Conversational topic: Holidays in Great Britain

There are only 6 public holidays in Great Britain. Those are days on which people need not go into work. These are days: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Spring Bank Holiday and Late Summer Bank Holiday. Most of these holidays are of religious origin, though it would be right to say that for the great part of the population they have lost their religious significance and are simply days on which people relax, drink and make merry. All the public holidays, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day (observed on December 25^th and 26^th respectively) are movable, that is they do not fall on the same day each year.

Christmas day observed on December 25th is the most popular public holiday of the year in all parts of Great Britain except Scotland. On Christmas Eve offices and public buildings close at one o'clock, but the shops stay open late. Most cities are decorated with colored lights across the streets and Christmas trees. Christmas is a family holiday. Everybody wants to be at home for Christmas. At homes there's a great air of expectation. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate Christmas trees. Children hope that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and give them toys and sweets. Relatives usually meet for the big Christmas dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. The chief Christmas tree is usually in Trafalgar Square in London, in front of the national Gallery, and it has become a tradition that the tree is a present from the people of Oslo.

December 26th is called Boxing day because traditionally it was the day for people still give a "Christmas box" to the postman and milkman, but it's usually some money. This is the day when one visits friends, goes for a drive or a long walk or just sits around recovering from too much food. In the big cities and towns, tradition on that day demands a visit to the Christmas pantomime where one is entertained by the story of Cinderella, or Puss in boots or whoever it may be.

In Scotland the New Year’s Day is also a public holiday. Some people ignore it completely and go to bed at the same time as usual on New Year’s Eve. Many others, however, do celebrate it in one way or another, the type of celebration varying very much according to the local custom, family tradition and personal taste. The most common type of celebration is a New Year party, either a family party or one arranged by a group of young people. This usually begins at about eight o’clock and goes on until the early hours of the morning. There is a lot of drinking, mainly beer, wine, gin and whisky; sometimes the hosts make a big bowl of punch which consists of wine, spirits, fruit juice and water in varying proportions. There is usually a buffet supper of cold meat, pies, sandwiches, savories, cakes and biscuits. At midnight the wireless is turned on, so that everyone can hear the chimes of Big Ben, and on the hour a toast is drunk to the New Year. Then the party goes on.

Easter is a religious holiday. It is also a time when certain old traditions are observed, whether it is celebrated as the start of spring or as a religious festival. In England it is a time when people give and receive presents. They traditionally take the form of an Easter egg. Nowadays Easter eggs are usually made of chocolate, but the old custom of painting the shells of boiled eggs is still maintained in some country districts.

London greets the spring with London’s Easter Parade. It is sponsored by the London Tourist Board and is usually planned around a central theme related to the history and attractions of London. The parade consists of a great many interesting and decorated floats, entered by various organizations in and outside the metropolis. Some of the finest bands in the country take part in the parade. At the rear of the parade is usually the very beautiful Jersey float, created from thousands of lovely spring blooms and bearing the Easter Princess and her attendants.

Besides public holidays, there are other festivals, anniversaries and simply days, for example Pancake Day (a movable feast) and Bonfire Night (November 5^th) on which certain traditions are observed, but unless they fall on a Sunday, they are ordinary working days.

On the 5^th of November, in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I. He didn´t succeed. The King´s men found the bomb, took Guy Fawkes to the Tower and cut off his head. Since that day the British celebrate the 5^th of November. They burn a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, on a bonfire and let off fireworks. This dummy is called a “guy” (like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen in the streets before the 5^th of November saving, “Penny for the guy”. If they collect enough money they can buy some fireworks.

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Britain traditions play a more important part than in other countries.

The British are very proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Some ceremonies are rather formal, such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament. Sometimes one can see a group of cavalrymen riding on black horses through the streets of London. They wear red uniforms, shining helmets, long black boots and long white gloves. These men are Life guards. Their special duty is to guard the king or the queen of Great Britain and very important guests of the country.

Parliament, not the Royal Family, controls modern Britain. But traditionally the Queen opens Parliament every autumn. She travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a gold carriage - the Irish State Coach. At the Houses of Parliament the Queen sits on a “throne” in the House of Lords. Then she reads the “Queen's Speech”. At State Opening of Parliament the Queen wears a crown. She wears other jewels from the Crown Jewels, too.

The Queen is the only person in Britain with two birthdays. Her real birthday is on April 21st, but she has an "official" birthday, too. That's on the second Saturday in June. And on the Queen's official birthday, there is a traditional ceremony called the Trooping of the Colour. It's a big parade with brass bands and hundreds of soldiers at Horse Guards' Parade in London. A "regiment" of the Queen's soldiers, the Guards, march in front of her. At the front of the parade is the regiment's flag or "colour". The Guards are trooping the colour. Thousands of Londoners and visitors watch in Horse Guards' Parade. And millions of people at home watch it on television.

The Changing of the Guard happens every day at Buckingham Palace, the Queen's home in London. Soldiers stand in front of the palace. Each morning these soldiers (the "guard") change. One group leaves and another arrives. In summer and winter tourists stand outside the palace at 11.30 every morning and watch the Changing of the Guard.

Some British traditions are strange, some are funny and interesting. Most British people are proud of their traditions and customs and they carefully follow them.