Customs and traditions,festivals

Some useful expressions first:A festival is a day or days when people celebratesomething, often a religious event.

Traditions are practises and beliefs that are passed downbetween generations of a certain family, culture, or othergroup. They are hand down from generation to generation,especially by word or by practice. Traditions have beenthere for a very long time, but new traditions are also madeall the time and sometimes they even replace the old ones.

A custom is a practice followed by people of a particulargroup or a region.

British customs and traditions are well-known all over the world.

What are the first three things that come into your mind when you hear the words

„England“ or „the English“?

• fish and chips• drinking tea (cream teas)• pubs• red buses (double-deckers)• rainy (and windy) weather • Big Ben• football• Royal Family • London parks

What festivals can you see?

Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas, New Year, Mother´s Day, Easter Sunday

• Are there any traditions in your family that you enjoy / practice regularly? Do you know their meaning?

• What are your most favourite holidays? Christmas? Easter? Any other?

• Why is it important to keep the traditions of the country youlive in alive?

• English people especially like and keep their traditions; some of their traditions are even part of their unwritten constitution.

Do you think Czech people have such a similar strong feeling?• What typical English holidays do you know?• Can you compare the most typical holidays (Christmas, Easter)

in England and the Czech Republic?

Easter is celebrated on the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon in spring but actually is

starts on AshWednesday (Popeleční středa) 40 days before Easter when Christians start

their Lent (Půst).

- it is an ancient pagan (pagan) celebration of spring and new life- the Christians remember Christ´s crucifixion (ukřižování) and resurrection

(zmrtvýchvstání)

Palm Sunday – one week before Easter (Květná neděle)

Maundy Thursday – people remember the Last Supper (Zelený čtvtek)

Good Friday – Christ was crucified on that day (Velký pátek)

Easter Sunday – his resurrection

Easter Monday and Good Friday are bank holidays

Children believe that while sleeping the Easter Bunny has hidden eggs in the house and gosearching for them. This is called egg hunt. In Britain people eat Hot Cross Buns.

Christmasstarts on 24th December – on Christmas Eve when families decorate heir

houses with brightly coloured paper, paperballs and chains, springs of holly

(větvičky cesmíny) with red berries, ivy (břečťan), mistletoe (jmelí) and of course the

Christmas tree. On the mantelpiece (krbová římsa) there are Christmas cards

wishing Merry Christmas and happy New Year. Shops are open until late in the

evening. For example, Harrod´s is closed when the Queen does her shopping

there. In every house there is the nativity scene (jesličky) or the crib (Betlém)

with Three Wise Men, shepherds, sheep, cows, camels, and baby Jesus.- children hope that Santa Claus or Father Christmas will come down the

chimney and bring some presents for them. So there are X-mas stockings

hanging from their beds and larger present are under the tree. Children usually

get up very early in the morning to open the presents and play with new toys.- the Christmas tree tradition was brought to Britain from Germany by

Queen Victoria´s husband, Prince Albert. The first Christmas tree was lit at

Windsor Castle in 1841

- on Christmas Day they have Christmas dinner usually at noon or in the evening. Typically, they eat roast turkey, potatoes and vegetable (e.g. Brussels sprouts – růžičková kapusta) followed by Christmas pudding (a special fruit cake made long time in advace and consisting fo many incredible ingredients like beer, suet (lůj), carrots, treacle (melasa), breadcrumbs (strouhanka), etc. A coin is hidden inside and the person who bites into it shall have good luck.)

- Boxing Day is the 26th of December is named after the tradition of giving dustmen, newspaper boys, milkmen, postmen, etc. small sums of money in boxes.

???Can you compare these two holidays with those wecelebrate in our country???

Guy Fawkes´ Day – a day of bonfires and fireworks to remember the

unsuccessful attmpt at blowing up the on 5th November 1605. Guy Fawkes

and his conspirators put 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar beneath the House

of Lords. But one of the Lords was warned and the conspiracy was foiled.

Rememberance Day – celebrated on 11th November or the nearest Sunday.

At the Cenotaph (Památník padlých) in London a ceremony is held and there is a

two-minute silence to remember those who were killed in the two world wars.

Troopin the Colour – is Queen´s official birthday celebrated on 6th June. It

takes place at Whitehall with Horse Guards´ Parade (přehlídka jízdní stráže). On that

day and on New Year´s Day the Queen awards honours (uděluje tituly) to important

people.

Burns Night – celebrated on 25th January, on the birthday of the Scottish

national poet, the author of the song Auld Lang Syne, Rober Burns, who was born

in 1759. On that day the Scots usually eat their typical dishes, the most important

being haggis (tlačenka haggis) made from sheep´s organs eaten with potatoes and

swede turnip (brukev).

The Edinburgh International Festival – celebrated from 12th August to 2nd

September. It´s a festival of Scottish music and dancing.

Thanksgiving Day - celebrated on the last Thurday of November, the

second most important holiday of the year after Christmas.

Independence Day – commemorates victory over the British in the American

Civil War and the signing of „Declaration of Independence“ in 1776. It´s a day

of picnics, parades and flying the flag, parties, barbecues, concerts and

fireworks. It´s celebrated on 4th July.

Saint Patrick´s Day - celebrated on 17th March. It´s a typical Irish holiday

which is now celebrated nearly everywhere in the world, especially in the

States. People are dressed in green and there is music, dancing and drinking

everywhere. The symbol of the day is the Irish national flower, green

shamrock (trojlístek). St Patrick was a Roman born in England in the 4th

century. He was a Christian bishop who spread Christianity in Celtic Ireland.

He showed people the clover leaf and explained them the idea of the Father,

Son and the Holy Ghost. He also built a lot of churches.

Saint David´s Day – celebrated on 1st March. It´s Wales national day. David was a Celtic monk and a bishop who lived in 6th century and spread the word of Christianity across Wales. The most famous story about him: he was preaching to a huge crowd and the ground is said to have risen up so that he was standing on a hill and everyone had a better chance of hearing him.

Saint George´s Day – celebrated on 23rd April, England national day. Actually, George wasn´t an English at all. He was born in Turkey, lived in 3rd century and became a Roman soldier. He protested against Rome´s persecution of Christians and was beheaded in Palestine. In 1222 the Council of Oxford declared April 23 to be St. George´s Day and in 1415 it was made a national feast day.

Saint Andrew´s Day - celebrated on 30th November in Scotland. He was one of Christ´s twelve apostles.