HOLIDAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN

Exercise 3. Now compose a similar dialogue and act it in pairs.

Now read and translate the texts. ☺Pay attention to the new vocabulary below.

In Great Britain holidays established by act of Parliament are called bank holidays. They are days on which banks close and business is stopped. Bank holidays in England are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day (first Monday in May), Spring Holiday (Last Monday in May), Summer Holiday (fourth Monday in August), Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Most of these holidays are of religious origin,though it would be right to say that for the greater part of the population they have lost their reli­gious significanceand are the days on which people relax, eat, drink and make merry.

New Year's Day. People celebrate the start of the new year by going to parties on New Year's Eve. When midnight comes they say "Happy New Year" to each other, kiss each other and sing a song called AULD LANG SYNE. The New Year is seen as a time when people try to change their lives, for example by promising to stop smoking or to take more exercise. These promises are called New Year's resolutions. The most commontype of celebrating is a New Year party, either a family party or one arrangedby a group of young people. There is a lot of drinking, mainly beer, wine, gin and whisky. There is usually a tasty supper of cold meat, pies, sandwiches, cakes and biscuits. At midnight the radio is turned on, so that everyone can hear the chimesof Big Ben, and on the houra toast is drunk to the New Year.

Hogmanay Celebration. Hogmanay is the way of celebrating New Year Eve,and is the time for merrymaking,giving of presents and the observance of the old customof First Footing.

St. Valentine's Day — February, 14. It is a holiday when boys and girls, sweetheartsand lovers, husbands and wives and even the office staffwill exchangegreetings of af­fections,undying love or satirical commitment. And the quick, modern way to do it is with a Valentine card: "I'll be your sweetheart, if you will be mine, All of my life I'll be your Valentine..."

Pancake Day. Pancake Day is the popular name for Shrove Tuesday,the day preced­ing the first day of Lent.It is the last day before Lent, a period of forty days when, in the past, Christians ate only simple food. People used up their milk, butter and eggs on Shrove Tuesday because they were not allowed to eat them during Lent.

Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day). Mother's Day is traditionally observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent. This is usually in March. Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent, "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England. In the Middle Ages on Mothering Sunday people who worked far from home would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along. Nowadays people visit their mothers if possible and give them flowers and small presents.

Easter. Easter is cel­ebrated as the start of spring or a religious festival. Easter Sunday is the day when Chris­tians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. It always comes on Sunday, and this Sunday is either in March or April. In England it is time for giving and receiving presents which traditionally take the form of an Easter egg. Nowadays Easter eggsare usually made of chocolate. The Easter egg is by far the most popular emblem of Easter, but fluffylittle chicks, baby rabbits and springtime flow­ers.

April Fool’s Day. April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day, named from the custom of play­ing practical jokesor sending friends on fools' errands,is on April, 1. Its timing seems related to vernal equinox,when nature fools mankind with sudden changes from show­ers to sunshine.

May Day. May Day is celebrated on the 1^st of May. The first Monday in May is a public holiday in Great Britain. May Day is connected with workers and leftwing political parties.

Late Summer Bank Holiday. On Bank Holiday townsfolkusually flockinto the coun­try and to the coast. If the weather is fine many families take a picnic lunch or tea with them and enjoy their meal in the open air. People wear comic paper hatswith sloganssuch as "Kiss Me Quick "and they eat and drink, the most popular are mussels,shrimpsand fried fish and chips, candy floss,beer, tea, soft drinks — every­thing you can imagine. There is also much boating regatta activities on the Thames.

Father's Day. Father's Day is observed on the third Sunday in June. It is a day when people give presents and cards to their fathers.

Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night). Bonfire Night is celebrated on November 5. It is one of the most popular festivals in Great Britain. It commemoratesthe discoveryof the so-called Gunpowder Plot and is widely celebrated throughout the country. College students and many other organizations in the city prepare elaborate guys,for which prizes are awarded.

Remembrance Day (Poppy Day). Remembrance Day is observed throughout Britain in commemoration of the million or more British soldiers, sailors and airmen who lost their lives during the two World Wars. On that day special services are held in the church­es and wreathsare laid at war memorials throughout the country.

Christmas Celebration. Christmas Day is observed on the 25th of December. In Britain this day was a festival long before the conversion to Christianity.On Christmas Eve eve­rything is rushand bustle.Offices and public buildings close at one o'clock, but the shops stay open late. Most big cities, especially London, are decorated with coloured lightsacross the streets and enormous Christmas Trees.The main line stations, trains and buses are crowded with people travelling from all parts of the country to be at home for Christ­mas. Children decorate the tree with tinsel,various baublesand often coloured lights as well. Christmas cards with the words "A Merry Christmas to You," or "Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a ProsperousNew Year," — are arranged on shelves and tables. Meanwhile the housewife is probably busy in the kitchen kitchen getting things ready for the next day’s dinner. The Christmas bird, nowadays usually a turkey,is beingprepared and stuffed, the puddingis inspected and the cake is got out of its tin and iced.

Boxing Day. Boxing Day is the day when one visits friends, goes for a drive or a long walk or just sits around recovering from too much food — everything to eat is cold. In the big cities and towns, tradition on that day demands a visit to the pantomimewhere once againone is entertained bythe story of Cinderella, Dick Whillington, Pus's in Boots or whoever it may be.

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