Holidays in Great Britain Essay/ Holidays in Great Britain Topic

There are only six Public holidays a year in Great Britain, the days on which people need not go to work. Besides public holidays there are other festivals and celebrations that people look forward to. In Scotland, the new year’s day is also a public holiday. It is called Hogmanay. It is the most important celebration of the year for Scottish people. In London lots of people go to Trafalgar Square and wait for the famous bell Big Ben to strike at midnight.

On 14 February British people celebrate Valentine’s Day. People in love give each other cards and presents. In the evening there are special parties, and couples sometimes go to restaurants for a romantic dinner.

The day before Lent starts is called Shrove Tuesday. On this day the Christian tradition is to use all the fat foods in the kitchen before Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday in Great Britain is also called Pancake Day because it is traditional to eat pancakes.

Mother's day is traditionally celebrated on the first Sunday in Lent. It is a day when people honour their mothers.

Easter is the most important festivity of the year for Christians. People usually dye eggs for Easter and bake hot cross buns. Hot cross buns are typical on Good Friday in Britain. On Easter Day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

April Fool’s Day is on 1 April. It’s the custom in the UK to play a trick or a joke on someone on this day.

The holiday called Halloween is celebrated on October 31st of each year. Halloween is not an official holiday. Children in Britain dress up as witches or ghosts and go ‘trick or treating. They walk from house to house and knock at the door. When an adult opens the door, the children shout "trick or treat." Most people then give them a “treat”.

On 5 November, people remember the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament by celebrating ‘Bonfire Night’. All over Britain there are firework displays and bonfires with models of Guy Fawkes, which are burned on the fire. The fireworks are a reminder of the gunpowder that Guy Fawkes hid in the cellar of Parliament.

Christmas Day is observed on the 25th of December. On Christmas Eve in the homes there is a great air of expectation. Children decorate the fir-tree with tinsel, coloured lights and toys. The houses are decorated with holly and a bunch of mistletoe. The Christmas bird, nowadays usually a turkey, is cooked and stuffed by housewives. It is followed by Christmas pudding, which is made with dried fruit and brandy. Sometimes a coin is put in the pudding as a surprise.