Hunting the Mallard

The strange ceremony of “hunting the mallard” takes place just once every 100 years (most recently January 2001), in memory of a huge 15^th century duck flying from a drain during building works.

Archbishop Henry Chichele, the man who instituted Oxford’s All Souls College in 1438, is said to have had a premonition about the duck in a dream. Ever since, a noisy and highly secretive midnight procession has taken place, led by an elected Lord Mallard (who is held up on a sedan chair). A wooden mallard duck is carried at the head of the procession on a pole, although the duck used in past ceremonies was often a live bird. The dead duck would be tied to a pole for the procession and its blood was mixed with red wine and drunk by the revellers.

Crufts Dog Show

Dog breeders from all over the world bring their valuable dogs to take part in Crufts Dog Show in London. There are prizes for most breeds and one for the best dog, who is given the title Crufts Supreme Champion.

February

St. Valentine’s Day

When all the fun of Christmas and New Year is over, there’s a feeling of anti-climax. The rest of January is dreary and cold. But before long the empty shops seem to come to life once again with displays of attractive and brightly coloured “I love you” Valentine cards.

Valentine’s Day in old England was traditionally a combination of the commemoration of the martyrdom of St. Valentine (February 14, AD 273), with the pagan celebration of Lupercalia (February 15).

In ancient Rome, February 14 was a holiday to honor Juno, the Goddess of women and marriage. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl’s name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was seized and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.

There was in early times a strong belief that on this day birds choose their mates. To some extent this might explain why love­birds seem to be such popular motifs on Valentine cards. A fourteenth-century poet wrote: “On Valentine’s Day all the birds of the air in couples do join”.

Despite the unromantic reputation of the British, on this day every year аbout 7 million pounds worth of flowers are delivered, an extra 40 million chocolates are sold and greeting-card manufacturers collect 25 million pounds. It is now customary for the English to send anonymous cards and presents to a person they love or admire. In fact, Valentine cards made of parchment were sent as long ago as the 15^th century. At one time, it was believed that a girl should place a bay leaf or yarrow under her pillow at night in order to see her future lover in her dreams. Boys would also present their desired ones with a pair of gloves – a symbol of both love and authority.

Just over a century ago it became fashionable to send pretty lace-edged cards. Earlier, ludicrous and sometimes vulgar cartoons were sent to friends and strangers on this day.

In our own time, too, the Valentine tradition has undergone a sort of revival in Britain. There seems to be no limit to the variety of cards on sale for this celebration. They are happy or sad, romantic or humorous, serious or ridiculous. The card manufacturers, realising they are on to a good thing, cater for all tastes – including the vulgar. You can pay anything from uр to 10 pounds, depending on the depth of your love and the depth of your pocket! If you really want to get rid of some money you can always use the St. Valentine’s Day Greetings Telegram – a service put on specially for February 14 by the Post Office, for the really love-sick.

Of all the Valentine cards on the market the humorous variety seem to be the most popular, but some of them are so cruel you would have to be quite heartless to send them, even to your worst enemy. Anonymity is, of course, part of the thrill of sending Valentine cards – you must not say who you are. The person receiving it must be left to wonder. You can send cards to anyone you like, or, for that matter, even people you don’t like. There are cards specially printed to My Wife, My Husband, Mother, Father, Sweetheart, and, would you believe it, Grandmother and Grandfather. At least it is good to know that in this troubled world love is still living and spreading a little happiness, especially in dreary February.

In some parts of England, children would go from door to door early in the morning, singing “Good morrow, Valentine”, expecting to be given cakes, fruit or money, and in Norwich, people laid anonymous packages on doorsteps, banged the knocker and hurried away. For a period, it was also common to send one’s valentine a jokey gift or worthless item beautifully wrapped. Throughout England, St. Valentine’s Day is still celebrated and many towns and villages organise fairs and fun-days.

Every St. Valentine’s Day thousands of people travel to a tiny village on Scotland’s border with England. The village is Gretna Green. Its romantic reputation began in 1754. In England in that year, marriage for people under the age of twenty-one without permission from parents was banned. In Scotland, however, this permission was not required, and Gretna Green was the first stop across the border. The laws that brought fame to Gretna Green no longer apply. But its reputation is secure. In this small place, at least one couple gets married, on average, every day of the year. Weddings for St. Valentine’s Day have to be booked three months in advance.

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day

In the Christian calendar, the three days before Lent were known as Shrovetide. It is a cheerful celebration because it means that winter is nearly over and warmer days are just around the corner. It is a time when Christians seek absolution and confess their sins before Lent – although the merrymaking has its origins in the Roman feast of Bacchus.

Shrovetide comprises four days: Shrove Saturday, Shrove Sunday (or Quinquagesima), Collop Monday and Shrove Tuesday; and occurs annually between February 2 and March 9, depending on the date of Easter ( forty-seven days before Easter). Shrove derives from the Old English word shrive, meaning to confess all sins. However, coming before a forty-day period of austerity, it was second only to Christmas in its dedication to fun and frivolity during the Middle Ages.

Shrove Tuesday long ago acquired the character of a carnival or festival in England and other European countries, and a great many customs have developed in connection with this day. In the old days, people confessed in response to the curfew bell (pancake bell), rung in every parish and a great feast would take place. At the sound of the shriving bell, shops would close and school children would lock their teachers out of the classroom until promised an extra day’s holiday – in a ceremony known as ‘barring-out’. In many parts of the country, children would also go Shroving – a visiting custom whereby they sang or recited a poem in the hope of receiving food or money.

Church clipping was also popular in Somerset and Wiltshire on this day, where parishioners would clasp hands and surround their local church. At the same time Threading the Needle would be played, when couples danced in winding lines, taking it in turns to form an arch for the others to dance through.

Nowadays, Shrovetide is mainly observed by practising Christians, but Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is still celebrated by millions of English people. Pancake tossing contest (how many pancakes can you throw into the air and catch within a certain time) and pancake races (contestants have to run while continuously tossing a pancake. Anyone who drops his or her pancake is disqualified).One of the most famous competitions, which takes place in Olney, Buckinghamshire, is said to date from 1445. It is a women-only race, for those who have lived in the parish for at least three months. An apron and head covering are necessary. The course is 415 yards (379 metres) long and the pancake must be tossed at least three times during the race. The winner receives a kiss from the ringer of the Pancake Bell and a prayer book from the vicar.

In parts of England Shrove Tuesday Eve was once known as Mischief Night. Boys would blacken their faces before entering houses and throw broken crocks on the floor, then leave unnoticed. If confronted, they would demand money or pancakes before departing.

In the past, strict Christian Lenten rules barred the eating of all dairy products and meat. Lent was a time of fasting. Both meat and eggs were forbidden throughout the six weeks. The tradition was to eat up all your meat on the Monday before Lent, and all your eggs on the Tuesday – in pancakes. So shrewd housewives would make pancakes to use up their supplies of eggs, milk, butter and fats. Early English recipes included wheaten flour, eggs, butter or lard, a liquid (water, milk, ale or wine) and flavourings such as white or brown sugar, spices and liqueurs. The pancakes were fried in butter or fat and served flat or rolled and sprinkled with powdered sugar, topped with preserves or drenched with alcohol.

The Shrovetide football is a traditional English game dating back to the 12^th century. A whole village is often used as a pitch, local features become goal posts and streams turn into obstacles. Brute force is an essential element in scoring goals, and the ball is usually kicked, carried or thrown. There are hardly any rules and no limit on the number of players or goals. It is believed by some that the game is pagan in origin, played to welcome the spring, while others maintain that it’s a medieval precursor to modern English football. Either way, it’s a rough, tough, dirty game, in which anyone can compete.

Ash Wednesday is the day in February when the Christian period of Lent begins. This refers to the time when Christ went into the desert and fasted for forty days. Although not many people actually give up eating during this period.

March

Mothering Sunday

Laetare, or Mid-Lent Sunday, is a day when Christians can relax from self-imposed penitence and celebrate motherhood. For the non-religious, it provides the perfect excuse to shower their ‘mums’ with gifts, flowers and greetings cards.

Mothering Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It is traditionally a time for children to give gifts, flowers and cards to their mothers and for the whole family to spend time together. In the old days, servants would be given time-off and worshippers would present offerings to their Mother Church. It was an especially important day in the calendars of apprentices, farm labourers and girls in service, because it meant that they could return home and share a meal with their parents.

Another popular ceremony on this day was church-clipping, when people would express their love for their house of worship by forming a circle and walking round the building holding hands. It has been suggested that this custom was pagan in origin but it seems more likely it was a symbolic act of friendship and love.

In a revival of a ceremony dating from Tudor times, young people still receive flowers and Simnel cakes at a service in the Chapel Royal at the Tower of London. These cakes were once baked by daughters throughout England – the name coming from the Latin simila, meaning ‘fine flour’ – who would also decorate their mother’s homes with violets, primroses, daffodils and other spring flowers. They would often prepare egg custard, comfits, lambs’ tails, white sugar sweets, fig pies and wafers, and give their mothers a bunch of wild flowers that had been blessed in church.

During the latter part of the 20^th century, England was much influenced by the American Mother’s Day. Following the Second World War this ceremony became an annual event, although it continued to be celebrated on Mid-Lent Sunday.

The Boat Race

Rowing race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge has been held on the River Thames in London almost every year since 1836. The length of the course is 4.5 miles (7.2 km).

April

April Fool’s Day

No one is sure how April Fools’ Day got started. Most countries seem to have a day when people play tricks on each other. Children especially like these days.

Some people think that trick days began in India. People there celebrate a spring holiday called Holi. A favourite trick on Holi is to fill a bamboo pipe with coloured powder and blow the powder at people. Sometimes children fill the pipe with water and squirt each other.

Funnily enough, April Fool’s Day is linked with the whole marvellous business of spring, the vernal equinox and the return of the sun and warmth.

In Scotland an old name for April Fool is April-gowk or -cuckoo. For some reason the cuckoo is a symbol for foolishness. The return of the cuckoo and the arrival of spring are connected with all this fooling.

In Cheshire some little time ago the first half of the day until noon was April Fool’s time. Then at 12 o’clock “legging-over time” started. Whatever the origin was it certainly gave the slower ones the chance to get their own back on the quick-witted ones who had “fooled” them earlier on.

In the newspapers of 1860, there can be found the classical story of an April 1 trick involving a vast number of people. A few days before April Fools’ Day they received through the post a card having every appearance of an official communication, bearing the following inscription: “Tower of London – Admit Bearer and Friend to view the Annual Ceremony of Washing the White Lions, on Sunday, April 1, 1860. Admittance only at the White Gate. It is particularly requested that no gratuities be given to the Warders or their Assistants”.

Flying High

At weekends, London parks and open spaces are full of people looking up into the sky. They are flying kites, which is a sport popular with the young and old. In the East the interest is as strong as ever. In Japan, kite flying is not just a hobby, it’s an art form and the designs painted on kites are as important as the construction of the kite itself. The Japanese have festival days for their children and give their sons presents of kites, with their favourite heroes painted on them.

Kites were flown by men as long ago as 1000 BC. The first reference to them appears in an early Chinese legend. Bamboo cane and silk have always been available in China and these materials are still the finest for kite making.

On the practical side, kites have been used by builders to lift them into the air to lay tiles on a roof. Even today, fishermen in Japan use kites to tell them the direction and speed of the wind, before they put out to sea.

Kites also have many military uses. Men have been lifted in kites to spy on their enemies or to use the kite as a platform from which to throw rocks down on the enemy. They have carried messages and food to troops in battle, cut off from the main army. In World War II British airmen carried a kite in their escape kit. If their plane crashed into the sea, they flew it from a dinghy as a signal to ships that they needed help.

Science owes a lot to the kite. It wasn’t a man who took the first aerial photograph. It was a kite – or at least a kite, which carried a camera. Marconi made his successful radio tests by raising the receiving aerial on a kite. In 1752 Benjamin Franklin carried out his famous electrical experiment with a kite.

The London Marathon

The London marathon is one of the biggest marathons in the world. Each year about 30,000 people start the race and about 25,000 finish. Some people take part to raise money for charity, often wearing costumes. There is also a race for people in wheelchairs.

May

The Chelsea Flower Show

Each May, an event takes place in London which draws horticulturists and garden lovers from all over the world. It is held on May 29 (Oak Apple Day). This is the famous Chelsea Flower Show – the Spring Show of the Royal Horticultural Society – which is acknowledged to be the premier occasion of its kind in the world. Held in the grounds of Chelsea’s historic Royal Hospital, the Show presents a scene that dazzles the eye, with great banks of sweet-scented flowers wherever the gaze is turned.

The focal point of the Show is the Marquee, a vast-structure which covers nearly 3¹/₂ acres of ground and is said to be the largest marquee in the world. This is where most of the exhibits of cut flowers are displayed, and it is here that the crowds linger longest – among the billowing masses of sweet peas, carnation and giant-sized blooms of all kinds that fill the air with perfume.

How does Chelsea differ from other flower shows? The answer is primarily in its emphasis on individual plants, in addition to mass displays. New plants and new strains that have been raised during the past years are exhibited in a special section of the Marquee, and this is inevitably a centre of great interest. All new plants are studied by various Committees, recommendations are made for awards, and then they are put on view for the remainder of the Show. Also in the Marquee is the Horticultural Information Bureau, where members of the Society’s staff give advice on all gardening problems.

Visitors to the Show can order anything that takes their fancy; plants, seeds, garden furniture or equipment – and at the end of the Show many of the nurserymen sell the plants that have formed their exhibits. Thus, at the close of the final day, heavily-laden enthusiasts can be seen disappearing along the roads of Chelsea, clutching enormous fuchsias, rhododendrons and other treasured trophies.

Oak Apple or Royal Oak Day

Cromwell (1599–1658), the leader of the Parliamentary side from 1654– 58, raised a highly successful cavalry force and declared Britain a republic in 1649. He was also part of a special commission that tried King Charles I and condemned him to death that same year. The king’s son (also Charles) escaped in September 1651 when he hid in an oak tree following the Battle of Worcester. He spent nine years wandering through Europe after his escape, but then issued a Declaration that promised a general amnesty and freedom of conscience. Parliament accepted and he was proclaimed king.

The wearing of a sprig of oak on the anniversary of Charles’ crowning showed that a person was loyal to the restored king. Those who refused to wear an oak-sprig were often set upon, and children would challenge others to show their sprig or have their bottoms pinched. Consequently, this day became known as Pinch-Bum-Day. In parts of England where oak-apples are known as shick-shacks, the day is also known as Shick-Shack Day. It is also likely that the royal association conceals a pagan tradition of tree worship.

These days it is traditional to decorate the house with oak branches on May 29. In All Saints Church in Northampton, a garland of oak-apples is laid at Charles II’s statue. Whereas, in Grovely Forest, Salisbury, a procession takes place at first light, accompanied by the sound of horns. It is also traditional to drink beer and eat plum pudding – especially at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, which was founded by Charles II on this very day.

On or near this date, a curious figure called the Garland King rides through the streets of Castleton, Derbyshire, at the head of a procession. His head and the upper part of his body are completely hidden by a ‘garland’ – a heavy wooden construction, shaped like a beehive and covered with flowers and greenery. On top of the garland is a small bouquet of flowers, which is called the ‘queen’. Behind the king rides his woman (at one time played by a man in woman’s clothes), accompanied by a band and children dressed in white. After pausing to dance at various points along the way, the procession arrives at the church and the garland is pulled up to the top of the church tower and fixed to a pinnacle. The ‘queen’ bouquet is then placed on the town war memorial.

FA (Football Association) Cup Final

It is the biggest day in the football calendar. Two English football clubs play to win FA Cup. The match takes place at Wembley Stadium in London. Scotland has its own FA Cup Final, played at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

VOCABULARY FOCUS

solstice n − солнцестояние

to all intents and purposes – как бы то ни было, в любом случае, фактически, по существу

the Nativity n − рождество Христово

the Circumcision n – 1) (церк.) обрезание; 2) (перен.) духовное очищение

admission n – вход

scythe n − коса

to ring in the new year – возвестить колокольным звоном наступление нового года

wassail n − пунш c cахаром, пряностями и печеными яблоками

cider n – сидр, яблочное вино

Plough Моnday n – пахотный понедельник, 1-й понедельник после Крещения [Epiphany]

pig’s bladder n – свиной мочевой пузырь

embroider v – вышивать, украшать вышивкой

smocks n – (pl.) мелкие сборки, буфы

straw n − солома

the Chaplain n – капеллан (священник)

sermon n − проповедь

wreath n − венок

eloquent adj – красноречивый, убедительный, выразительный

premonition n − предостережение, предчувствие

mallard n – кряква, дикая утка

drain n − водосток

sedan chair n − стул на носилках

pole n − шест, жердь, кол

reveler n − бражник, гуляка, кутила

martyr n – мученик, страдалец

martyrdom n мученичество, пытка, мучение

Juno n Юнона (в древнеримской мифологии царица богов, жена Юпитера, покровительница брака и рождения; аналог богини Геры в древнегреческом пантеоне)

parchment n – пергамент

drag v − тянуть, тащить, волочить

bay leaf n – лавровый лист

yarrow n − тысячелистник

jokey adj – забавный, смешной, шутливый

condemn v − осуждать, приговаривать

Shrovetide n – масленица (продолжается 3 дня до пепельной среды [Ash Wednesday])

merrymaking n − веселье, празднество, гулянье

Quinquagesima n − сыропустная неделя; Quinquagesima Sunday – воскресенье перед Великим постом

absolution n − отпущение грехов

mischief n − 1) вред; повреждение; убытки, ущерб; 2) озорство, проказы

shrive v − исповедовать (ся)

austerity n − строгость, аскетизм, суровость

frivolity n − легкомыслие, ветреность, несерьезность

curfew bell – вечерний звон, звон колоколов

pancake tossing – подбрасывание блинчика (в последний день масленицы пекут блины и переворачивают их, подбрасывая на сковороде)

lard n − свиное сало, жир

drenched adj − промокший насквозь

Laetare – Материнское воскресенье

penitence n − раскаянье, покаяние

Simnel n − средопостье

custard n − сладкий заварной крем

comfit n − засахаренные фрукты, орехи

blessed adj − благословенный, освященный, святой

gowk/cuckoo n − кукушка

leg over v – не слушаться, не повиноваться

dinghy n − небольшая моторная лодка, спасательная шлюпка

horticulturist n − садовод

marquee n − большая палатка, шатер

linger v − засиживаться, тянуть

nurseryman n – владелец питомника

precursor n − предшественник, предвестник

gratuity n − подарок, вознаграждение

sprig n – побег, росток, веточка

oak-apple n − чернильный орешек, галл (нарост на листьях дуба)

beehive n − улей

pinnacle n − вершина, пик, кульминационный пункт, апофеоз

EXERCISES

Task I. Match the words to their definitions.

1. marquee a) a sauce made of milk and sugar and thickened with cornflour;

2. nativity b) a manual implement for cutting grass, having a long handle held with both hands and a curved sharpened blade that moves in a plane parallel to the ground;

3. scythe c) the highest point or level, especially of fame, success;

4. anti-climax d) a large tent used for entertainment, exhibition;

5. vulgar e) birth or origin, especially in relation to the circumstances surrounding it;

6. custard f) a disappointing or ineffective conclusion to a series of events;

7. pinnacle g) marked by lack of taste, culture, delicacy, manners;

8. absolution h) a feeling that something is going to happen, especially something unpleasant;

9. premonition i) to allow yourself to have or do something that you like, especially something that is considered bad for you;

10. indulge j) (especially in the Christian Church) a formal statement that a person is forgiven for what he or she has done wrong.

Task II. Fill in the blanks.

Pagans, apple wassailing, cider, Vikings, dog breeders, ploughmen, a live bird, confess their sins, the ‘queen’, anonymity, Anglo-Saxons, shepherds, absolution, a pig’s bladder.

1. …is poured on to tree roots and the trees are cheered and begged to produce a good crop in the coming year. 2. … would also perform leaping dances in village festivals - the higher they leaped, the taller the following season’s crop would grow. 3. …and farm-hands would also embroider smocks with patterns denoting their trades. 4. …welcomed in the New Year at the end of what is now October; …at the back-end of what is now September and … at the winter solstice. 5. Shrovetide is a time when Christians seek …and … before Lent – although the merrymaking has its origins in the Roman feast of Bacchus. 6. While on January 17, or Old Twelfth Night, … was, and still is, popular in parts of Herefordshire 7. The Fool would dress in skins and a tail, and carry … on the end of a stick. 8. A wooden mallard duck is carried at the head of the procession on a pole, although the duck used in past ceremonies was often …. 9. … from all over the world bring their valuable dogs to take part in Crufts Dog Show in London. 10. … is, of course, part of the thrill of sending Valentine cards – you must not say who you are. 11. On top of the garland is a small bouquet of flowers, which is called ….

Task III. Complete the sentences.

1. On the first day of the month, one week after … takes place, marking … 2. January has always been a popular month for … 3. Burns wrote ….4. The strange ceremony of “hunting the mallard” takes place … 5. Valentine’s Day in old England was traditionally a combination ….6. Saint Valentine and Saint Marius … and for this kind deed Saint Valentine … 7. In many parts of the country, children would also go Shroving ….. 8. Mid-Lent Sunday is a day when Christians can relax from … 9. Simnel cakes were once baked by daughters throughout England who would decorate their mother’s homes with … and prepare …, and give…. 10. Visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show can …. 11. The wearing of a sprig of oak on the anniversary of Charles’ crowning showed…. 12. … shops would close and school children would lock their teachers out of the classroom until promised an extra day’s holiday - in a ceremony…. 13. One of the most famous competitions, which takes place in Olney, Buckinghamshire, is …. … are necessary. 14. Men have been lifted in kites …. 15. This is where most of the exhibits of cut flowers are displayed, and ….

Task IV. Are the statements true or false? Correct the false ones.

1. Church-clipping is a popular ceremony only on Mothering Sunday.

2. Kite flying is just a hobby.

3. The Chelsea Flower Show differs from other flower shows in its emphasis on individual plants, in addition to mass displays.

4. Holi is a time when Christians seek absolution and confess their sins.

5. The Straw Bear is actually a toy-bear filled with straw.

6. Valentine’s Day in old England was traditionally a combination of the commemoration of the martyrdom of St. Valentine with the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.

7. The main event at Burns Night celebrations is a “Burns Dinner”, opening with the traditional cake.

8. Because of a change in English law in 1754, English couples seeking a quick marriage were obliged to cross the border into Scotland, where Scottish law required only that the couples declare before witnesses their wish to be married. At Gretna Green the ceremony was usually performed by the blacksmith, though any person might officiate, and the tollhouse, the inn, or (after 1826) Gretna Hall were the scenes of many such weddings.

9. Chelsea differs from other flower shows in its emphasis on individual plants, in addition to mass displays.

10. These days it is traditional to decorate the house with laurels on May 29.

Task V. What holidays are these words or phrases associated with?

A bamboo pipe, the Marquee, a sprig of oak, garden furniture or equipment,a shick-shack, a garland, a black velvet cushion full of pins, the Straw Bear, Cake Day, a scarecrow-like model, a bamboo pipe, a Simnel cake, the Fool, cider, a wooden duck, “legging-over time”.

Task VI. Маtch the date to the holiday.

1. Ash Wednesday 2. Mischief Night 3. Oak Apple Day 4. the Twelfth Night   5. a lively game of Haxey Hood 6. Old Twelfth Night 7. Laetare     8. Plough Monday   9. the Anniversary of Execution of Charles I 10. Hunting the mallard   11. New Year’s Day or the Circumcision 12. St. Valentine Day 13. Shrovetide

a) January 6 b) one week after the Nativity c) January 17 d) the first Monday after the Twelfth Night e) January 30 f) once every 100 years g) February 14     h) annually between 2nd February and 9th March, depending on the date of Easter (forty-seven days before Easter) i) Shrove Tuesday Eve   j) the day in February when the Christian period of Lent begins k) Mid-Lent Sunday l) May 29

Task VII. What is it?

Plough Monday, a mud race, a Valentine card, Shrovetide, Threading the Needle, Pancake tossing, Shrovetide football, Ash Wednesday, Laetare, church-clipping.

Task VIII. What do these things symbolize?

A gowk or cuckoo, a pair of gloves, a sprig of oak, a Valentine card.

Task IX. Answer the questions.

1. What do the first three days of the year reflect? 2. What game is played in Haxey? 3. What event was transformed into a small folk festival with morris dancers? 4. What kind of holiday is Plough Monday? 5. What holiday is celebrated on January 30? 6. What kind of holiday was celebrated in ancient Rome on February 14? How is the history of Valentine’s Day connected with Emperor Claudius II? 7. Why do thousands of people travel to a tiny village Gretna Green every St. Valentine’s Day? 8. How is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, celebrated? 9. Why was Shrove Tuesday Eve once known as Mischief Night? 10. What two events are associated with Shrove Tuesday? What traditions are linked to Mothering Sunday? 11. How did April Fools’ Day get started? 12. What examples of April Fool’s tricks can you give? 13. What is kite flying originated from? 14. How were the kites used by people of different nationalities? 15.Which holiday is acknowledged to be the premier occasion of its kind in the world? Why? 16. Whose name isRoyal Oak Day associated with?How is this day celebrated?

Task X. Which holiday do you consider to be the most …? Give your reasons.

1) picturesque; 2) pleasant; 3) thrilling; 4) prominent; 5) scary.

Chapter IV

CALENDAR OF SPECIAL OCCASIONS

(SUMMER – AUTUMN)

June

The Queen’s Official Birthday Celebration. Trooping the Colour.

The ceremony of “Trooping the Colour” takes place annually in London on the Official Birthday of the Sovereign in the first days of June, though Queen Elizabeth’s actual birthday is April 21. It is notable for the colourful appearance and precise movements of the Foot Guards who perform it, and for the part taken in it by the Queen herself.

The ceremony derives from two oldmilitary ceremonies: Trooping the Colour and Mounting the Queen’s Guard. From earliest times Colours and Standards have been used to indicate the position of the commander in battle and act as rallying point for the soldiers, and were honoured assymbols of the spirit of military units. It was probably in the eighteenth century that it became customary in the British Army, before a battle, to salute the Colours by beat of drum before carrying them along the ranks (this is what the expression “Trooping” means) so that every soldier could see them and be able to recognise them later. It soon became usual to troop the Colour daily at the most important parade or the day: for the Regiment of Foot Guards (who traditionally have the honour of guarding the Sovereign) the most important was obviously the Mounting of the Queen’s Guard.

Trooping was discontinued early in Queen Victoria’s reign, the full annual parade on the Sovereign’s Birthday continued and has done so to this day, except during the two world wars. On the Sovereign’s Birthday all the Regiments of Foot Guards took part in the Trooping. Only one Colour, however, can be trooped at a time, and the five Regiments (Grenadier Guards, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh) therefore take their turn year by year in strict rotation.

The ceremony can be divided into the following phases: the arrival of the Queen at the Horse Guards Parade, her inspection of the troops, the actual Trooping, the march past, and the Queen’s return to Buckingham Palace.

Before the Queen arrives, the crowds have assembled around the Parade and along the approach routes, and the Queen Mother, the Royal children, and other members of the Royal Family have arrived by horse-drawn carriages and entered the Horse Guards Buildings to watch the ceremony from a balcony. The massed bands of the Guards Division have formed up at one side of the parade ground, and the guardsmen are standing in line in an L-shaped formation on two sides of it. The Queen then leaves the Palace, riding side-saddle. She wears the uniform of whichever Guards’ regiment is trooping and a specially-designed tricorn hat. She is followed by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, also on horseback, and accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort found by the Household Cavalry Regiment (Mounted). She rides down the Mall on to the Horse Guards Parade and as she turns to face her Guards from the saluting base the National Anthem is played.

The Colour is then trooped through the ranks to the sound of the drums beating, while the band plays traditional marches.

After the trooping, each battalion of Foot Guards taking part marches past the Queen to the sound of the band playing the regiment’s slow and quick marches. As each “guard” passes her the order “Eyes Right” is given, and the Queen returns the salute. Afterwards the mounted division of the Household Cavalry Regiment, their mounted band playing, first walk and then trot past the saluting base. The Guards have been carrying out their duty of guarding the sovereign since 1660 (the time of the Restoration).

The Queen then rides back to the Palace, preceded by the Sovereign’s Escort and followed by the Foot Guards. On her arrival, the Old Guard is already formed up in the courtyard, and the New Guard enters; the remaining troops once more march past the Queen, who has taken her position in the Palace gateway, before returning to the barracks. Finally, the Queen enters the forecourt and rides between the Old and the New Guard into her Palace, and the ceremony of Trooping the Colour is over for another year.

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is the third Sunday in June. This is probably just a commercial invention – and not a very successful one either. Millions of British fathers don’t even know they have a special day.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-23