NATIONAL

CELEBRASIONS
Binu Cristina-Gabriela
Popa Ana-Maria

Traditions and
Customs in Great
Britain

January
New Years Day (Jan 1)-the beginning
of the new year. People make resolutions.
Twelfth Night (Jan 6)-a party after the
Christmas break and before the return to
work in the fields.

Crufts Dog Show

In February.
Valuable dogs from
all over the world
compete in
Birmingham.
The best dog gets the
title Crufts Supreme
Champion.

Saint Valentines Day

February 14
Was started in the
time of Roman
Empire.
Is dedicated to St.
Valentine.
People send a card to
someone they love,
like, fancy or admire.

The Boat Race

In March
A rowing race
between the
universities of Oxford
and Cambridge.
On the river Thames
in London (7,2 km).

Pancake Day
In March
The last day before
Lent.
Pancake race-running
while holding a
pancake in a frying
pan. Competitors have
to throw it in the air
and catch it again in
the pan.

April Fools Day

April 1
A day of practical
jokes.
You have to play the
joke before 12 oclock
midday, otherwise the
joke is on you.

Good Friday
The Friday before
Easter.
The church marks the
death of Christ.
British usually eat
hot-cross buns, which
are marked on top
with cross.

Easter
In April.
The celebration of the
Resurrection of Christ
Schools are closed for
two weeks.
People give each
other chocolate eggs
that are wrapped in
silver paper.

The London Marathon

One of the biggest
marathons in the
world.
Each year about
30,000 people start
the race and about
25,000 finish.
Raise money for
charity.

May Day
May 1
A pagan festival to
celebrate the end of
winter and welcome
summer.
Children dance
around the maypole
and sing songs.

Chelsea Flower Show

In May
Britains most
important flower and
garden show.
Thousands of people
come to see the prize
flowers and specially
built gardens.

Midsummer Day
June 24
Summer solstice.
People stay up until
midnight to welcome
in midsummer day.
When the fires die
down, men run or
jump through it to
bring good luck.

Trooping The Colour

The second Saturday
in June.
Celebrates the
Queens official
birthday.
Lots of marching,
military music and the
soldiers are dressed in
colourful uniforms.

Saint Swithins Day

July 15
Saint Swithin was
Englands Bishop of
Winchester.
40 days of bad
weather will follow if
it rains on this day.

Wimbledon
The last week of July
and the first week of
June.
At Wimbledon in
South-West London.
One of the four great
world tennis
championships and the
only one which is
played on grass.

Notting Hill Carnival

The last weekend in
August.
Takes place in Notting
Hill.
People dress up in
fabulous costumes.
Steel bands play
African and
Caribbean music.

Harvest Festivals
In September.
A Christian festival.
It was held to say
thank you to God for
a good harvest.
Churches are
decorated with fruit,
vegetables and
flowers.

Halloween
October 31
A pagan festival
celebrates the return
of the souls that visit
their former houses.
People dress up as
witches, ghosts etc.
Houses are decorated
with pumpkins.

Guy Fawkes Night

November 5
He was a terrorist.
The day marks the
discovery of a plot to
blow up Parliament in
1605.
People make models
of him and burn them
on big bonfires.

Christmas Day
December 25
Religious ceremony
commemorating the
birth of Christ.
Children wake up
early to find presents
in their stockings.
Traditional Christmas
tree and dinner.

Boxing Day
December 26
It is usually spent in
front of the TV,
recovering from
Christmas Day.
Servants go from
house to house with
collecting boxes.

New Years Eve

December 31
Traditionally Scottish
celebration.
At midnight
everybody joins hands
and sings Auld Lang
Syne.

Celebrations of Various American

Cultures

Independence Day
On July 4, 1776, we
claimed our independence
from Britain and
Democracy was born.
Every day thousands
leave their homeland to
come to the "land of the
free and the home of the
brave" so they can begin
their American Dream.

Independence Day

The United States is truly

a diverse nation made up
of dynamic people. Each
year on July 4, Americans
celebrate that freedom
and independence with
barbecues, picnics, and
family gatherings.

Happy Birthday,
America!

Columbus Day
The first recorded
celebration honoring the
discovery of America by
Europeans took place on
October 12, 1792 in New
York City.

Columbus Day
In 1937, President
Roosevelt proclaimed
October 12 as
"Columbus Day" and
in 1971, President
Nixon declared the
second Monday of
October a national
holiday.

Memorial Day
Memorial Day,
originally called
Decoration Day, is a
day of remembrance
for those who have
died in our nation's
service.

Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims had much to
celebrate, they had built
homes in the wilderness,
they had raised enough
crops to keep them alive
during the long coming
winter, they were at peace
with their Indian
neighbors. They had
beaten the odds and it was
time to celebrate.

Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims, who
celebrated the first
Thanksgiving in
America, were fleeing
religious persecution
in their native
England. In 1609 a
group of Pilgrims left
England for the
religious freedom.

Christmas
Christmas observance is a conglomeration of
several other festivals. To early Christians, it
commemorates the birth of the Christ Child.

Christmas
Today the practices associated with
Christmas are likewise a
conglomeration of different
traditions from many different
origins. Santa Claus, Carols, St.
Nicholas, Yule Logs, Candles,
Colored Lights, Christmas Cards,
Christmas Trees, etc. all have
different roots which are now
blended into a single new tradition.

Native American Day

In 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot
from Montana, traveled on horseback
four thousand miles soliciting the aid
of governors for a holiday honoring
the American Indians. He presented
his proposal to a group of governors
in Washington DC on December 14,
1914 where it was adopted by 24
states.

Native American Day

In the 1915 annual meeting of the American
Indian Association, 1,250 Native Americans
gathered in Lawrence, Kansas and sanctioned
the plan. At this session, September 28, the
fourth Friday in September, was set forth as the
designated date

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Free at last, free at last , Thank God Almighty,
we are free at last.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

It took many years for
Congress to decide to celebrate
the holiday. In the years
leading up to the official
decree many AfricanAmericans celebrated the
birthday themselves with a few
states declaring King's birthday
a state holiday. The bill was
finally passed by both the
House of Representatives and
the Senate and was signed into
law on November 2, 1983.

Veterans Day
In 1921, an unknown World
War I American soldier was
buried in Arlington National
Cemetery. These memorial
services all took place on
November 11, the anniversary
of the end of World War I at
11:00 a.m., November 11,
1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th
day of the 11th month), which
became known as Armistice
Day.

Veterans Day
Armistice Day officially
became a holiday in the United
States in 1926, and a national
holiday 12 years later. On June
1, 1954, the name was changed
to Veterans Day to honor all
U.S. veterans.