British traditional holidays

«British traditional holidays»

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Great Britain is famous for its old traditions. Some of them existed

in ancient times and survived through centuries. Some of them appeared when

Christianity came to British isles. Speaking about religious holidays one

can’t but mention Easter, Pancake Day and Mother’s Day. The dates of these

holidays aren’t strict, they depend on the date of Easter, that varies

every year.

Pancake day is the popular name for the Shrove Tuesday, the day

before the first day of Lent. In the middle ages people on that day made

merry and ate pancakes. The ingredients of pancakes are all forbidden by

Church during Lent, that is why they have to be used the day before. The

most common form of celebrating this day in the old times was the all town

ball game or tug-of-war, in which everyone was tearing here and there,

trying to get the ball or rope into their part of the city. Today the only

custom, that is observed throughout Britain is pancake eating.

For the English people the best-known name for the fourth in Lent

Sunday is Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day. For 3 centuries this day has

been a day of small family gatherings when absent sons and daughters return

to their homes. Gifts are made to mothers by children of all ages. Flowers

and cakes are still traditional gifts. Violets and primroses are most

popular flowers. Sometimes the whole family goes to church and then there

is a special dinner at which roast lamb, rice-pudding and home-made wines

and served.

Easter is one of the most important holidays in Christianity. In

England it’s a time for giving and receiving presents, mostly Easter eggs.

We can say that the egg is the most popular emblem of Easter, but spring-

time flowers are also used to stress the nature’s awakening. Nowadays there

are a lot of chocolate Easter eggs, having some small gifts inside. But a

real hard-boiled egg, decorated and painted in bright colours , still

appears on breakfast tables on Ester Day, or it’s hidden in the house or

garden for children to finny. In egg that is boiled really hard will last

for years. Egg-rolling is a traditional Easter pastime. You roll the eggs

down a clope until they are cracked and broken, after they are eaten up.