May Day The holiday of the coming of spring

is a traditional celebration of the coming of spring, when many outdoor events are held, and at which a May Queen may be elected. The girl chosen as the most beautiful on May Day is usually crowned with a garland of flowers and often driven in procession through the streets. An open-air sale of goods, many of them home made, is held, and it is usually accompanied by sports contests, children’s entertainments and games. Some villages have a maypole. This is a tall pole with ribbons hanging from the top. Children dance round it, holding the ribbons. There are still a good many maypoles today; people maintain traditions.

day for lovers! Boys and girls, sweethearts and lovers, husbands and wives, friends and neighbours, and even the office staff exchange greetings of affection. Valentine’s Day is a whirl of hearts, candy and good wishes in the form of bright, lacy, colourful cards, with loving emblems and amorous doggerel, saying, ‘Be my Valentine’.

a nation of animal lovers. No wonder that dog shows always attract a lot of enthusiasts. Cruft’s Dog Show at Earls Court, London, is internationally known. It has about 15000 entrants. Dog breeders from all over the world bring their dogs to take part in it. The winning ceremony is shown on television and reported on the news.

popular name for Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent (the forty days before Easter). People traditionally eat pancakes on Pancake Day which are made from eggs, flour and milk, fried on both sides in fat on a pan and eaten with lemon juice and sugar. In many towns pancakes races are held on Shrove Tuesday in which women run with pan. Each runner has a pancake in the pan. As she runs, she tosses the pancake up and over in the air and catches it again in the pan. It is not all easy to toss and catch a pancake when running a race! The most famous race takes place at Olney, Buckinghamshire, and it is said to date from 1445. The Pancake Bell is rung to summon competitors, and starting time is five minutes before noon. The participants wear an apron and head-covering. The course is over a distance of 415 yard, during which the pancake must be tossed three times.

year, when, traditionally, practical jokes are played. People take them in good part and laugh heartily even if some tricks or jokes have made April fools of them.

traditionally associated with Easter eggs and with coming of spring, and most churches are specially decorated with flowers for the services held on Easter Day. In many towns there are funfairs with roundabouts, coconut shies, switchbacks and other amusements. People who live in London can see the Easter Parade in Battersea Park. There are lorries covered in flowers, beauty queens at the Easter Parade – and lots of people! At the rear of the parade is usually a very beautiful floral float, created from thousands of lovely spring blooms and bearing the Easter Princess and her attendant. It is an afternoon to remember. The Friday before Easter is called Good Friday, and it is a bank holiday in Britain.

Easter Holiday with the Easter eggs

of April, the birthday of the greatest literary genius, is always marked at Stratford. A long procession of flower-carriers walks from the Shakespeare Memorial Theater, through the streets to the parish church where everyone in the procession lays a wreath or bouquet, or a small bunch of flowers at the poet’s grave. In the evening there is a performance of the chosen ‘Birthday Play’ in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre

summer there is a festival of music and the arts in York which includes performances of the famous Mystery plays. They originated more than 500 year ago, and are based on Bible stories. Ordinary people from York play all the parts, except for that of Jesus Christ, which is always played by a professional actor. The Miracle Plays used to be performed in the city streets in medieval York. Now they are staged in the Museum Gardens, and they are still greatly enjoyed.

is held on the 25th of January, the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland’s greatest national poet. It usually takes the form of a supper at which traditional Scottish dishes are eaten, including haggis, and during which a Scottish piper plays, wearing traditional Highland dress. Some of Burns’ most popular poems are recited and there may be Scottish dancing after the meal is finished. Burns Night celebrations are held not only in Scotland, but also amongst Scots living in other countries.

but once a year”. There is once a year a buzz in the air as Christmas approaches. Fairy lights and brightly decorated trees illuminated the streets, carols ring out from cathedrals and churches, and children anxiously await the arrival of the most enjoyable holiday. Christmas is a traditional family reunion day. On this day, many people attend a church service, open their presents, eat a Christmas dinner and watch the Sovereign’s annual Christmas broadcast on television. Preparations for Christmas are always pleasant: buying gifts, sending Christmas cards and decorating the Christmas tree with small, brightly-coloured lights and small coloured glass ornaments. In Britain, Christmas is the most important public holiday of the year. It combines the custom of giving gifts with the tradition of spending this day with the family. Every year a huge Christmas tree, the gift of Norwegian people in thanks for Britain’s support during the second World War, graces Trafalgar Square.

and is celebrated as a bank holiday in Britain (a ‘Bank’ holiday is an official public holiday when all banks, post offices, most factories, offices and shops are closed). It was formerly the custom to give ‘Christmas boxes’, or gifts or money, to servants and tradesmen on this day. The custom gave a name to the holiday. This is the day when one visits friends or relatives, goes for a drive or a long walk or just stays at home. In big cities and towns, many people go out to see a pantomime – a traditional English entertainment at Christmas.

every year, is usual in October or November. She together with Duke Edinburgh is sent from the Buckingham palace in Westminsters in the state carriage (State Coach). Before queen and her environment come into a building of parliament, palace guards (the Yeomen of the Guard) search cellars of a building. This tradition is observed since 1605 when the group of conspirators tried to blow up a building of parliament. Today in searches of an explosive palace guards are helped by officers of police.
REWARDINGS (Investitures) Rewardings are carried out in the Buckingham palace of 20 times in one year. Sometimes they also are carried out in the Edinburgh palace and outside United Kingdom. Each ceremony of rewarding visit up to 150 candidates, each of which can invite up to three visitors. At this ceremony queen also devotes in knights.
RECEPTIONS IN THE ROYAL GARDEN More than 30 thousand person visit receptions in the Royal garden every year. Every summer it is carried out at least three receptions in the Buckingham palace and one in Palace Holirudhouse (the Palace of Holyroodhouse) in Edinburgh.
OFFICIAL VISITS Queen is the official head of United Kingdom, and also British Commonwealth of the Nations. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Great Britain dispatches invitations to heads of other states.
Usually in one year queen accepts representatives of two foreign states. Each of such visits proceeds from Tuesday till Friday during which the head of the foreign state not only has time to meet queen, the prime minister, ministers, leaders of political parties and heads of diplomatic missions in London, but also to visit on the state banquet in its honour, to give a reciprocal banquet and to lead day outside of London and Edinburgh during which he or she gets acquainted with other aspects of a life of British.

Roayl's Traditions

Patrick’s Day

- England

- Wales

- Ireland

- Scotland

2. Say where these national saints’ days are celebrated.