Bank holidays
Valentine¢s Day is celebrated on 14th February. It is day on which you give small present or flower to your sweetheart. People send cards which often don¢t have sign. Valentine¢s cards usually have red heart and rhymes or short poem.
Guy Fawks Night is celebrated on 5th November. There are also a lots of fireworks. On November 5th 1605, G.F. tried to kill king of England and blow up the Houses of parliament. But the king¢s men caught executed him in the Tower of London. A week before G.F.N children make a “guy” out of old clothes and newspaper. Then they carry it through streets and ask for “a penny for the guy”. They use the money to buy fireworks.
Easter is resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is a festival which also has many folk tradition and pagan origins. The traditional symbol of Easter is Easter egg. In Britain eggs are usually made of chocolate and are given as present on Easter Sunday. Another traditional food is eaten in Britain on Good Friday. These are “hot cross buns” which are sweet bread rolls made with spiced and dried fruit and with a cross on the top. Other popular Easter food is roast chicken or turkey for lunch on Easter Sunday.
In our country boys are visiting the girls on Easter Monday. Each of the boys has plaited willow cane and a small bottle of a perfume. When the boys come into girl¢s home they try to find her. When they find her, they start whipping her. The boys say various traditional rhymes while doing this. The girl gives the boys some cakes, chocolate Easter eggs or painted eggs.
Halloween is celebrated on 31st October. This day goes back to Celtic times when people celebrated the end of summer and the festival of the dead. Halloween is very popular with children. They make jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins and in the evening they go from house to house and ask “trick or treat”. If you give them a “treat”, they are good spirits and go away. If you don¢t give them a treat, they become a bad spirits and play a “trick” on you.
Thanksgiving day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. On this day people remember the English pilgrims and their first harvest in America. In autumn of 1621 they celebrated their first harvest with a big dinner. Today, this day is still special for Americans. They have a traditional dinner with turkey.
Christmas
In the USA, Christmas Eve is spent at home with the family. Grandma reads a story to the kids and tells them how it was when he was a boy. Then the family puts out milk and cookies for Santa Claus. Christmas Morning , December 25, starts early when the kids wake up, maybe at 6 am. Everyone starts opening presents. Everyone has a big breakfast with sausages, pancakes with maple syrup and sweet rolls. Christmas day is spent reading instruction for all new toys, calling friends to tell them what you got, trying on new clothes and watching TV. Every year you get to see your favourite movies Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Wizard of Oz. Then there is a big Christmas dinner in the afternoon with turkey and sweet potatoes and cranberry jelly. Everyone gets stuffed. Sometimes you visit friends in the evening and take them a small present and have eggnog or spiced tea. At night it is common foe teenagers to go to the theatre to see this year¢s big Christmas movie.
In Britain, most families have a set time on Christmas Day, December 25th, when they give and receive presents and then sit down to a Christmas feast. After lunch it is not a surprise that many families collapsed in front of the TV to watch the Queen¢s speech, then followed by some blockbuster family film. In Britain is hugely popular sending Christmas cards. If you can¢t go home for Christmas you must send Christmas card to all your family and friends.