Britain is known as a country of legends, ghost stories and old customs. There are many traditions, holidays and festivals in Great Britain. Some of them are the same like in the Czech Republic and some of them are different.
A. New Year´s Eve is celebrated on the 31st December. People have parties which are conected with dancing and singing - at midnight they sing "Auld Lang Syne". In London lots of peple go to Trafalgar Square, they make fireworks and some enthusiasts traditionally swim in a fountain. In Scotland people celebrate New Year one day later - on New Year´s Day which on the 1st January. This celebration is called Hogmanay. It is belived that the first who gets across the treshold (práh) must be a dark man.
B. On the 14th February comes St. Valentine's Day - it is a lovers´ day. On this day people who are in love send Valentine cards to the person who they love. They don‘t sign the cards so than they guess who has sent them the post card. Women get flowers, chocolate or some jewels. Lots of girls are dressed in red or pink clothes.
C. In Britain people celebrate Easter in a little bit different way than in Czech Republic. Coming of Easter is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday (masopustní úterý) which is called Pancake Day. The date depends on the date of Easter Sunday which is variable - from mid-March to mid-April, and fixed according to the moon. Nobody knows exactly why are pancakes connected with this day, but it is said, that people ate leftovers (zbytky) of fat, butter and eggs, because than came a forty-days´ fast (půst) and this food was prohibited (zakázáno). So on this day people eat lots of pancakes and one of the tradicions is runing throught the streets holding a frying pan (pánev na smažení) and tossing the pancake in the air. If they drop the panceke they lose the race. Cildren get chocolate Easter eggs which are opened and eaten on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday people buy hot cross buns, which are toasted and eaten with butter. Easter Monday is a holiday and many people travel to the seaside or they watch some sports events.
D. The British like to celebrate the end of winter. The celebrations are connected with dancing which should drive away (odehnat) harmful spirits. On May Day - 1st May - children dance around the Maypole (májka).
E. The second Sunday in May is Mother´s Day or Mothering Sunday. Children give their mums flowers. Fathers have their day, too. It's on the third Sunday in May.
F. The world famous festival is Halloween. Halloween means the eve of All Saints´ Day of All Hallows Day and takes place on 31st October. Like some other American celebrations, its origins lie in both pre-Christian and Christian customs. Although it is a much more important festival in United States than in Britain, it is celebrated by many people in the United Kingdom, too. It is particularly connected with witches and ghosts. At parties people dress up in strange costumes and pretend they are witches. Sometimes the witches have black cats with them . Their traditions are that people may play difficult games for fun, such as trying to eat an apple from a bucket of water without using their hands.
In recent years children dressed as pirates and princesses, ghosts and popular heroes knock on doors at Halloween and ask if you would like a "trick" or "treat". They hold bags open to catch the candy or that the neighbours drop in. Sometimes the children sing songs and recite to neighbours for thanks for the candies. However, if you don't give them anything nice - a "treat", the play a "trick" on you, such as making a lot of noise of spilling flour on your front doorstep. But more and more adults celebrate Halloween. They dress up like historical or political figures and go to fancy-dress balls or parties.
But not only wearing the masks is the only tradition. People cut horrible faces in pumpkins and also into other vegetables and put a candle inside, which shines through the eyes and the mouths and maybe also through the nose.
The traditional colours of Halloween are black like ghost and night and orange like the pumpkins.
Halloween party isn't complete without at least one scary story. Usually one person talks in a low voice while other people sit together on the floor or around a fire.
G. On 5th November - It's Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night). Guy Fawkes was a member of a group of Catholic which wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gun powder on 5th November in year when the king was going to open Parliament. King James I. was a Protestant and he was very unpopular with Roman Catholic. However Guy Fawkes was discovered, arrested and later hanged. Since then, the British traditionally celebrate this day. Children make a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, which is called Guy and say "money for they Guy". On the night, there are "bonfire parties", they made fireworks and burn the"guy". Some people cook sausages on sticks at the fire. And they sing "Remember, remember, the fifth of November gunpowder treason and plot, we see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot"
H. People start to get ready for Christmas in late October or early November. Shopkeepers decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations. In the middle of December, most families buy Christmas trees, put them in the corner of the front room and put colourful decorations on them.ost families decorate their houses with brightly - coloured paper, holly and mistletoe.
The Christmas holiday begins on 24th December, it's Christmas Eve. People often stop working early and have a drink together and children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their bed for Santa Claus. Santa Claus brings present for children during the night. In Britain he is usually called Father Christmas. If the house has a fireplace, the children sometimes leave their socks there, because Father Christmas comes down the chimney and left there presents. People sing Christmas carols, for example Silent night or Jingle Bells, and send Christmas cards to their friends, wishing them "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"
Next day, on 25th December is the Christmas Day. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to see what Santa put there for them. After breakfast they open their other presents around the tree. For lunch they have roast turkey and roast potatoes with lots of vegetables and hot pies, Christmas cake or a Christmas pudding. At three o'clock many people in Britain turn their televisions on because the Queen says' Happy Christmas' to everyone.
On 26th December - it´s Boxing Day and it is still the custom to give a present of money to the tradesmen - the milkman, the postman, newspapers boys, etc. People usually go to a pantomime on that day. This is a show which is always based on a traditional fairy tale (The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood,..). People of all ages enjoy pantomime. Boxing Day is also time to visit friends and relatives.
Holidays and festivals in the Czech Republic
Easter
in the Czech Republic
• traditionally people eat a cake in the shape of lamb
• boys throw water or perfumes over girls or beat them with plaited willow wands (pomlázky, doslova splétaný vrbový proutek)
• people decorate their houses with beautifully painted eggs
Summer holidays
In the Czech Republic there are two long holidays – summer holidays which last 2 months and winter ones, which usually take about 2 weeks
Christmas
Christmas traditions in the CR: we usually decorate the Christmas tree and put a Christmas star or angel on the top (= vrchol), some families also give a Christmas wreath (věnec) on the door. But even before the Christmas starts children make their Christmas wish list, after that parents must hide (schovat) their presents carefully. Many people write Christmas cards to their relatives or loved ones.
Christmas meals - carp with potatoe salad with vegetables, fish or beans soup and of course sweets.
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