Topic # 5 

Prove That Great Britain is Rich in Holidays 

    Well, Great Britain is a country which is rich in holidays and special festivals. But as for public holidays, I mean days when people don't go to work and banks are closed, there are fewer of them than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Summer Bank Holiday. 

One of the most popular holidays, I'm sure, is Christmas Day. It's a public holiday. Families usually spend the day opening their presents which are piled around the Christmas tree decorated with tinsel, baubles, fairy lights and other things. They eat and drink together. The most important meal is Christmas dinner. At the start of the meal, British people often pull a cracker, which contains a small toy, a paper hat, and a joke. The typical meal consists of turkey with potatoes and other vegetables such as carrots and sprouts. In Britain this is followed by Christmas pudding containing a lot of dried fruit and often covered with burning brandy. Other traditional foods in Britain include Christmas cake - a cake containing a lot of dried fruit and usually having a covering of icing (hard sugar) made to be eaten at Christmas, and mince pies. 

But the preparations start weeks before Christmas. People buy presents for their relatives and friends and plan their Christmas holidays. Before Christmas, groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. 

The fun starts on the 24th of December. Traditionally, this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at the end of their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and fill them with toys and sweets. 

   The 26th of December is Boxing Day. This is the time to visit friends and relatives. New Year's Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland, Hogmanay is the biggest festival of the year. Some English people, however, do celebrate New Year's Eve in one way or another. The most common way of celebrating it is having a New Year party. 

Every year people of Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. In Britain lots of people make New Year Resolutions. For example, they promise to get up early every morning next year and clean their shoes every day. But, unfortunately, most people forget  their promises  on the 2nd of January. 

In spring, there is another important holiday. It's Easter. The celebration owes its name and many of its customs and symbols to a pagan festival. Every spring northern European peoples celebrated the festival to honour the awakening of a 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 times. The ancient custom of dyeing eggs at Easter time is still very popular. Easter Parade is held in Battersea Park. 

On October 31st British people celebrate Halloween. Though it's not a public holiday, it is very dear to those who celebrate it, especially to children and teenagers. 

Besides, Scottish people have their special festivals. The Highland Games are one of them. It's a sport festival. One of the competitions is tossing the caber. Tossing means throwing, and a caber is a long, heavy peace of wood. A lot of Scottish men wear kilts. These are traditional Scottish skirts for men. Besides, Scottish people play their traditional instrument, a bagpipe.

So, you see Great Britain is really full of  traditions and holidays. They are all very interesting. 

New words:

1. tinsel -  гирлянды, мишура 

2. baubles - бусы, шарики 
3. cracker - хлопушка 
4. sprouts - брюссельская капуста 

Easter Parade 

5. covering of icing  - корочка из глазури 
6. mince pie - пирожок с начинкой из изюма