holidays in great britain essay

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Traditions and holidays of Great Britain

Traditions and holidays of Great Britain.

Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs. Traditions make a nation special. Some of them are old-fashioned and many people remember them, others are part of people’s life. Some British customs and traditions are known all the world.

From Scotland to Cornwall, Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have very long histories. Some are funny and some are strange. But they are all interesting. There is the long menu of traditional British food. There are many royal occasions. There are songs, saying and superstitions. They are all part of the British way of life.

You cannot really imagine Britain without all its traditions, this integral feature of social and private life of the people living on the British Isles that has always been an important part of their life and work.

English traditions can classified into several groups: traditions concerning the Englishmen’s private life (child’s birth, wedding, marriage, wedding anniversary); which are connected with families incomes; state traditions; national holidays, religious holidays, public festival, traditional ceremonies.

What about royal traditions? There are numerous royal traditions in Britain, some are ancient, others are modern.

The Queen is the only person in Britain with two birthdays. Her real birthday is on April 21 st , but she has an “official” birthday, too. That is on the second Saturday in June. And on the Queen’s official birthday, there is a traditional ceremony called the Trooping of the Colour. It is a big parade with brass bands and hundreds of soldiers at Horse Guard’s Parade in London. A “regiment” of the Queen’s soldiers, the Guards, march in front of her. At the front of the parade there is the regiment’s flag or “colour”. Thousands of Londoners and visitors watch in Horse Guards’ Parade. And millions of people at home watch it on television. This custom is not very old, but it is for very old people. On his or her one hundredth birthday, a British person gets a telegram with congratulations from the Queen.

The changing of the Guard happens every day at Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s home in London. The ceremony always attracts a lot of spectators – Londoners as well as visitors – to the British capital.

So soldiers stand on front of the palace. Each morning these soldiers (the “ guard ”) change. One group leaves and another arrives. In summer and winter tourists stand outside the palace at 11:30 every morning and watch the Changing of the Guard.

Traditionally the Queen opens Parliament every autumn. But Parliament, not the Royal Family, controls modern Britain. The Queen travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a gold carriage – the Irish State Coach. At the Houses of Parliament the Queen sits on a “ throne ” in the House of Lords. Then she reads the “ Queen’s Speech ”. At the State Opening of Parliament the Queen wears a crown. She wears other jewels from the Crown Jewels, too.

Every year, there is a new Lord Mayor of London. The Mayor is the city’s traditional leader. And the second Saturday in November is always the day for the Lord Mayor’s Show. This ceremony is over six hundred years old. It is also London’s biggest parade.

The Lord Mayor drives to the Royal Courts of Justice in a coach. The coach is two hundred years old. It is red and gold and it has six horses.

As it is also a big parade, people make special costumes and act stories from London’s history.

In Britain as in other countries costumes and uniforms have a long history.

One is the uniform of the Beefeaters at the tower of London. This came first from France. Another is the uniform of the Horse Guards at Horse Guard’s Parade, not far from Buckingham Palace. Thousands of visitors take photographs of the Horse Guards.

Britannia is a symbol of Britain. And she wears traditional clothes, too. But she is not a real person.

Lots of ordinary clothes have a long tradition. The famous bowler hat, for example. A man called Beaulieu made the first one in 1850.

One of the British soldiers, Wellington, gave his name to a pair of boots. They have a shorter name today – “ Wellies ”.

There is a very special royal tradition. On the River Thames there are hundreds of swans. A lot of these beautiful white birds belong, traditionally, to the king or queen. In July the young swans on the Thames are about two months old. Then the Queen’s swan keeper goes, in a boat, from London Bridge to Henley. He looks at all the young swans and marks the royal ones. The name of this strange nut interesting custom is Swan Upping.

There are only six public holidays a year in Great Britain, that is days on which people need not go in to work. They are: Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Spring Bank Holiday and Late Summer Bank Holiday, Boxing Day.

So the most popular holiday in Britain is Christmas. Christmas has been celebrated from the earliest days of recorded history, and each era and race has pasted a colourful sheet of new customs and traditions over the old.

On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a carol service where special hymns are sung. Sometimes carol singers can be heard in the streets as they collect money for charity. There are a lot of very popular British Christmas carols. Three famous ones are: “ Good King Wenceslas ”, “ The Holly and The Ivy ” and “ We Three Kings ”.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world send and receive Christmas cards. Most of people think that exchanging cards at Christmas is a very ancient custom but it is not right. In fact it is barely 100 years old. The idea of exchanging illustrated greeting and presents is, however, ancient. So the first commercial Christmas card was produced in Britain in 1843 by Henry Cole, founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The handcoloured print was inscribed with the words ’A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to you’. It was horizontally rectangular in shape, printed on stout cardboard by lithography.

A traditional feature of Christmas in Britain is the Christmas tree. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, brought the German tradition (he was German) to Britain. He and the Queen had a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. A few years after, nearly every house in Britain had one. Traditionally people decorate their trees on Christmas Eve – that’s December 24 th . They take down the decorations twelve days later, on Twelfth Night (January 5 th ).

An older tradition is Christmas mistletoe. People put a piece of this green plant with its white berries over a door. Mistletoe brings good luck, people say. Also, at Christmas British people kiss their friends and family under the mistletoe.

Those who live away try to get back home because Christmas is a family celebration and it is the biggest holiday of the year. As Christmas comes nearer, everyone is buying presents for relatives and friends. At Christmas people try to give their children everything they want. And the children count the weeks, than the days, to Christmas. They are wondering what presents on December 24 th . Father Christmas brings their presents in the night. Then they open them on the morning of the 25 th .

There is another name for Father Christmas in Britain – Santa Claus. That comes from the European name for him – Saint Nicholas. In the traditional story he lives at the North Pole. But now he lives in big shops in towns and cities all over Britain. Well, that’s where children see him in November and December. Then on Christmas Eve he visits every house. He climbs down the chimney and leaves lots of presents. Some people leave something for him, too. A glass of wine and some biscuits, for example.

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At Christmas everyone decorates their houses with holly, ivy colourful lamps.

In Britain the most important meal on December 25 th  is Christmas dinner. Nearly all Christmas food is traditional, but a lot of the traditions are not very old. For example, there were no turkeys in Britain before 1800. And even in the nineteenth century, goose was the traditional meat at Christmas. But not now.

A twentieth-century British Christmas dinner is roast turkey with carrots, potatoes, peas, Brussels sprouts and gravy. There are sausages and bacon, too. Then, after the turkey, there’s Christmas pudding. Some people make this pudding months before Christmas. A lot of families have their own Christmas pudding recipes. Some, for example, use a lot of brandy. Others put in a lot of fruit or add a silver coin for good luck. Real Christmas puddings always have a piece of holly on the top. Holly bushes and trees have red berries at Christmas time, and so people use holly to decorate their houses for Christmas. The holly on the pudding is part of the decoration.

Crackers are also usual at Christmas dinner. These came to Britain from China in the nineteenth century. Two people pull a cracker. Usually there is a small toy in the middle. Often there is a joke on a piece of paper, too. Most of the jokes in Christmas crackers are not very good. Here is on example:

Customer: Waiter, there’s a frog in my soup.

Waiter: Yes, sir, the fly’s on holidays.

A pantomime is a traditional English entertainment at Christmas. It is meant for children, but adults enjoy is just as much. It is a very old form of entertainment, and can be traced back to 16 th  century Italian comedies. There have been a lot of changes over the years. Singing and dancing and all kinds of jokes have been added; but the stories that are told are still fairy tales, with a hero, a heroine, and a villain.

In every pantomime there are always three main characters. These are the “ principal boy ”, the “ principal girl ”, and the “ dame ”. Pantomimes are changing all the time. Every year, someone has a new idea to make them more exciting or more up-to-date.

December 26 th  is Boxing Day. Traditionally boys from the shops in each town asked for money at Christmas. They went from house to house on December 26 th  and took boxes made of wood with them. At each house people gave them money. This was a Christmas present. So the name of December 26 th  doesn’t come from the sport of boxing – it comes from the boys’ wooden boxes. Now, Boxing Day is an extra holiday after Christmas Day.

Traditionally Boxing Day Hunts is a day for foxhunting. The huntsmen and huntswomen ride horses. They use dogs, too. The dogs (fox hounds) follow the smell of the fox. Then the huntsmen and huntswomen follow the hounds. Before a Boxing Day hunt, the huntsmen and huntswomen drink not wine. But the tradition of the December 26 th  hunt is changing. Now, some people want to stop Boxing Day Hunts (and other hunts, too). They don’t like foxhunting. For them it’s not a sport – it is cruel.

In England people celebrate the New Year. But it is not as widely or as enthusiastically observed as Christmas. Some people ignore it completely and go to bed at the same time as usual on New Year’s Eve. Many others, however, do celebrate it in one way or another, the type of celebration varying very much according to the local custom, family tradition and personal taste.

The most common type of celebration is a New Year party, either a family party or one arranged by a group of young people. And another popular way of celebrating the New Year is to go to a New Year’s dance.

The most famous celebration is in London round the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus where crowds gather and sing and welcome the New Year. In Trafalgar Square there is also a big crowd and someone usually falls into the fountain.

Every Year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It’s a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. Also in central London, Oxford Street and Regent Street always have beautiful decorations at the New Year and Christmas. Thousands of people come to look at them.

In Britain a lot of people make New Year Resolutions on the evening of December 31 st . For example, “ I’ll get up early every morning next year ”, or “ I’ll clean, my shoes every day ”. But there is a problem. Most people forget their New Year Resolutions on January 2 nd .

But New Year’s Eve is a more important festival in Scotland then it is in England, and it even has a special name. It is not clear where the ‘Hogmanay’ comes from, but it is connected with the provision of food and drink for all visitors to your home on 31 st  December.

There is a Scottish song that is sung all over the world at midnight on New Year’s Eve. It was written by Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet, and you may find some of the traditional words a bit difficult to understand, but that’s the way it’s always sung – even by English people!

It was believed that the first person to visit one’s house on New Year’s Day could bring good or bad luck. Therefore, people tried to arrange for the person of their own choice to be standing outside their houses ready to be let in the moment midnight had come.

Usually a dark-complexioned man was chosen, and never a woman, for she would bring bad luck. The first footer was required to carry three articles: a piece of coal to wish warmth, a piece of bread to wish food, and a silver coin to wish wealth. In some parts of northern England this pleasing custom is still observed. So this interesting tradition called “ First Footing ”.

On Bank holiday the townsfolk usually flock into the country and to the coast. If the weather is fine many families take a picnic – lunch or tea with them and enjoy their meal in the open. Seaside towns near London, such as Southend, are invaded by thousands of trippers who come in cars and coaches, trains and bicycles. Great amusement parks like Southend Kursoal do a roaring trade with their scenic railways, shooting galleries, water-shoots, Crazy houses and so on. Trippers will wear comic paper hats with slogans, and they will eat and drink the weirdest mixture of stuff you can imagine, sea food like cockles, mussels, whelks, fish and chips, candy floss, tea, fizzy drinks, everything you can imagine.

Bank holiday is also an occasion for big sports meeting at places like the White City Stadium, mainly all kinds of athletics. There are also horse race meetings all over the country, and most traditional of all, there are large fairs with swings, roundabouts, a Punch and Judy show, hoop-la stalls and every kind of side-show including, in recent, bingo. There is also much boating activity on the Thames.

Although the Christian religion gave the world Easter as we know it today, the celebration owes its name and many of its customs and symbols to a pagan festival called Eostre. Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of springtime and sunrise, got her name from the world east, where the sunrises. Every spring northern European peoples celebrated the festival of Eostre to honour the awakening of new life in nature. Christians related the rising of the sun to the resurrection of Jesus and their own spiritual rebirth.

Many modern Easter symbols come from pagan time. The egg, for instance, was a fertility symbol long before the Christian era. The ancient Persians, Greeks and Chinese exchanged eggs at their sping festivals. In Christian times the egg took on a new meaning symbolizing the tomb from which Christ rose. The ancient custom of dyeing eggs at Easter time is still very popular.

The Easter bunny also originated in pre-Christian fertility lore. The rabbit was the most fertile animal our ances tors knew, so they selected it as a symbol of new life. Today, children enjoy eating candy bunnies and listening to stories about the Easter bunny, who supposedly brings Easter eggs in a fancy basket.

Also there is a spectacular parade on Easter. It is a truly spectacular Easter Parade in Battersea Park. It is sponsored by the London Tourist Board and is usually planned around a central theme related to the history and attractions of London. The great procession, or parade, begins at 3 p.m. but it is advisable to find a vantage-point well before that hour.

On October 31 st  British people celebrate Halloween. It is undoubtedly the most colourful and exciting holiday of the year. Though it is not a public holiday, it is very dear to those who celebrate it, especially to children and teenagers. This day was originally called All Hallow’s Eve because it fell on the eve of All Saints’ Day. The name was later shortened to Halloween. According to old beliefs, Halloween is the time, when the veil between the living and the dead is partially lifted, and witches, ghosts and other super natural beings are about. Now children celebrate Halloween in unusual costumes and masks. It is a festival of merrymaking, superstitions spells, fortunetelling, traditional games and pranks. Halloween is a time for fun.

Few holidays tell us much of the past as Halloween. Its origins dateback to a time, when people believed in devils, witches and ghosts. Many Halloween customs are based on beliefs of the ancient Celts, who lived more than 2,000 years ago in what is now Great Britain, Ireland, and northern France.

Every year the Celts celebrated the Druid festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness. It fell on October 31, the eve of the Druid new year. The date marked the end of summer, or the time when the sun retreated before the powers of darkness and the reign of the Lord of Death began. The Dun god took part in the holiday and received thanks for the year’s harvest.

It was believed that evil spirits sometimes played tricks on October 31. They could also do all kinds of damage to property. Some people tried to ward of the witches by painting magic signs on their barns. Others tried to frighten them away by nailing a piece of iron, such as a horseshoe, over the door.

Many fears and superstitions grew up about this day. An old Scotch superstition was that witches – those who had sold their souls to the devil – left in their beds on Halloween night a stick made by magic to look like themselves. Then they would fly up the chime attended by a black cat.

In Ireland, and some other parts of Great Britain, it was believed, that fairies spirited away young wives, whom they returned dazed and amnesic 366 days later.

When Halloween night fell, people in some places dressed up and tried to resemble the souls of the dead. They hoped that the ghosts would leave peacefully before midnight. They carried food to the edge of town or village and left it for the spirits.

In Wales, they believed that the devil appeared in the shape of a pig, a horse, or a dog. On that night, every person marked a stone and put it in a bonfire. If a person’s stone was missing the next morning, he or she would die within a year.

Much later, when Christianity came to Great Britain and Ireland, the Church wisely let the people keep their old feast. But it gave it a new association when in the 9 th  century a festival in honour of all saints (All Hallows) was fixed on November 1. In the 11 th  century November 2 became All Souls’ Day to honour the souls of the dead, particularly those who died during the year.

Christian tradition included the lighting of bonfires and carring blazing torches all around the fields. In some places masses of flaming staw were flung into the air. When these ceremonies were over, everyone returned home to feast on the new crop of apples and nuts, which are the traditional Halloween foods. On that night, people related their experience with strange noises and spooky shadows and played traditional games.

Halloween customs today follow many of the ancient traditions, though their significance has long since disappeared.

A favourite Halloween custom is to make a jack-j’-lantern. Children take out the middle of the pumpkin, cut hole holes for the eyes, nose and mouth in its side and, finally, they put a candle inside the pumpkin to scare their friends. The candle burning inside makes the orange face visible from far away on a dark night – and the pulp makes a delicious pumpkin-pie.

People in England and Ireland once carved out beets, potatoes, and turnips to make jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween. When the Scots and Irish came to the United States, they brought their customs with them. But they began to carve faces on pumpkins because they were more plentiful in autumn than turnips. Nowadays, British carve faces on pumpkins, too.

According to an Irish legend, jack-o’-lanterns were named for a man called Jack who was notorious for his drunkenness and being stingy. One evening at the local pub, the Devil appeared to take his soul. Clever Jack persuaded the Devil to “have one drink together before we go”. To pay for his drink the Devil turned himself into a sixpence. Jack immediately put it into his wallet. The Devil couldn’t escape from it because it had a catch in the form of a cross. Jack released the Devil only when the latter promised to leave him in peace for another year. Twelve months later, Jack played another practical joke on the Devil, letting him down from a tree only on the promise that he would never purse him again. Finally, Jack’s body wore out. He could not enter heaven because he was a miser. He could not enter hell either, because he played jokes on the Devil. Jack was in despair. He begged the Devil for a live coal to light his way out of the dark. He put it into a turnip and, as the story goes, is still wandering around the earth with his lantern.

Halloween is something called Beggars’ Night or Trick or Treat night. Some people celebrate Beggars’ Night as Irish children did in the 17 th  century. They dress up as ghosts and witches and go into the streets to beg. And children go from house to house and say: “ Trick or treat! ”, meaning “ Give me a treat or I’ll play a trick on you ”. Some groups of “ ghosts ” chant Beggars’ Night rhymes:

Trick or treat,

Smell our feet.

We want something

Good to eat.

In big cities Halloween celebrations often include special decorating contests. Young people are invited to soap shop-windows, and they get prizes for the best soap-drawings.

In old times, practical jokes were even more elaborate. It was quite normal to steal gates, block house doors, and cover chimneys with turf so that smoke could not escape. Blame for resulting chaos was naturally placed on the “ spirits ”.

At Halloween parties the guests wear every kind of costume. Some people dress up like supernatural creatures, other prefers historical or political figures. You can also meet pirates, princesses, Draculas, Cinderellas, or even Frankenstein’s monsters at a Halloween festival.

At Halloween parties children play traditional games. Many games date back to the harvest festivals of very ancient times. One of the most popular is called bobbing for apples. One child at a time has to get apples from a tub of water without using hands. But how to do this? By sinking his or her face into the water and biting the apple!

Another game is pin-the-tail-on-the –donkey. One child is blind folded and spun slowly so that he or she will become dizzy. Then the child must find a paper donkey haging on the wall and try to pin a tail onto the back.

And no Halloween party is complete without at least one scary story. It helps too create an air of mystery.

Certain fortunetelling methods began in Europe hundreds of years ago and became an important part of Halloween. For example, such object as a coin, a ring, and a thimble were baked into a cake or other food. It was believed that the person who found the coin in the cake would become wealthy. The one who found the ring would marry soon, but the person who got the thimble would never get married.

Unfortunately now most people do not believe in evil spirits. They know that evil spirits do not break steps, spill garbage or pull down fences. If property is damaged, they blame naughty boys and girls. Today, Halloween is still a bad night for the police…

March 1 st  is a very important day for Welsh people. It’s St. David’s Day. He’s the “patron” or national saint of Wales. On March 1 st , the Welsh celebrate St. Davids Day and wear daffodils in the buttonholes of their coats or jackets.

On February 14 th  it’s Saint Valentine’s Day in Britain. It is not a national holiday. Banks and offices do not close, but it is a happy little festival in honour of St. Valentine. On this day, people send Valentine cards to their husbands, wives, girlfriends and boyfriends. You can also send a card to a person you do not know. But traditionally you must never write your name on it. Some British newspapers have got a page for Valentine’s Day messages on February 14 th .

This lovely day is widely celebrated among people of all ages by the exchanging of “valentines”.

Saint Valentine was a martyr but this feast goes back to pagan times and the Roman feast of Lupercalia. The names of young unmarried girls were put into a vase. The young men each picked a name, and discovered the identity of their brides.

This custom came to Britain when the Romans invaded it. But the church moved the festival to the nearest Christian saint’s day: this was Saint Valentine’s Day.

Midsummer’s Day, June 24 th , is the longest day of the year. On that day you can see a very old custom at Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, England. Stonehenge is on of Europe’s biggest stone circles. A lot of the stones are ten or twelve metres high. It is also very old. The earliest part of Stonehenge is nearly 5,000 years old. But what was Stonehenge? A holy place? A market? Or was it a kind of calendar? Many people think that the Druids used it for a calendar. The Druids were the priests in Britain 2,000 years ago. They used the sun and the stones at Stonehenge to know the start of months and seasons. There are Druids in Britain today, too. And every June 24 th  a lot of them go to Stonehenge. On that morning the sun shines on one famous stone – the Heel stone. For the Druids this is a very important moment in the year. But for a lot of British people it is just a strange old custom.

Londoners celebrate carnivals. And one of them is Europe’s biggest street carnival. A lot of people in the Notting Hill area of London come from the West Indies – a group of islands in the Caribbean. And for two days in August, Nutting Hill is the West Indies. There is West Indian food and music in the streets. There is also a big parade and people dance day and night.

April 1 st  is April Fool’s Day in Britain. This is a very old tradition from the Middle Ages (between the fifth and fifteenth centuries). At that time the servants were masters for one day of the year. They gave orders to their masters, and their masters had to obey.

Now April Fool’s Day is different. It is a day for jokes and tricks.

One of the most interesting competitions is the university boat race.

Oxford and Cambridge are Britain’s two oldest universities. In the nineteenth century, rowing was a popular sport at both of them. In 1829 they agreed to have a race. They raced on the river Thames and the Oxford boat won. That started a tradition. Now, every Spring, the University Boat Race goes from Putney to Mortlake on the Thames. That is 6,7 kilometres. The Cambridge rowers wear light blue shirts and the Oxford rowers wear dark blue. There are eight men in each boat. There is also a “ cox ”. The cox controls the boat. Traditionally coxes are men, but Susan Brown became the first woman cox in 1981. She was the cox for Oxford and they won.

An annual British tradition, which captures the imagination of the whole nation is the London to Brighton Car Rally in which a fleet of ancient cars indulges in a lighthearted race from the Capital to the Coast.

When the veteran cars set out on the London – Brighton run each November, they are celebrating one of the great landmarks in the history of motoring in Britain – the abolition of the rule that every “ horseless carriage ” had to be preceded along the road by a pedestrian. This extremely irksome restriction, imposed by the Locomotives on Highways Act, was withdrawn in 1896, and on November of that year there was a rally of motor-cars on the London - Brighton highway to celebrate the first day of freedom – Emancipation Day, as it has known by motorists ever since.

Emancipation is still on the first Sunday of the month, but nowadays there is an important condition of entry – every car taking part must be at least 60 years old.

The Run is not a race. Entrants are limited to a maximum average speed of 20 miles per hour. The great thing is not speed but quality of performance, and the dedicated enthusiasts have a conversation all their own.

The Highland Games – this sporting tradition is Scottish. In the Highlands (the mountains of Scotland) families, or “clans”, started the Games hundreds of years ago.

Some of the sports are the Games are international: the high jump and the long jump, for example. But other sports happen only at the Highland Games. One is tossing the caber. “ Tossing ” means throwing, and a “ caber ” is a long, heavy piece of wood. In tossing the caber you lift the caber (it can be five or six metres tall). Then you throw it in front of you.

At the Highland Games a lot of men wear kilts. These are traditional Scottish skirts for men. But they are not all the same. Each clan has a different “tartan”. That is the name for the pattern on the kilt. So at the Highland Games there are traditional sports and traditional instrument – the bagpipes. The bagpipes are very loud. They say Scots soldier played them before a battle. The noise frightened the soldiers on other side.

The world’s most famous tennis tournament is Wimbledon. It started at a small club in south London in the nineteenth century. Now a lot of the nineteenth century traditions have changed. For example, the women players don’t have to wear long skirts. And the men players do not have to wear long trousers. But other traditions have not changed at Wimbledon. The courts are still grass, and visitors still eat strawberries and cream. The language of tennis has not changed either.

There are some British traditions and customs concerning their private life. The British are considered to be the world’s greatest tea drinkers. And so tea is Britain’s favourite drink. The English know how to make tea and what it does for you. In England people say jokingly: ‘The test of good tea is simple. If a spoon stands up in it, then it is strong enough; if the spoon starts to wobble, it is a feeble makeshift’.

Every country has its drinking habits, some of which are general and obvious, others most peculiar. Most countries also have a national drink. In England the national is beer, and the pub “ pub ”, where people talk, eat, drink, meet their friends and relax.

The word “ pub ” is short for “public house”. Pubs sell beer. (British beer is always warm). An important custom in pubs is “buying a round”. In a group, one person buys all the others a drink. This is a “round”. Then one by one all the people buy rounds, too. If they are with friends, British people sometimes lift their glasses before they drink and say: “ Cheers ”. This means “ Good luck ”.

In the pubs in south-west England there is another traditional drink-scrumpy.

Pub names often have a long tradition. Some come from the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Every pub has a name and every pub has a sign above its door. The sign shows a picture of the pub’s name.

And as you know, the British talk about the weather a lot. They talk about the weather because it changes so often. Wind, rain, sun, cloud, snow – they can all happen in a British winter – or a British summer.

Hundreds of years ago, soldiers began this custom. They shook hands to show that they did not have a sword. Now, shaking hands is a custom in most countries.

Frenchman shake hands every time they meet, and kiss each other on both cheeks as a ceremonial salute, like the Russians, while Englishmen shake hands only when they are introduced, or after a long absence.

Victorian England made nearly as many rules about hand shaking as the Chinese did about bowing. A man could not offer his hand first a lady; young ladies did not shake men’s hands at all unless they were old friends; married ladies could offer their hands in a room, but not in public, where they would bow slightly.

I have chosen the topic British customs traditions because I enjoy learning the English language and wanted to know more about British ways of life and traditions. Working on this topic I have to conclusion that British people are very conservative. They are proud pf their traditions and carefully keep them up. It was interesting to know that foreigners coming to England are stuck at once by quite a number of customs and peculiarities.

So I think of Britain as a place a lot of different types of people who observe their traditions.

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• Subject Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

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Do people have lots of holidays where you live? Where do they go and what do they do? Read more to find out about holidays in the UK!

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then read the article and do the exercises to check your understanding.

Preparation

In the past, working people in Britain only had holidays on ‘holy’ (religious) days: Sundays, Christmas and Easter. Now most people have about four weeks’ holiday every year plus public holidays (also called ‘Bank holidays’).

British people usually have their holidays in summer, in July or August. Many working people take a two-week holiday during the summer. School children are on holiday from approximately the end of July to the start of September. A second holiday break in winter or in spring is also becoming more popular in the UK. In winter some people go skiing in Europe, and in spring, visits to cities such as Paris, Amsterdam or Barcelona are popular.

The most popular holiday locations for Brits include Spain, France, Greece and the USA. Lots of people buy a package holiday which includes flights and a hotel or an apartment. Cheap flights to warm places mean that many British people are able to spend two weeks a year relaxing in the sun abroad. Flights and package holidays are much cheaper during school term time and the British government is worried that some young people are missing school to go on holiday. Parents who take their child on holiday during term time can now pay a fine of up to 100 pounds.

UK holidays

British people also like to go on holiday in the UK: in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. Warm weather and sun are not guaranteed in the UK of course! What can young British people do on a UK holiday? Here are a few examples – Alton Towers , in Staffordshire, is one of the top UK theme parks. It is famous for its terrifying rides and is very popular with teenagers. You can sign up to try their new rollercoaster ride on their website.  The Eden Project is an environmental project in Cornwall, in the south-west of England. It has huge domes that contain thousands of plants from all around the world. As well as plants you can also see top bands play at the Eden Project. This year the Eden Sessions at the centre included Tim Minchin, Example, Frank Turner, Chase & Status, Plan B, Blink-182, Noah And The Whale and The Vaccines.

Taking your tent or caravan to stay on a campsite is popular, especially in the south of England. Newquay, in Cornwall, on the south coast of England, is a favourite camping area for families and for teenagers. Newquay has great beaches, with good waves for surfers as well as lots of nightlife. Wild camping means you take your tent, sleeping bag, food, water (and toilet paper!) and you find a quiet place to spend the night in the countryside or hills away from roads and houses. Wild camping is legal only in some parts of Britain.

Holiday resorts

A holiday resort provides accommodation, food and entertainment for all the family. Butlin’s holiday resorts first started in the 1930s and they are still popular today. Prices are low. A seven-day July summer holiday at the Skegness Butlin’s, on the east coast in England, costs about 130 pounds per person. There’s a massive indoor swimming centre with a wave pool and waterslides at the resort. Butlin’s ‘silent disco’ where you listen to music on wireless headphones and dance to your favourite tune (everyone dances to different music!) is a big hit with teens. Other activities aimed specifically at teenagers include Wii and Xbox challenges as well as beach volleyball.

Independent holidays

Some teenagers want to spend their holidays doing something without their family. A language exchange is one way to be more independent and improve language skills. A British teenager spends a week or two in a foreign country, staying with a family who has a son or daughter of the same age and practises the local language. Later the foreign teenager visits the UK to practise their English with the British family. Summer camps can be fun too. Do it 4 Real organises camps for 10–19-year-olds in the UK where young people can do quad biking, paintballing, film making and street dancing. There’s also a ‘Future leader’ camp for 17–19-year-olds where activities include leadership skills as well as raft building, archery, climbing and survival skills.

Are you going on holiday this year?

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Dive into the UK’s rich history and contemporary culture

"Enjoy the world-famous events, local celebrations and public holidays that take place throughout the year.

On public holidays (called ‘bank holidays’ in the UK) most institutions and businesses are closed. Dates differ in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Visit the GOV.UK website for a full list.

Some of the events below are bank holidays, but not all – there are great things happening in the UK all year round.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay is one of the biggest New Year's parties in the UK.

1 January: New Year’s Day

On New Year’s Eve (31 December), it’s traditional to celebrate the count-down to midnight. There are parties nationwide, in people's houses, in bars and public venues and street parties, with Edinburgh’s ‘ Hogmanay ’ being one of the biggest. New Year’s Day is a public holiday, so expect the celebrations to last well into the night.

Late January-early February: Lunar New Year

To usher in the Lunar New Year, in many streets in UK cities, you'll find food stalls, fireworks, red lanterns and dragon parades - among other things. London’s Lunar New Year celebrations are the biggest outside of Asia, and offer an explosion of colour, sounds and pleasant aromas.

Red paper lanterns in the street to celebrate Lunar New Year

14 February: Valentine’s Day

Although there is not a bank holiday to mark this day, you will feel its presence in the lead-up with shop fronts being lined with red roses, bouquets of flowers, chocolates, teddy bears and Valentine's cards. It's common for couples to exchange gifts and go out for dinner together.

For those who would rather celebrate platonic love between friends, 'Galentine's Day' which falls on February 13, is a chance to shower your lady friends - single or coupled - with love and attention. Just a bit more than usual. And, if you want to - you can adapt this to 'Manentine's Day' or similar - we're not quire sure the word has spread yet, but feel free to get the celebrations going.

Get ready for some blue skies in March and April when the cherry blossoms bloom.

March - April

17 March: St Patrick’s Day

For those of you who don't know already, Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated by Irish communities - and many others - around the world. Most cities in the UK host their own official Saint Patrick's Day celebrations, while many people choose to celebrate instead in venues around where they live or even throw parties at home.

So, this is your chance to celebrate by dressing up in green, grabbing a pint of Guinness (if it takes your fancy) and heading out - or staying in - with your friends.

Although Easter is a Christian festival, many non-Christians throughout the UK celebrate in all sorts of creative ways.

March-April: Easter

Each year, the Easter weekend falls on a different date - any time between March 22 and April 25 - as it depends on the moon.

In the UK, there are two bank holidays to mark Easter: Good Friday and Easter Monday. This Christian holiday is traditionally celebrated with a sit-down meal - usually among family or friends - to mark the beginning of spring.

Another tradition that people, regardless of their faith or background, tend to enjoy. Easter eggs - usually made of chocolate - start appearing on supermarket shelves in the lead-up to Easter. They range from tiny ones that are perfect for hiding in the garden, balcony, or home, to eggs the size of your head.

There are so many ways to celebrate May Day. Find out through your Student Union if anything is going on on-campus or if you can find some festivities nearby.

First Monday of May: Early May bank holiday

In general, the Early May Bank Holiday, which often falls on 1 May, is celebrated with maypole dancing. Children, especially girls, often dance around a tall pole which is decorated with long, colourful, flowing ribbons.

In some parts of the UK, but mainly in England, you might find Morris dancers dressed in white and wearing bells on various parts of their outfits who carry scarves and long wooden sticks. Their dancing is usually accompanied by loud accordion music. This dancing was traditionally carried out exclusively by men but more recently it has welcomed dancers of all genders.

Last Monday of May: Spring bank holiday, sometimes called the Late May bank holiday

Another lovely day off which is usually spent catching up with friends and enjoying the - hopefully - early summer weather.

Summer solstice at Stonehenge.

June - July

21 June: Summer solstice

The summer solstice marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year, although the sun's position remains in pretty much the same place for a few days on either side. It is celebrated all over the UK in a diverse variety of ways. Perhaps the most famous is the celebration at the ancient monument of Stonehenge , where around 10,000 people gather to watch the sunrise.

Late June: Glastonbury Festival

Summer in the UK means music festival time. With its 175,000 revellers, Glastonbury is the largest and most iconic. But from Wales’ Festival No.6 and Scotland’s T in the Park to the new grassroots festivals emerging across the country, there are plenty of other opportunities to enjoy the festival season .

June/July: Eid al-Fitr

Marking the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslim communities in the UK and around the world. Each community usually has its own events, but Birmingham and London see some of the largest official celebrations and feasts in the UK.

If you can get to 'The Fringe' in Edinburgh, you won't regret it. There is an electric atmosphere like no other.

August: Edinburgh Fringe Festival

‘ The Fringe ’ features over 50,000 performances and more than 3,000 shows, which take place over three weeks every August. As the world’s biggest arts festival, it’s the best place to go for stand-up comedy, dance performances, theatre, art exhibitions, circus, spoken word, opera and much, much more. The atmosphere is buzzing, with visitors from across the globe, and if you can get yourself there, do. You won't regret it.

London's Notting Hill Carnival.

Late August: Notting Hill Carnival

Held in London over the August bank holiday weekend, Notting Hill Carnival is the biggest street carnival in Europe . Join two million carnival-goers dancing to pumping calypso music and enjoying Caribbean food as they watch the vibrant and enthusiastic parade go by.

Late August: Manchester Pride

Pride events take place in UK cities throughout the year, and on the August bank holiday weekend tens of thousands of people from the UK and further afield, flock to Manchester to promote equality and celebrate LGBT+ life at The Big Weekend - a colourful 72-hour party with a flamboyant parade in the city centre.

Last Monday of August: Summer bank holiday

This is the last bank holiday until Christmas, so make good use of it. Hopefully, the weather will be great and it'll be a chance to enjoy the green parks and outdoor spaces across the country. Or even an excuse to go down to the seaside.

If you want to get your facepaint out, October and November are a good time for it in the UK.

October - November

October: Belfast International Arts Festival

Belfast International Arts Festival , celebrated each year in Autumn, celebrates contemporary arts - dance, music, theatre, visual arts, film and music - with an international outlook and artist base. It brings the world's best and most innovative artists to Belfast every year from across the globe.

31 October: Halloween

Halloween or Hallowe'en (short for All Hallows' evening) is a celebration observed in many countries around the world. Many say that Halloween traditions were influenced by Celtic harvest festivals but there are many 'modern' activities to mark it in the UK.

For example, guising (trick-or-treating), pumpkin carving, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing and telling or watching scary stories. If you live in rented accommodation, don't be surprised if small groups of children turn up at your door in monster or ghost costumes looking for sweets. Adults in the UK also tend to enjoy Halloween as an excuse to throw fancy-dress (costume) parties.

Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness and is widely celebrated in the UK.

October/November: Diwali

Diwali, or Deepavali, is one of the major religious festivals for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world. It celebrates the victory of light over darkness and is celebrated in many homes all over the UK, and is also marked in several UK cities. For example, Diwali in Leicester hosts an extravagant street party where thousands of decorative Diwali lights shine brightly along the city's Golden Mile. There is also traditional food, music, dancing and fireworks and it is one of the biggest Diwali celebrations outside of India.

November: Outburst Queer Arts Festival

Outburst Queer Arts Festival is an annual explosion of queer art and performance in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Now in its second decade, it showcases great local and international work by LGBT+ people of all backgrounds and creates a platform for all their stories and creative ideas.

5 November: Bonfire night

Bonfire night, often referred to as Guy Fawkes' night, originally marked the anniversary of Guy Fawkes - an English conspirator in the 17th-century Gunpowder Plot, who unsuccessfully tried to blow up Westminster Palace.

All across the UK, you will find bonfire nights from villages, to towns to big cities. Wrap up warm and head out to one of the many organised bonfire night events across the UK to enjoy the fire - most likely from a bit of a distance - and a spectacular firework display or two, or three on your way home.

Whatever you celebrate, take a look at doors across the UK to check-out the festive wreaths on display.

December: Hanukkah

Hanukkah (or Chanuka) is the Jewish festival of lights celebrated by Jewish communities around the world, including across the UK. The festival is eight days long and is celebrated with nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried food. The menorah, or the hanukkiah in Hebrew, is the nine-branched Hanukkah candelabra and the menorah which stands in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London is the largest in Europe.

25 and 26 December: Christmas Day and Boxing Day

Christmas is one of the biggest annual celebrations in the UK, and the festivities are not limited to one day. In fact, the build-up to Christmas starts weeks before the day itself with Christmas trees, markets, gift-giving and the consumption of the UK's traditional mince pies (and cream, sometimes) taking centre stage throughout most of the month of December.

Christmas Day itself is a bank holiday, as is Boxing Day, which falls the day after when many people continue to spend time with friends and family.

If you're looking to travel at this time it's worth checking out your options for public transport as in London, for example, there is no public transport on Christmas Day and only a reduced service on Boxing Day.

More in this section

The UK is a union of four nations – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with similarities and differences that make studying in each nation unique.

English is spoken across the UK, but it is not the only native official language. In London alone it is estimated that you can hear over 300 languages.

The weather in the UK can be unpredictable. But with the right clothes and the right attitude, you can enjoy the UK, whatever the weather.

The UK is a multi-faith society where all religions are widely welcomed.

Enjoy the huge variety of food the UK has to offer. Here are our eight top tips for shopping, cooking and eating out while at university.

Travel and transport

Whether you’re based in the city or the countryside, you’ll be able to travel to most places in the UK quickly and see a lot during your time here.

Health and welfare

With one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world, as an international student in the UK you will be looked after.

Other relevant websites

Take a look at a full list of festivals and events in the UK from VisitBritain

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© Copyright Mandy Barrow 2013

Mandy is the creator of the Woodlands Resources section of the Woodlands Junior website.  The two websites  projectbritain.com  and  primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk  are the new homes for the Woodlands Resources.

Mandy left Woodlands in 2003 to work in Kent schools as an ICT Consulatant.  She now teaches computers at  The Granville School  and  St. John's Primary School  in Sevenoaks Kent.