Реферат: British traditional holidays

Реферат: British traditional holidays

«British traditional holidays»

I

Great Britain is famous for its old traditions. Some of them existed in

ancient times and survived through centuries. Some of them appeared when

Christianity came to British isles. Speaking about religious holidays one

can’t but mention Easter, Pancake Day and Mother’s Day. The dates of these

holidays aren’t strict, they depend on the date of Easter, that varies every

year.

Pancake day is the popular name for the Shrove Tuesday, the day before the

first day of Lent. In the middle ages people on that day made merry and ate

pancakes. The ingredients of pancakes are all forbidden by Church during

Lent, that is why they have to be used the day before. The most common form

of celebrating this day in the old times was the all town ball game or tug-

of-war, in which everyone was tearing here and there, trying to get the ball

or rope into their part of the city. Today the only custom, that is observed

throughout Britain is pancake eating.

For the English people the best-known name for the fourth in Lent Sunday is

Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day. For 3 centuries this day has been a day of

small family gatherings when absent sons and daughters return to their homes.

Gifts are made to mothers by children of all ages. Flowers and cakes are

still traditional gifts. Violets and primroses are most popular flowers.

Sometimes the whole family goes to church and then there is a special dinner

at which roast lamb, rice-pudding and home-made wines and served.

Easter is one of the most important holidays in Christianity. In England it’s

a time for giving and receiving presents, mostly Easter eggs. We can say that

the egg is the most popular emblem of Easter, but spring-time flowers are

also used to stress the nature’s awakening. Nowadays there are a lot of

chocolate Easter eggs, having some small gifts inside. But a real hard-boiled

egg, decorated and painted in bright colours , still appears on breakfast

tables on Ester Day, or it’s hidden in the house or garden for children to

finny. In egg that is boiled really hard will last for years. Egg-rolling is

a traditional Easter pastime. You roll the eggs down a clope until they are

cracked and broken, after they are eaten up.