British National Holidays

Diwali is the Hindu New Year festival and the biggest occasion in the Hindu calendar. It is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains. It is called the festival of lights because it celebrates the victory of good (light) over evil (darkness). The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, which means row of lights. Lights play an important role in Diwali. Throughout the five-day celebration, Hindus place special, decorative lights in their temples and homes. There are also lots of colourful fireworks displays. In India people make small lamps and try to float them across the Ganges river. It brings good luck if the lamp manages to get all the way across. Children love it because of the lights and because they get sweets from adults.

There are two legends of Diwali in which Hindu gods overcome evil. In one, Lord Krishna killed the evil demon king of Pragjyotishpur to set free 16,000 daughters of the gods. The second legend has the Hindu king Rama destroying Ravana, the wicked ten-armed, ten-headed king of Sri Lanka. Ravana kidnapped Rama’s wife for 14 years. Many Hindus love these mythical stories. The Times of India newspaper, however, summed up the modern meaning of Diwali: “Regardless of the mythological explanation…what the festival of lights really stands for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a…celebration of the simple - and some not so simple - joys of life.”

Guy Fawkes Night is a very British celebration. It celebrates a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament (that’s where Big Ben is) in London. This was probably one of the first examples of terrorism, only it didn’t work. It all happened on November the fifth, 1605. A group of Catholics who were unhappy with their Protestant rulers wanted to bring the government down. Their leader was a man called Guy Fawkes and his plan was called the Gunpowder Plot. Fortunately, some passers-by saw Guy Fawkes and his followers with the gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was arrested. He was put on a bonfire and burned to death. In Britain and former British colonies, this day is also called Bonfire Night.

Bonfire Night is perhaps the biggest outdoor celebration in Britain. Unfortunately, it is in winter and takes place at night. You have to brave the cold, but it is a happy occasion. Every town and village puts on a fireworks display. There is usually a large bonfire in the middle of the town. People gather at it to watch the fireworks and eat traditional Guy Fawkes Night food. Baked potatoes and toffee apples are the most popular treats. There is usually a mock guy on the bonfire to represent the real one that died 400 years ago. Many families have smaller celebrations and will have their own, private fireworks display in their garden. There are many warnings to be careful because every year, children are injured in fireworks accidents.

Christmas

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 carol1 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.

I think Boxing Day is confusing for people who don’t know much about Christmas. It is a strange name for a holiday. I bet many people think it is a time when people have a fight and punch each other. Well, it’s quite a bit different than that. Boxing Day started hundreds of years ago as a way of helping poorer people at Christmas. Shopkeepers and craftsmen used to put a special Christmas box in their store or workshop. Customers and visitors would put money into the box. On the day after Christmas Day, which is December 26th, the shopkeeper emptied the box and shared the money with his workers. So that’s how Boxing Day started. This tradition kind of continues today. Many companies give their workers a Christmas bonus.

I’ve always liked Boxing Day. It’s kind of the same as Christmas Day. It has a nice feel about it and we get to eat Christmas dinner all over again. There are also lots of good programmes and movies on TV. For children, it’s another day to play with all their new toys; and for adults, it’s another day off work – at least in countries where Boxing Day is a national holiday. The biggest difference for me between the two days is that there are no more presents to open on Boxing Day. There is a lot of sport on Boxing Day so many people go to watch a football match or game of rugby. And if you don’t like sport, there are always the Boxing Day sales. You can go shopping and buy all of the things you wanted for Christmas but didn’t get!

Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important Christian celebration. The date of Easter Sunday changes every year, and that changes the date of all the important holy days that come before Easter. It falls between late March and late May. Easter is so important because Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead, two days after he died on the cross. Jesus’ dead body was buried in a cave on Good Friday and two days later the stone that covered the cave’s entrance had been moved and Jesus’ body had gone. Various people saw Jesus in the following days and his followers understood God had raised him from the dead. Historians say this happened some time between 26 and 36 AD.

People celebrate Easter in many ways around the world. It is a very busy time for churches. Many Christians light a special Pascal candle on the evening before Easter. This represents the rising of Christ. There are special songs and hymns which people sing in church. Children like Easter because their parents and grandparents give them chocolate Easter eggs, a sign of new birth. Schoolchildren usually decorate eggs and display them in their school or give them as gifts. Other things associated with Easter are the Easter Bunny and spring flowers like irises. An unusual Easter tradition in Norway is to solve murder mysteries at Easter. Television channels show murder mystery shows.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14