"Holidays and Traditions" (62)
Children categories
There are a number of holidays, which are celebrated in Great Britain every year.
One of them is, of course, the New Year's Day on the first of January. It is not so popular in England as in our country, but it is rather popular in Scotland. On that day people usually visit their friends and there is a lot of dancing and eating. In Scotland people bring a piece of coal for good luck in the New Year.
The next holiday of the year is St. Valentine's Day. It is on the 14th of February. People buy or make Valentine cards and send them to the people they love.
In March there is Mother's Day. All the children and adults, come to their mothers on that day to express their love and gratitude.
In April there is Easter. At Easter children eat chocolate Easter eggs. Sometimes parents hide them in the house or in the garden and children have to look for them.
In June there is Father's Day. On Father's Day children give or send their fathers and grandfathers cards and presents.
On the 31st of October there is a Halloween. They say ghosts and witches come out on Halloween. People make lanterns out of pumpkins. Some people have Halloween parties and dress as witches and ghosts.
The 25th of December is Christmas Day. It is one of the people's favourite holidays. People put Christmas trees in their houses and decorate them. There are beautiful Christmas decorations in the streets. On Christmas Eve everybody puts the presents under the Christmas tree. People say that at night Father Christmas puts presents into the stockings which children usually hang above their beds. The traditional Christmas meal is roasted turkey and Christmas pudding.
Some people criticize English food. They say it's unimaginable, boring, tasteless, it's chips with everything and totally overcooked vegetables.The basic ingredients, when fresh, are so full of flavour that British haven't had to invent sauces to disguise their natural taste. What can compare with fresh pees or new potatoes just boiled and served with butter? Why drown spring lamb in wine or cream an6d spices, when with just one or two herbs it is absolutely delicious?If you ask foreigners to name some typically English dishes, they will probably say "fish and chips" then stop. It is disappointing, but true that, there is no tradition in England of eating in restaurants, because the food doesn't lend itself to such preparation. English cooking is found at home. So it is difficult to a good English restaurant with a reasonable prices.
In most cities in Britain you'll find Indian, Chinese, French and Italian restaurants. In London you'll also find Indonesian, Mexican, Greek... Cynics will say that this is because English have no "cuisine" themselves, but this is not quite the true.
April Fool's Day or all Fool's Day is the first of April. The fun of the holiday is to play silly but harmless jokes on family members and friends. The victim of these jokes is called an April fool. This holiday first appeared in France when the French began to use the Gregorian calendar, some people continued to use the old calendar and to celebrate New Year's Day in April 1. These people were called April fools. Playing jokes on this day became popular first in France and then in many other countries. Today, April Fool's jokes are played mostly by children, who enjoy the holiday very much.
The American flag is often called "The Stars and Stripes", it is also called "Old Glory". It represents the growth of the nation. It has 13 horizontal stripes,7 red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states. In the top left hand corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background: one star for each state. The national anthem of the United States is "The Star Spangled Banner". The words written during the Anglo-American war and set to the music of an old song. Every state has its own flag, its own emblem and its own anthem too.
The eagle became the national emblem of the country in 1782. It has an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (a symbol of strength). You can see the eagle on the back of a dollar bill.
The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy. It stands on Liberty Island in New York. It is one of the first things people see when they arrive in New York by sea. This National Monument was a present from France to the USA. France gave the statue to America in 1884 as a symbol of friendship. Liberty carries the torch of freedom - in her right hand. In her left hand she is holding a tablet with the inscription "July 4, 1776" - American Independence Day.
There is a number of holidays in the USA which are celebrated every year. Here are some of them.
The 1st of January is New Year's Day. People do not go to bed until after midnight on December 31. They like to see "the old year out and the new year in". Many people give parties on New Year's Eve.
Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, is dedicated to those who fought in the War of Independence, in World War I or in World War II.
The 4th of July is Independence Day. It is the biggest national holiday in the USA. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, when the American colonies were fighting for independence against England.
On the 11th of November there is Veteran's Day. It is I dedicated to those who fell in the two World Wars.
Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November. In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrim Fathers celebrated their first harvest festival in America and called it Thanksgiving Day. Since that time it has been celebrated every year.
Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. People usually stay at home in Christmas time, and spend the day with their families.
What is "American" food? The answer is that it is part Italian, part British, part German, part Mexican, part Chinese… When people from other countries came to live in the US, they brought different cooking traditions. Some of them opened restaurants. Today Americans enjoy food from all over the world. Over the years some foreign dishes changed a little. Doughnuts were originally from Holland. In 1847 a young American boy told his mother that her doughnuts were never cooked in the middle. He cut out the centre and his mother cooked them — and they were very tasty! Maybe the US is most famous for "fast foods". The first fast food restaurants served hamburgers, but now they serve other kinds of food too. Inside there is often a "salad bar", where you can help yourself to as much salad as you want. Americans eat a lot, and when they go to a restaurant, they don't expect to be hungry afterwards. Most restaurants will put a lot of food on your plate — sometimes it can be too much. But if you can't finish it all, don't worry: they will give you a "doggy bag" and you can take it home. Most Americans now have a light breakfast instead of the traditional eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice and coffee. But on weekends there is more time, and a large late breakfast or early lunch is often eaten with family or friends.
