Holidays 

and
Special Occasions
P R E P A R E D B Y

1 - S T   Y E A R S T U D E N T

I L K I V A N D R I YA N A
 Holidays in GB
There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are:
Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and
Summer Bank Holiday. Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as
well as most of the offices and shops are closed.
 Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of
Jesus Christ and a widely observed cultural holiday,
celebrated generally on 25th December by nearly a
billion people around the world.

Every year the people of Norway give the city of

25  December –
th
London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it

Christmas Day stands in Trafalgar Square. Central streets are

beautifully decorated.
  Weird  and interesting
British Christmas
traditions
As any nation, the British have their own Christmas traditions. There are some of
them:

Going to the pantomime

A Christmas pantomime, which is sometimes known as a ‘panto,’ is a musical

comedy show that British families will often go and see over the Christmas period.

Pulling Christmas crackers

These festive table decorations are pulled apart to reveal a small gift, a party hat and
a riddle or a joke

Filling a shoebox with charitable donations

Thousands of people take part in Operation Christmas Child every year - filling
shoeboxes with gifts to be distributed across the world.
NEW YEAR'S DAY
December 31 is known as Hogmanay in Scotland and New Year's Eve in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is the last day of the year, according
to today's calendar, the Gregorian calendar.

Symbols

One of the most widely known symbols of New Year's Eve is the image of
the Clock Tower at the Palace of Westminster, in London, counting down the
last minutes of the old year. The first chimes of Big Ben, the bell housed in
the Clock Tower, in the new year are broadcast live on radio and television.
This is followed by a spectacular fireworks performance, often centered on
the London Eye, which is claimed to be the largest Ferris wheel in Europe.
 Easter Easter Bunny and Egg Hunts
British children believe that if they
are good the "Easter Bunny" will
leave (chocolate) eggs for them. An
Easter egg hunt is a fun holiday
activity for kids of all ages.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns, now eaten throughout the Easter
season, were first baked in the UK to be served on
Good Friday. These small, lightly sweet yeast buns
contain raisins or currants and sometimes chopped
Easter Bonnets
candied fruit
Easter was once a traditional day for getting
married, which may be why people often
dress up for Easter. Women made and wore
special Easter bonnets - decorated with
flowers and ribbons.
 Harvest Festival

Harvest Festival is a celebration of the food grown on

the land.

Thanksgiving ceremonies and celebrations for a

successful harvest are both worldwide and very ancient.
In Britain, we have given thanks for successful harvests
since pagan times. We celebrate this day by singing,
praying and decorating our churches with baskets of
fruit and food in a festival known as 'Harvest Festival',
usually during the month of September
 Costume galore
The tradition of dressing up on Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. It was
H believed that the evil spirits returned to the earthly world, and people thought they
would have a ghostly encounter if they left their homes.
A
L Jack o’ lanterns
L  When Jack died, God didn’t allow him into heaven, and the Devil didn’t let him into
hell, so Jack continues to wander the earth for eternity. In Ireland, people started to
O carve hellish faces out of turnips to scare away Jack’s soul. Life wasn’t so gourd for
Jack.
W
E It’s apple-bobbing time
E  During a celebration, young unmarried people would attempt to bite
into an apple floating in water, and the first person to bite into the

N apple would be the next one to be allowed to marry.

 Bonfire Night
The history

The year was 1605 and some English Catholics were angry because King James I was
treating them badly. In November of that year, a group of men made a plan to blow up
the Houses of Parliament in London. An enormous explosion was planned for 5
November. This was the day that the king was due to open Parliament. The plan became
known as the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ and the leader of the group was called Guy Fawkes. The
men put 36 barrels of gunpowder in the Houses of Parliament and waited for the king to
arrive. The group decided that Guy Fawkes should light the gunpowder and cause the
explosion. Did they succeed? No, they didn’t. The police found the gunpowder before it
exploded and they caught all the men involved in the plot. The men were tortured and
killed. To celebrate his survival, King James ordered the people of England to have a
bonfire on the night of 5 November.
Remembrance Sunday, in the United Kingdom, holiday held on the
second Sunday of November that commemorates British service members
who have died in wars and other military conflicts since the onset of World
War I. By tradition, a two-minute period of silence is observed throughout
the country at 11 AM, and church services and other ceremonial gatherings
take place during the day.

A nationally televised remembrance service, generally

attended by politicians, religious leaders, military
personnel, and members of the British royal family, has
been held for decades at the Cenotaph monument in
central London.
 St Patrick’s Day 
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Ireland!
 There are usually Saint Patrick’s Day parades!

Usually there are Saint Patrick’s Day parades where

everyone will come together to celebrate.
Lots of yummy traditional food is eaten.
Some of the most traditional Irish foods include
shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage and Irish
soda bread.
The Chicago River is turned green every year to
celebrate!
St Patrick’s Day often gets celebrated around the
world.
Every year the Chicago River is turned green to
celebrate!
In fact, they have been doing this since 1962.
 1 March - The national day of Wales is St David's Day.

Every year parades are held in Wales to commemorate St. David's Day. The largest of these is held in Cardiff and is formally
attended by either the British Monarch or the Prince of Wales.
In Wales children often wear a special St David's Day costume, instead of their usualy school uniform.
St David's day isn't as wild as St Patrick's day in Ireland , however it is commemorated by patriotic Welsh people by wearing a
daffodil or, believe it or not, a leek. Both plants are traditionally regarded as the national emblems of Wales and the traditional
dish to eat on St. David's Day is leeks.
 ST GEORGE'S DAY -
APRIL 23RD
This date is observed in memory of England's
patron saint, St George so, in a sense, this is
England's national day

 The most famous legend of St George is of him slaying a dragon,

with the dragon commonly used to represent the Devil in the Middle
Ages. The slaying of the dragon by St George was first credited to
him in the 12th century, long after his death and it is therefore likely
that the many stories connected with St George’s name are fictitious
St. Andrew’s Day
The day is an official bank holiday and provides a fantastic opportunity to
celebrate Scottish culture and traditional cuisine and dance.

Typical St. Andrew’s Day activities include plenty of food, drink, music and

dancing, with festivities often lasting long into the night. Some traditional
Scottish dishes to sample on St. Andrew’s Day include Cullen skink (fish
soup), haggis, neeps and tatties (swede and potatoes) and Cranachan (a
Scottish dessert made from cream, raspberries, oats and whisky).