Raluca-Alexandra HER~SCU

U.K.
CELEBRATIONS

One-act plays & dialogues for

school-staged festivals and ceremonies

 Play-based interactive activities

 U.K.: General data, historical and cultural symbols

 A Would-Be Santa (Christmas), The Sad Pumpkin

(Hallowe'en), My Valentine (St. Valentine's Day), etc.

Bucure]ti, 2006
 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
U.K. GENERAL DATA, HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SYMBOLS ..........5

1. JANUARY. A NEW START.............................................................................. 8

I’D LIKE TO BE BETTER ........................................................................ 10

2. FEBRUARY. ST. VALENTINE’S DAY .......................................................... 13

MY VALENTINE ......................................................................................15

3. MARCH. PANCAKE DAY.............................................................................. 18

THE STUBBORN PANCAKES................................................................ 19

4. APRIL. ALL FOOL’S DAY ............................................................................ 22

A JOKE.................................................................................................... 23

5. MAY. MAY DAY.............................................................................................. 26

OPEN AIR PARTY .................................................................................. 27

6. JUNE. MIDSUMMER’S DAY AT STONEHENGE ........................................ 30

A MYSTERIOUS MEDICINE .................................................................. 31

7. JULY. VISITING PLACES.............................................................................. 35

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS? .......................................................... 37

8. AUGUST. SUMMER FESTIVALS.................................................................. 40

MY DREAMS CAME TRUE .................................................................... 42

9. SEPTEMBER. BACK TO SCHOOL.............................................................. 47

SCHOOL STARTS AGAIN ...................................................................... 48

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10. OCTOBER. HALLOWE’EN ........................................................................ 53
THE SAD PUMPKIN .............................................................................. 56

11. NOVEMBER. GUY FAWKES’ NIGHT ........................................................ 58

THE LADY AND GUY FAWKES.............................................................. 59

12. DECEMBER. CHRISTMAS ........................................................................ 62

A WOULD-BE SANTA ............................................................................ 64

EXERCISES, TASKS AND IDEAS FOR CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.............. 68

CONCLUSIONS (AND A PIECE OF ADVICE) ................................................ 73

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................75

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12. DECEMBER

CHRISTMAS
ecember is the last month

D of the year. It’s time for

winter celebrations and
there are a lot of Christmas and
New Year customs and traditions
in Great Britain. Many of them
may be traced back to old Greek
and Roman traditions.
The word “Christmas” means
Christ’s Mass. The Mass is an
ancient Christian church service
at which people give praise to
God.
The abbreviation “Xmas” –
which is much in use with the
young people – does not mean
writing laziness, as we could
easily think. Scientists
established that this word has a
special religious meaning and
has been in use for at least six
hundred years. The “X” does not
represent the Christian Cross,
but the Greek letter “chi”, which is
the first letter of “Christos”.
Therefore “Xmas” is not modern
slang, as it could have been
considered, but old and valuable
heritage.
Christmas is both a secular and a religious holiday and traditionally it
is a celebration of the family.
In Britain, all the central streets in towns and villages have beautiful
decorations at Christmas: fir tree garlands, coloured globes and electric
bulbs, enlightened and elegantly adorned shop windows. Every year,
starting from 1947, the people of Oslo – the capital of Norway – give the
city of London a big Christmas tree as a present. It is placed in Trafalgar
Square where it can be admired by everyone.
You can see a Christmas tree nearly in every house. This tradition

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started in 1841, when Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, brought it
from his native Germany and had the first Christmas tree at Windsor
Castle. People usually decorate the trees on Christmas Eve (December
24th) and take down the decorations twelve days later, on Twelfth Night
(January 5th) or the Feast of Epiphany. This is the time when Christians
remember the three Wise Men who came to visit the new-born Jesus
Christ in a stable in Bethlehem, following a bright star. They knew that the
child was the Son of God and gave Him precious gifts with special
meaning: gold – the symbol of royalty, frankincense – the symbol of God,
myrrh – the symbol of suffering.
Here are some Christmas symbols:
• Santa Claus is another name for Father Christmas in Britain. The
original Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Asia
(today south-west Turkey), in the fourth century. He was a very
generous gift-giver to the poor people. He used to give money
anonymously to the needy. It is said that one day he climbed up the
roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney.
The purse landed into the stockings which the poor girls of the family
had hung up to dry by the fire. Nicholas died on the 6th of December
345 at Myra, but later his body was moved to Bary, in Italy where a
great festival is organized every year in his honour. It has become a
custom to offer gifts on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. As far as Santa
Claus is concerned, he traditionally lives at the North Pole, where he
keeps track of good and bad children who write letters to him from all
the parts of the world. He is a jolly fat old man, with white beard and
whiskers, rosy cheeks, wearing a red fur-trimmed coat and hood. He
travels by a reindeer-drawn sleigh through the skies and visits the
houses on Christmas Eve. They say he climbs down the chimney and
leaves a lot of presents, toys, sweets under the Christmas tree or
inside the hanging stockings, at the fireplace or at the foot of the bed.
Some people use to leave something for the tired Santa too: a glass
of wine or some biscuits. On the morning of December 25th children
make haste to open the presents Santa left for them out of his great
love and generosity.
• Carols are traditional Christmas songs performed by groups of boys
and girls going from house to house at this time of the year. You can
listen to “Good King Wenceslas” or “We Three Kings”.
• Mistletoe is a green plant with white berries. People put a piece of it
over the door to bring them luck. At Christmas, the British kiss their
family and friends under the mistletoe.
• Evergreen is a plant that preserves its leaves in winter; holly is a small
plant with dark green sharp leaves and red berries; ivy is a climbing
plant with dark green shiny leaves. Evergreen, holly and ivy make up
a wreath decorating the front door of the house.
• Cards began to accompany the celebrations in Britain in 1846. The
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 most frequent words are “We wish you A Merry Christmas and A
Happy New Year!”
• Traditional food for Christmas dinner on December 25th: roast turkey
with carrots, roast potatoes, peas, Brussels sprouts and gravy;
sausages and bacon; pudding, Christmas cake and mince pies.
• Crackers (coming from China in the 19th century) with small toys or
jokes on a piece of paper in the middle accompany the dinner table
on these events.
In Britain people make New Year Resolutions on the evening of
December 31st, because they want to be better and improve their
behaviour in the year to come. Children write on pieces of paper this kind
of promises: “I’ll do my homework every day”, “I’ll clean my room”, “I’ll be
good to my baby sister” and give them to their parents for safekeeping.
Many of the resolutions are forgotten the very next day.
Scottish people have a special word for New Year. They call it
“Hogmanay” and they organize the biggest celebrations in Britain on this
event. At midnight there are huge fireworks displays while people dance,
play the bagpipes and sing a famous song called “Auld Lang Syne”. In
Scotland, there is also the tradition of “first footing”: it brings good luck to
visit friends after midnight and take a piece of coal to their house.
People have parties with their family and friends. At midnight they
welcome in the New Year and wish each other all the best.

A WOULD-BE SANTA
(One-act play)
Who is under false identity?

The action takes place in Tom’s house on an ordinary winter

afternoon.
Characters:
Tom – middle-aged
Santa Claus – strange visitor at a wrong time
Snowman – another strange person
Tom’s wife – busy with the housework
Policeman – stout representative of the authorities

(Tom is reading the newspaper in an armchair. He suddenly hears

someone knocking at the door.)
Tom: (stands up and makes for the door) Who is there?
A voice behind the door: It’s me! Open the door, will you?

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Tom: (opening the door) Who are you?
Santa: I’m Father Christmas.
Tom: Father who?
Santa: Father Christmas. Nice to see you, son.
Tom: (bewildered) Christmas? That was last month, wasn’t it?
Santa: (a big smile on his face) Well, you see, I have been so busy
delivering presents all over the world these days. Time is
running shorter and shorter every year and I could not answer
all the letters. That’s why I’m a bit late.
Tom: A bit late for what?
Santa: For answering your letter, my son. But let’s keep it between us.
Tom: I am not your son. And I didn’t send any letter.
Santa: (putting down his bag) You didn’t, did you? And why didn’t you
send one?
Tom: (losing his temper) Look Sir, mister…
Santa: (calmly) Father Christmas.
Tom: I used to send letters to Santa when I was a child, but I’m not
anymore.
Santa: What do you mean?
Tom: I’m a grown-up now, can’t you see? (grumpily) Besides, I have
never received anything on Christmas.
Santa: You see, now it’s your time! Better late than never. Be happy,
my son. (in low voice) You surely are somebody’s son. Now tell
me, what did you use to ask for in your letters?
Tom: I don’t remember. It happened so many years ago. You should
have known it!
Santa: Look how time flies! I might have missed it. I’m a poor old man
and I work all by myself. Nobody helps me for free. The whole
responsibility rests upon my shoulders.
Tom: Oh yes, I remember. I used to ask for chocolate. But I don’t eat
sweets anymore; I have problems with my teeth.
Santa: (having a look in his bag) All right, then. No chocolate for you.
Now tell me, have you prepared any poem for Santa?
Tom: Look man, are you crazy? I’m not a child and…it’s not Christmas
and …you are not dressed properly.
Santa: Clothes do not make a man, I mean a Santa. It’s very cold and
I bought a new winter coat. The old one had worn out. People
would have mocked at me if I had put it on. Besides, the
shopkeeper said I looked trendy. But I have my old red fur cap,
so you cannot mistake me. By the way, can you give me
something to eat and drink? I have come a long way and I still
have to travel a lot. And some money for the bus, or train, or
taxi, something.
Tom: They say Santa comes in a reindeer-drawn sleigh. What have
you done with it?
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Santa: Oh, there is not much snow, so I couldn’t use it. I came on foot.
Tom: All the way from the North Pole?
Santa: Unfortunately! That’s why it took me so long. Oh son, I am so
tired, let me have a short rest here. (sits down in Tom’s
armchair)
Tom: And why didn’t you climb down the chimney, as it is customary
with Santa Claus?
Santa: My dear son, before climbing down the chimney I have to climb
up the roof, which has become rather dangerous at my age.
Buildings are higher and higher every day. It’s too much for my
old bones, don’t you think so? I’ve put on some weight as well,
and I am afraid of getting stuck in these narrow chimneys.
Moreover, I don’t want to get dirty and ruin my new winter coat.
Soot stains are impossible to get rid of.
Tom: Man, something is wrong in your attics.
Tom’s wife: (coming in) Tom, where are you? (becoming aware of the
stranger’s presence) Here you are.
Tom: What is it, my dear?
Tom’s wife: Have you heard the news?
Tom: What news?
Tom’s wife: It’s on TV. A patient from the Central Hospital has run away
and goes from one place to another under false identity.
Tom: (growing suspicious) False identity?
Tom’s wife: They say the man may pretend to be various persons and
those who know anything about him are kindly asked to call
the Emergency Unit or the Police.
Tom: (gazing at his strange guest) So, it’s a “he”.
(Someone is knocking at the door.)
Tom: Who is there?
A voice behind the door: It’s me! Open the door, will you?
Tom: (opening the door) Who are you?
Snowman: I’m the Snowman.
Tom: (completely perplexed, hardly uttering some words) You are…
You must be…
Snowman: (friendly) The Snowman that never melts away. May I come
inside? It’s so cold today.
Santa: (pouring himself a glass of wine) I’ve told you, Tom. It’s a very
cold day.
Tom’s wife: Tom, do you know these men? (Tom makes no reply.) I
think I’ll call the Police. (goes out of the room)
Snowman: You know Tom, today’s kids are no longer as those I have
been used to. They are quite unreliable. Look how they
played with me, but haven’t finished their work.
Santa: (peacefully) There isn’t much snow in town, it isn’t their fault.
Snowman: But they didn’t dress me properly. (to Tom) Can you give me

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 a pair of gloves, a good woolen muffler and some leather
boots to keep me warm?
Tom: (blank look) I am…
Snowman: You are Tom, I know. We are neighbours. I am standing
next to your house. Don’t you remember me? You pass by
me when you go to work early in the morning and when you
come back at about six o’clock in the afternoon. Never
mind! I may look a little crumpled but it’s because of the
heavy traffic, while the kids – as I have already told you –
would take no serious care of me.
Tom: (Tom looks at him tongue-tied.)
(Someone is knocking at the door.)
Snowman: Who is there?
A voice behind the door: Police, open the door!
(Snowman goes to the door and opens it.)
Policeman: Sorry Sir, we are looking for a patient from the Central Hospital.
We have been told that a stranger came to your house under
false identity. (Glancing at Tom who seemed to be totally out of
place) Oh, I think this is the man we are looking for.
Santa: The man pretends to talk to the Snowman.
Snowman: He seems to talk to Santa Claus, as well.
Policeman: Does he? Poor man! I’ll take him back. (to Tom) Let’s go!
Tom: (making a desperate effort) Where are you taking me?
Policeman: I know the place you belong to. There you can talk to Snow
White, Prince Charming, Little Red Riding Hood…
(The policeman is taking Tom out of his house.)

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