Topic N 7

UK is a country where holidays are celebrated with great enthusiasm. In England people have some different public holidays and besides them there are other festivals, anniversaries and simply days, on which certain traditions are observed, but unless they fall on a Sunday, they are ordinary working days. Here are some examples. From December to February people in England have such holidays as: Christmas day, boxing day, new year, burns night, St valentine’s day and Cruft’s dog show. Christmas is a traditional family reunion day. On this day many people attend a church service, open their presents, eat Christmas dinner and watch the sovereign’s annual Christmas broadcast on TV. Preparations for Christmas are always pleasant: Buying gifts, sending Christmas cards and decorating the Christmas tree with small, brightly-colored lights and small colored glass ornaments. In Britain, Christmas is the most important public holiday of the year. It combines the custom of giving gifts with the tradition of spending this day with the family. 26^th of December is a boxing day, which comes right after Christmas and is celebrated as a bank holiday in Britain. It was formerly the custom to give “Christmas boxes”, or gifts or money to servants and tradesmen on this day. The custom gave a name to the holiday. January 1^st, New Year’s Day is now a public holiday in England. I think that this holiday does not need any explanation, as it’s well known all over the world. 25 January is Burns night. This celebration is held on the 25^th of January, the anniversary of the birth of Robert burns, Scotland’s greatest national poet. It usually takes the form of a supper at which the traditional Scottish dishes are eaten, including haggis, and during which a Scottish pipe plays, wearing traditional Highland dress. 14^th of February is called St Valentine’s Day or the day for lovers and it also becoming an international one. On this day, boys and girls, sweethearts and lovers, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, and even office staff exchange greeting cards with the hearts on them. Britain is a nation of animal lovers. No wonders that dog shows always attract a lot of enthusiasts. Cruft’s Dog Show at East Court, London, is internationally known. Dog breeders from all over the world bring their dogs to take part in it and the winner is broadcasted on TV. From March to May in England are known such holidays as: St David’s and St Patrick’s days, Pancake day, April fool’s Day and many others. Pancake day is the popular name for Shrove Tuesday, the day before lent. People traditionally eat pancakes on Pancake Day, which are made from eggs, flour and milk, fried on both sides in fat on a pan and eaten with lemon juice and sugar. In many towns pancake races are held on Shrove Tuesday in which women run with pancakes. Each runner has a pancake in a pan and while running have to toss the pancake up and over in the air and catches it again in the pan. The 1^st of April is the funniest day of the year. On this day people usually play jokes on other people. Easter is the most important Christmas religious festival. It is traditionally associated with Easter eggs and with the coming of spring. In many towns there are funfairs with roundabouts, coconut shies, switchbacks and other amusements. 23^rd of April is the Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration. This Celebration is always held in Stratford, where a long procession of flower-carriers walks from the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, through the streets to the churched where Shakespeare is supposed to be born. The 1^st of May is traditionally celebration of the coming spring. On this day the most beautiful girl is chosen as a May Queen. A lot of people sale good on open air. From June to august there are such holidays as: Trooping the color, summer sales, the Proms, Notting hill carnivals and others. Trooping the color takes place each June as part of a 200-year-old ceremony to mark the official birth of the monarch. Trooping the color is an impressive military display held at horse Guard Parade, a huge open space behind the Whitehall where the various royal units troop their regimental flags to the tune of the marching music and thundering drums. Troops march past the Queen dipping their Colors in salute. The ceremony ends with the monarch returning to the B.P. at the heart of her Guards. Notting Hill carnival is held over the August Bank holiday since 1966. It mostly involves black people and is known for it’s colorful costumes and the steel band music. It’s the largest street carnival in Europe. Remembrance day(poppy day) is observed throughout Britain on the Sunday nearest to the 11 of November, Armistice day. Fallen in both world wars are remembered in special church services & civic ceremonies. Poppies are sold in the streets & people traditionally wear them in memory of those who fell in the wars.