National holidays(Státní svátky)

National Holidays

Types of celebrations

Christmas/Advent

Easter

Family celebrations

Czech National Holidays

Czechoslovak Independence Day

UK - Bank holidays

National Holidays of the USA

American Independence Day

Types of celebrations

Three different kinds of celebrations are:

Religious holidays – Christmas, Eastern Family celebrations – birthday, wedding, name day

National Holidays - New Year’s Day, Liberation Day

Christmas

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.  Christmas Eve (evening) - 24th December

Christmas Day - 25th December St. Stephen’s Day - 26th December

Advent

Time of four weeks before Christmas.

Women decorate their houses and bake sweets.

We buy presents for our relatives and friends.

Every Sunday we lit candle on the Adventwreath.

Christmas Eve

We decorate Christmas tree.

We have Christmas dinner – fried carp and potato salad.

We open presents under the decorated Christmas tree.

Christmas in UK and in the USA

People in UK and the USA open presents on 25th December in the morning.

Their typical Christmas meal is roast turkey.

Easter

The most important Christian holiday.

It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Easter is celebrated in spring – in March or April.

The date is different every year.

The first Sunday after the first spring full moon.

Easter

Symbols of Easter are decorated eggs, lambs, rabbits, representing the new life.

On Easter Monday boys with willow sticks decorated with ribbons go to beat girls.

Family celebrations

Birthday

Baptism

Name day

Wedding

Wedding anniversary

Czech National Holidays

New Year’s Day

Workers Day

Liberation Day

Czech Statehood Day

Czechoslovak Independence Day

Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy

New Year’s Day - January the 1st

People celebrate the New Year at night before, at New Year’s Eve.

They celebrate the coming of the New Year by drinking and fireworks.

At midnight they have New Year´s toast with a glass of champagne.

They make New Year´s resolutions.

International Workers' Day – May the 1st

Also known as May Day.

A celebration of the international labour movement.

A national holiday in more than 80 countries.

Liberation day - May the 8th

Celebrates the end of the Second World War.

Czech Statehood Day – September the 28th

On this day Prince Wenceslas was killed.

He became the patron saint of Czech nation.

Czechoslovak Independence Day - October the 28th

The independent Czechoslovak Republic

was founded in 1918.

T. G. Masaryk became the first president.

Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy - 17th of November

The student demonstration against Nazi occupation in 1939.

The demonstration in 1989 that started the Velvet Revolution.

Bank Holidays in the UK

National holidays in Great Britain are called the Bank Holidays.

Banks are closed these days.

National holidays of Great Britain

New Year´s Day

Easter

May Day

Spring Bank Holiday (end of May)

Summer Bank Holiday (end of August)

Christmas

National Holidays in the USA

New Year´s Day

Easter (Good Friday, Easter Monday)

Independence Day

Thanksgiving

Halloween

Christmas (Christmas Day, Boxing Day)

The USA - Independence Day

The greatest American holiday, celebrated on 4th July.

Americans celebrate their country’s birthday.

The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

George Washington became the first American president.

The USA – Thanksgiving

The oldest of all American holidays.

It is celebrated on the last Thursday of November.

Historically held as thanks for good harvest.

Festival for families, who usually come together.

Traditional meal is turkey and autumn vegetables.

The USA – Halloween

One of world's oldest holidays.

It goes back to Celtic times.

It is celebrated on the evening of October 31st.

Time of masks, costumes and superstitions.

Very popular with children.

Saint Valentine's Day – February the 14th

A holiday that celebrates love.

People in love give and get candy & gifts.