Task 2. Read and translate the texts on traditions and holidays in Great Britain.

Burns’ night

January 25 is the birthday of Scotland’s greatest poet Robert Burns¹. There are hundreds of Burns clubs in Britain and throughout the world; on the 25^th of January they mark the birth of Scotland's greatest poet. The first club was founded in 1802. Thousands of people drink a toast to the memory of Robert Burns. The traditional dishes are tasted. To the sounds of bagpipes there appear on the tables the traditional dishes of the festival dinner: chicken broth, boiled herring, and haggis – a typical Scottish dish. It is eaten with boiled turnip and potatoes. The dinner is followed by dancing, pipe music, and reciting Burns’ poems. The celebration ends with singing the poet’s famous Auld Lang Syne ².

Shakespeare’s Birthday

Every year the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth is celebrated in Stratford-upon-Avon³. He was born on April 23, 1564. Flags were hung in the main street, people buy springs of rosemary⁴. A long procession goes along the streets to the church where everyone puts flowers at the poet’s grave. In the evening there is a performance in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre⁵.

The Shakespeare Birthday is celebrated from spring to autumn. So, when his birthday comes each year, people think of William Shakespeare, a son of Stratford.

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