HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS OF GREAT BRITAIN
Исаева Ольга Николаевна
учитель иностранного языка
МБОУ СОШ №51 г.Воронеж
The British have eight public holidays. They are called “bank holidays” – probably because banks as well as most shops and offices are closed. They are New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. New Year’s Day became a holiday only when the UK joined the E.E.C. The patron saints days are not celebrated with a holiday. They are St.David’s Day (March, 1 st ) in Wales, St.George’s Day (April, 23 rd ) in England and St.Andrew’s Day (November, 30 th ) in Scotland. Only Ireland has a holiday on St.Patrick’s Day, March 17 th . However, there are many widely celebrated festivals though they are not holidays.
Vocabulary
holiday – 1. day of rest from work; 2. (often plural) period of rest from work
festival – 1. (day or season for) rejoicing; public celebrations; 2. series of performances (of music, ballet, drama, etc.) given periodically, usually once a year
Good Friday - Великая Пятница
Easter Monday – понедельник после Пасхи
Spring Bank Holiday - весенний день отдыха (в мае или начале июня)
Summer Bank Holiday – летний день отдыха ( в августе или сентябре)
Boxing Day – День рождественских подарков
E.E.C. – European Economic Community – Европейское экономическое сообщество
the patron saints days – дни святых, считающихся покровителями той или иной части Великобритании
Match the date and the description
- People send special cards with hearts, flowers
and loving words, to those they are in love with.
Sometimes they do not sign these cards and trying A. December 26 th - Boxing
to guess who has sent a card is not always easy! Day
2. People visit their mothers, bring them
flowers and small presents or send them special
cards. B. December 25 th – Christmas
- This is the time to visit friends and relatives
and give them presents – if you haven’t already
put yours at the bottom of the Christmas tree. C. October 31 st – Halloween
- On the eve of the festival children hang stockings
on their beds for Father Christmas to put sweets
and toys in them. During the day all the family –
grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins – meet D. March (4 th Sunday in
for the traditional dinner (turkey and special pudding). Lent) – Mother’s Day
5. It is a less important festival in Britain as compared
with America but still many people enjoy dressing up
in strange costumes and pretending they are witches
or ghosts. There’s also a tradition to cut up a pumpkin E. February 14 th –
to look like a frightening face and put a candle inside. St.Valentine’s Day
- The festival commemorates Christ’s resurrection.
People celebrate the idea of new birth by giving each
other chocolate eggs. The ancient custom of dyeing F. December 31 st – New Year’s
eggs is also very popular. Eve
- People celebrate the end of winter and the
awakening of new life in nature. Children with brightly
coloured scarves dance round the Maypole on village
greens. Morris men dance all day long waving their G. November 5 th – Guy Fawkes
white handkerchiefs to drive away the evil spirits. Night
- On that day in 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up
the Houses of Parliament together with King James I.
36 barrels of gunpowder were stored under the House of
Lords. However, the plot was discovered, Guy Fawkes was H. March – April (the first
arrested and hanged. Since then the British traditionally Sunday after a full moon on
celebrate this day by burning effigies of Fawkes, made of or after March 21 st ) - Easter
straw and old clothes on bonfires, and letting off fireworks. Sunday
- If you happen to be in London at the time, go to Trafalgar
Square and see people take a shower in the fountains there!
The great Christmas tree is a traditional gift from
Norway. In Scotland, Hogmanay (the Scottish name for this
festival) is the biggest festival of the year. The dancing goes
on all night. I. May 1 st – May day
Answers
Use “holiday(s)” or “festival”
- Christmas and Easter are Church _________________.
- Sunday is a _________________ in Christian countries, Friday is a ________________ in Muslim countries.
- There is no national day in Britain, but there’s one _________________ that everyone celebrates – Christmas.
- New Year’s Day is a national ____________________.
- I’m taking a ________________ and going to Edinburgh __________________ next week.
- Halloween is a big ________________ in America.
- I like to spend summer _________________ in the country.
Check yourselves
- Christmas and Easter are Church festivals .
- Sunday is a holiday in Christian countries, Friday is a holiday in Muslim countries.
- There is no national day in Britain, but there’s one festival that everyone celebrates – Christmas.
- New Year’s Day is a national holiday .
- I’m taking a holiday and going to Edinburgh festival next week.
- Halloween is a big festival in America.
- I like to spend summer holidays in the country.
Источники
- Hello! №2 Журнал для изучающих английский язык. Факультет иностранных языков МГУ, 1996
- https://yandex.ru/images/search ?
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