GREAT BRITAIN Regina Mityakina, Kristina Zimina. 821 group
GREAT BRITAIN The United Kingdom or The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the island state in the Western Europe. The capital of Great Britain is London. It`s the cultural center of the country. There is an International London Heathrow Airport, a famous Tower Bridge over the river Thames, a Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery of Art and many other beautiful places to visit. London is situated on the British islands and it is settled down on a zero meridian which is also called Greenwich. The English sometimes call. London The Big Smoke or The Great Smoke. The are about 60 million people living in Great Britain. Most of them are English, Scottish and Irish. They also have many traditions, like wearing kilts in Scotland cooking special food for festivals. They celebrate many events in different ways. But all the members of the family take part in it. People in Great Britain are kind and polite. Many famous people was born and lived in Great Britain. William Shakespeare is one of them. He wrote many plays like "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "Macbeth" and others. Most of them. . .
England is the largest and the richest country of Great Britain. The capital of England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as York, Chester, Oxford and Cambridge. Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric places in the world. This ancient circle of stones stands in Southwest England. It measures 80 metres across and made with massive blocks of stone up to four metres high. Why it was built is a mystery. Not far from Stonehenge stands Salisbury Cathedral. It is a splendid example of an English Gothic Cathedral; inside there is one of four copies of Magna Charta and the oldest clock in England. Chester is very important town in the north-west of England. In the past it used to be a Roman fort; its name comes from the Latin word castra, meaning "fortified camp". In Chester there is a famous museum which contains over 5000 ancient and modern toys. Oxford is the home of the oldest university of England. The most famous college is Christ Church. It has a great hall which was built during the reign of Henry VIII and its chapel has become the Cathedral of Oxford. Cambridge is the home of Britain's second oldest university. York was the capital of Northern England. It is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Europe. It was built by Romans, conquered by Anglo-Saxons and ruled by the Vikings. Birmingham is often called the "City of 1, 500 trades" because of the great variety of its industries.
Holidays in Great Britain There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, and Summer Bank Holiday. Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed. The most favourite holiday is Christmas. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in the Trafalgar Square. Before Christmas, groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charities and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. Many churches hold a service on the Sunday. before Christmas. The fun starts the night before, on the 24 th of December. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and fill them with toys and sweets. Christmas is a family holiday. All the family usually meet for the big Christmas dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. And everyone gives and receives presents. The 26 th of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Christmas. Its the time to visit friends and relatives. New Years Day is not such favourable in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland Hogmanay, New Years Eve is the biggest festival of the year. Besides public holidays, there are some special festivals in Great Britain. One of them takes place on the 5 th of November. On that day, in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill 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, in a bonfire and let off fireworks. This dummy is called a "guy" (like Guy Fawkes).
HOLIDAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN
What holidays in Great Britain do you know?
Many festivals and holidays in Britain are very old. Every town, village in Britain has its own traditions, some of them are carefully planned.
Christmas is celebrated on the 25 th December. It is the time when Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus. Most people are on holiday in the UK and stay at home with their family on Christmas day. Christmas Day is the favourite day for children. They wake up very early in the morning to find their stockings have been filled by Father Christmas
• • • Christmas Day, December 25, is probably the most popular holiday in Great Britain. It is a family holiday. Traditionally all relatives and friends give each other presents. So, before Christmas all the department stores and shops are crowded, everybody is choosing a present. In general, people get prepared for this holiday very carefully. They decorate their houses in the traditional way. Christmas trees are set up in houses, in the streets and churches. They are always decorated with fairy lights, angels and small toys. In addition, little packets with nuts, candies and special biscuits are hung on the tree. Presents are put around the tree and artificial «frost» is scattered over the branches. The Germans are believed to be the first to use the Christmas tree in their celebrations and Martin Luther was the first to place a star on the top of the tree. This star represents the star appeared over the stable in which Christ was born. In Great Britain, the Christmas tree became popular while Queen Victoria ruled the country. Besides the Christmas tree, holly and mistletoe are used to decorate the house. Branches of holly are put up behind pictures and mistletoe is hung over doors, so the young people have a chance to kiss the girls under it, plucking each time a red berry from the mistletoe. It is said that the girl who was not kissed under it at Christmas would not get married that year. On the eve of Christmas children hang their stockings, so that Santa Claus could put presents into them: oranges, sweets, nuts and if the child didn't behave properly Santa Claus can put there a piece of coal as punishment. Santa Claus got his name from a man known as St. Nicolas, who lived in the fourth century. He gave his wealth to the poor and often to children. After he died, the Dutch brought this legend to colonial America. Soon the Dutch name Sinter Klaus became Santa Claus. Carol singing is an essential part of Christmas. No church or school is without its carol service. Carols may be traditional or with some variations that express different feelings. Carols were used for the first time during Christmas in the fifteenth century. Usually children come around in the evening to the front doors and start singing carols and people who live in these houses give children candies, nuts, pies and so on, to thank them for carol singing. A typical Christmas lunch includes turkey with cranberry sauce and pudding. Every young woman in each household helps to stir the Christmas pudding, if she wishes to be married that year. Usually a coin or two are hidden inside the pudding and part of the fun is to see who finds it. After the lunch they go to the sitting room to listen to the Christmas speech of the Queen, shown on TV. So, Christmas is a merry family holiday for all the people of Great Britain. Christmas comes but once a year.
Boxing Day is usually celebrated on the following day after Christmas Day. It is the day to open the Christmas Box to share the contents with the poor. Boxing Day is the day when families get together. It is a day of watching sports and playing board games with the family. Many families go on walks in the countryside.
New Year's Day is the first day of the year, in the Gregorian calendar. All over Britain there are parties, fireworks, singing and dancing, to ring out the old year and ring in the new. As the clock - Big Ben - strikes midnight, people link arms and sing a song.
• • • In Wales, the back door releases the Old Year at the first stroke of midnight: it is then locked "to keep the luck in", and at the last stroke the New-Year is let in at the front. It is commonly believed that New Year's Day is less important in England than Christmas. It is true in the southern and eastern parts of the country. However, even there, the welcoming of the New Year is growing in popularity, particularly among younger people who prefer to spend Christmas with kin, but New Year with friends. New Year's parties go all night through. The most famous places of festivities are Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square in London where crowds of people greet the New Year with the linked-arm singing of "Old Lang Syne", kissing total strangers, blowing whistles and automobile horns and shooting firecrackers. Someone usually falls into the fountain in Trafalgar Square. Unfortunately for all these midnight celebrators, January 1 st is not a public holiday in England. In Scotland, New Years celebration is the greatest festival of the year, where it even has a special name, Hogmanay. Nobody, however, can successfully explain where this word comes from. After midnight people visit their friends. They carry cakes and spiced ale to wish their hosts a good year. The first visitor, must bring a special present — a piece of coal — to wish good luck and warmth to the house. This is an old Scottish custom. The first footer may also bring a loaf of white bread and a bottle of whisky, On entering he must place the coal on the fire, put the loaf on the table, and pour a glass for the head of the house, all normally without speaking or being spoken to until he wishes everyone "A Happy New Year". He may also carry a silver coin to wish wealth.
6 January Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, marks the end of the Christmas and New Year season for most people in the United Kingdom (UK). It is also an occasion for Christians to celebrate three kings' (or wise men's) visit to Jesus shortly after his birth and Jesus' baptism.
People with romantic feelings for a particular person may send that person cards, gifts and text messages on Valentine's Day. Popular gifts include chocolates and flowers.
• • • St. Valentine's Day (2) St. Valentine's Day has roots in several different legends. One of the earliest popular symbols of the day is Cupid, the Roman god of Love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with a bow and arrow. Three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14, Valentine was beheaded. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter signing it, «From Your Valentine. Another legend tells us that this same Valentine, well-loved by all, wrote notes from his jail cell to children and friends who missed him. February 14 was also a Roman holiday, held in honour of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. St. Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love. Most people send «valentines, a greeting card named after the notes that St. Valentine wrote from jail. Valentines can be sentimental, romantic and heartfelt. They can be funny and friendly. If the sender is shy, valentines can be anonymous. Americans of all ages love to send and receive valentines. Handmade valentines are created by cutting hearts out of coloured paper. Valentines can be heart-shaped, or have hearts, the symbol of love, on them. In elementary schools, children make valentines for their classmates and put them in a large decorated box, similar to a mailbox. On February 14, the teachers open the box and distribute the valentines to each student. After the students read their valentines, they have a small party with refreshments. You can write a short rhyme inside the heart: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you! Or you can buy valentines with messages in them. If you are shy, you can sign it, «Your Secret Admirer» .
1 April A day of jokes and tricks. You have to play the joke before 12 o’clock midday, otherwise the joke is on you. No one really knows when this custom began but it has been kept for hundreds of years. The First of April, some do say Is set apart for All Fools Day; But why the people call it so, Not I, nor they themselves do know.
Guy Fawkes Night • The 5 th of November is Gue Fawkes Night.
• • • Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5 th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure. Within a few decades Gunpowder Treason Day, as it was known, became the predominant English state commemoration, but as it carried strong religious overtones it also became a focus for anti-Catholic sentiment. Puritans delivered sermons regarding the perceived dangers of popery, while during increasingly raucous celebrations common folk burnt effigies of popular hate-figures, such as the pope. Towards the end of the 18 th century reports appear of children begging for money with effigies of Guy Fawkes and 5 November gradually became known as Guy Fawkes Day. Towns such as Lewes and Guildford were in the 19 th century scenes of increasingly violent class-based confrontations, fostering traditions those towns celebrate still, albeit peaceably. In the 1850 s changing attitudes eventually resulted in the toning down of much of the day's anti-Catholic rhetoric, and in 1859 the original 1606 legislation was repealed. Eventually, the violence was dealt with, and by the 20 th century Guy Fawkes Day had become an enjoyable social commemoration, although lacking much of its original focus. The present-day Guy Fawkes Night is usually celebrated at large organised events, centred around a bonfire and extravagant firework displays. Settlers exported Guy Fawkes Night to overseas colonies, including some in North America, where it was known as Pope Day. Those festivities died out with the onset of the American Revolution, although celebrations continue in some Commonwealth nations. Claims that Guy Fawkes Night was a Protestant replacement for older customs like Samhain are disputed, although another old celebration, Halloween, has lately increased in popularity, and according to some writers, may threaten the continued observance of 5 November.
Mothering Sunday, sometimes known as Mother's Day, is held on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday and usually falls in the second half of March or the beginning of April. Traditionally, people visited the church where they were baptized. People visit and take gifts to their mothers and grandmothers.
Good Friday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom. It falls just before Easter Sunday. People who regularly attend church will probably attend a special church service on Good Friday. For other people, it is a day off work in the spring. Some people use the day to work in their gardens, while others take advantage of the long Easter weekend and the school holidays at this time ofyear to take a short vacation.
Easter usually comes in the month of April. However, Easter can fall as early as March 22 or as late as April 25. Easter Sunday in the United Kingdom is traditionally about Jesus Christ's resurrection from death, according to Christian belief. However, many people use the day to decorate Easter eggs, share chocolate eggs and participate in Easter egg competitions. Easter is the time for holidays, festivals.
Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) was born on 21 April, 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, London. Her birthday is officially celebrated in Britain on the second Saturday of June each year. The day is referred to as “the Trooping of the Colour”, the official name is “the Queen’s Birthday Parade”.
The official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II is marked by a military parade known as Trooping the Colour (Carrying of the Flag). Each June, the Queen and other members of the Royal Family attend the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade.
St. George's Day is on 23 April. It is England's national day. St George's Day in the United Kingdom remembers St George, England's patron saint. The anniversary of his death, which is on April 23, is seen as England's national day. According to legend, he was a soldier in the Roman army who killed a dragon and saved a princess.
The first Monday of May is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom. It called May Day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is known as the Early May Bank Holiday in Scotland. It probably originated as a Roman festival honoring the beginning of the summer season. In more recent times, it has been as a day to campaign for and celebrate workers' rights.
The last Monday in May is a bank holiday. Many organizations, businesses and schools are closed. Some people choose to take a short trip or vacation. Others use the time to walk in the country, catch up with family and friends, visit garden centers or do home maintenance.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the summer bank holiday is on the last Monday of August. In Scotland it is on the first Monday of August. This day marks the end of the summer holidays for many people who return to work or school in the autumn.
From the 19 th Century to the present day, 31 st October has increasingly acquired a reputation as a night on which ghost, witches, and fairies, are especially active. Halloween celebrations include costume parties where people dress as witches, ghosts, and animal figures associated with Halloween Skyline Auckland Waterfront
Remembrance Day is on 11 November. It is a special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts. At 11 am on each Remembrance Sunday a two minute silence is observed at war memorials and other public spaces across the UK. Town Centre View of Town
Children wake up very early in the morning to find their_____ have been filled by Father Christmas.
Elizabeth II was born …
At what time of the year is Halloween celebrated ? Summer Winter Spring Autumn
Each holiday has its own symbols. What are they? Christmas Boxing Day Valentine's Day Easter Sunday Halloween
What holidays in the United Kingdom are celebrated in spring? St. George's Day Remembrance Day Trooping the Colour Epiphany Good Friday Easter Sunday April Fools Day Boxing Day Mothering Sunday
• The end!
Скачать презентацию GREAT BRITAIN Regina Mityakina Kristina Zimina 821 group
ПРАЗДНИКИ ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНИИ (7).ppt