidays are known as Bank Holidays. No business houses and factories are open on these days.

Bank holidays in England are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day (first Monday in May), Spring Holiday (last Monday in May), Summer Holiday (fourth Monday in August), Christmas Day, and Boxing Day (December 26).

On Bank Holidays Londoners like to go out of the city into thi open air. They go to the seaside or to one of the big parks. Man] families take a basket and put their lunch or tea in it. The; will sit on the grass under a tree, have their meal in the open air Good weather is very important. A wet Bank Holiday gives little pleasure.

Londoners often visit the Zoo where they can see many interesting animals from different countries. But many of them go with their families to Hampstead Heath. This is a large piece of open land near London where there is a fair on some of the Bank Holidays. Then are a lot of interesting things for children and young people at these fairs--merry-go-rounds, swings and many little shops which sell pa per hats with the words "Kiss Me Quick", coloured balloons, cake and sweets.

An important moment at the fair is the coming of the Pearly King and Queens. These are men and women who have sewed pearl button all over their dresses and suits. And their hats also have many pear buttons over them. Those people who have the most beautiful costumes are named Pearly King and Queen for one year.

Besides public holidays, there are some special festivals in Great Britain. One of them takes place on the 5th of November. On that day, in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. He didn't succeed. The King's men found the bomb, took Guy Fawkes to the Tower and cut off his head.

Since that day the British celebrate the 5th of November. They burn a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, in a bonfire and let off fireworks. This dummy is called a "guy" (like Guy Fawkes).

5. The high of Hogmanay

Nowhere else in Britain is the arrival of the New Year celebrated so wholeheartedly as in Scotland.

Throughout Scotland, the preparations for greeting the New Year start with a minor "spring-cleaning". Brass and silver must be glittering and fresh linen must be put on the beds. No routine work may be left unfinished; stockings must be darned, tears mended, clocks wound up, musical instruments turned, and pictures hung straight. In addition, all outstanding bills are paid, overdue letters written and borrowed books returned. At least, that is the idea!

Most important of all, there must be plenty of good things to eat. Innumerable homes "reek of a celestial grocery" - plum puddings and currant buns, spices and cordials, apples and lemons, tangerines and toffee. In mansion and farmhouse, in suburban villa and city tenement, the table is spread with festive fare. Essential to Hogmanay are "cakes and kebbuck" (oatcakes and cheese), shortbread and either black bun or currant loaf. These are flanked with bottles of wine and the "mountain dew" that is the poetic name of whisky.

In the cities and burghs, the New Year receives a communal welcome, the traditional gathering-place being the Mercat Cross, the hub and symbol of the old burgh life. In Edinburgh, however, the crowd has slid a few yards down the hill from the Mercat Cross to the Tron Kirk - being lured thither, no doubt, by the four-faced clock in the tower. As the night advances, Princes Street, the main street in Edinburgh, becomes as thronged as it normally is at noon, and there is growing excitement in the air. Towards midnight, all steps turn to the Tron Kirk, where a lively, swaying crowd awaits "the Chapplin o'the Twal" (the striking of the 12 o'clock). As the hand of the clock in the tower approach the hour, a hush falls on the waiting throng, the atmosphere grows tense, and then suddenly there comes a roar from a myriad throats. The bells peal forth, the sirens scream - the New Year is born!

Many families prefer to bring in the New Year at home, with music or dancing, cards or talk. As the evening advances, the fire is piled high - for the brighter the fire, the bitter the luck. The members of the household seat themselves round the hearth, and when the hands of the clock approach the hour, the head of the house rises, goes to the main door, opens it wide, and holds it thus until the last stroke of midnight has died away. Then he shuts it quietly and returns to the family circle. He has let the Old Year out and the New Year in. Now greetings and small gifts are exchanged, glasses are filled - and already the First-Footers are at the door.

The First-Footer, on crossing the threshold, greets the family with "A Gude New Year to ane and a'!" (Sc. A good New Year to one and all!) or simply "A Happy New Year!", and pours out a glass from the flask he carries. This must be drunk to the dregs by the head of the house, who, in turn, pours out a glass for each of his visitors. The glass handed to the First-Footer himself must also be drunk to the dregs. A popular toast is: "Your good health!"

The First-Footer must take something to eat as well as to drink, and after an exchange of greetings they go off again on their rounds.

Conclusion

In fact there have always been holidays -- in ancient Rome there were more than 150 a year -- but a holiday used to mean simply a day when you didn't work. Now holidaymakers travel to all parts of the world. Perhaps you don't like so many tourists in your country, but you must agree that a phenomenon which sees a population of Greece treble in summer, and which sends office workers and shop assistants, teachers and students to different countries is a wonder of the world.

Used books

1. Hopkins A., Potter J. “Look ahead -1” Class room course. Student's book. Essex, “Longman”, 1998;

2. Hopkins A., Potter J. “Look ahead -1” Class room course. Workbook. Essex, “Longman”, 1998;

3. Jenny Dooley-Virginia Evans “Blockbuster-1”, Student's book, EU, “Express Publishing”, 2005;

4. Jenny Dooley-Virginia Evans “Blockbuster-2”, Student's book, EU, “Express Publishing”, 2006;

5. Virginia Evans, Jenny Dooley, Bob Obee, Olga Afanasyeva, Irina Mikheeva “Spotlight -10”, Student's book, “Express Publishing”, 2007 .

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