Instapaper_ Wednesday, Jan. 15t - Beatrice Astarita

8/13/2019 Instapaper_ Wednesday, Jan. 15t - Beatrice Astarita

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ArchiveAll Download NewestRead Later Columbus day britishandamericanfestivities-

mreina.blogspot.comHalloween britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comThanksgiving britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comChristmas Part I britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comChristmas Part II britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comSt. Patrick Day britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comThe Traditions Of Guy Fawkes Nightnovareinna.comEaster britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comEarly May Bank Holiday in UnitedKingdomtimeanddate.com Notting Hill Carnivalcarmenlu.comArchiveAll Download NewestColumbus day britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.com


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Columbus Day with colourful paradesand they elect a Columbus Day Queen.The parade is usually long with bigfloats dedicated to Columbus and thereare other multi-cultural floats too. After

the parade there is usually a dinner anddance.In San Francisco, California, there isalso a re-enactment of Columbusdiscovery. A man dresses up asColumbus and several other men dressup as his sailors. They get into a boatand row to the beach. When they get outof their boat they kneel on the beach andthank God. Americans enjoyremembering the great navigator! britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comHalloween britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.com

Halloween is celebrated on 31stOctober. It is an exciting event in theUnited States and in Great Britain. EveryAmerican calendar has Halloweenmarked on it.Halloween has an ancient Celtic origins.On the Celtic calendar Samhain was thelast day of summer and the last day ofthe year, 31 st October.


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The Celtic priests, called Druids, practised religious rituals and magic onSamhain. They also predicted the future.On this day the Celts made big fires anddressed in scary costumes. They wanted

to frighten the evil spirits. They dressedas ghosts, skeletons and witches. They believed that ghosts came out of theirtombs on the night of 31st October.Samhain also became a harvest festivalafter the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD. Christian practices replaced pagan practices. The Christians called 1st NovemberAll HallowsDay, the day of All Saints. The evening of 31st Octoberwas called All Hallowsve. This became Halloween.At Halloween American children inelementary schools take their costumesand masks to school.Typical Halloweencostumes are the witch, ghost, skeleton, monster,vampire or alien. Young people havefun making their own costumes, but some prefer to buy them. In the afternoon thechildren put on their costumes and havea Halloween party at school. Schoolsare decorated with pumpkins, ghosts,witches and bats. It is popular traditionto make jack oanterns out of pumpkins. People put them in front ofthe windows on their homes. The jack oantern is of Celtic origin too. There are funny Halloween games such as"bobbing for apples". FavouriteHalloween foods are candied apples,nuts, liquorice, popcorn and pumpkin pie.American teenagers have a Halloween party in the evening. The party is usuallyin the school gymnasium and everyonewears a costume and mask. The bestcostume usually wins a prize.The 19th century Irish immigrants tooktheir Halloween customs to the UnitedStates. They introduced the custom of"trick-or-treating" , American andBritish children and teenagers go " trick-


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or-treating" on Halloween evening. Theygo from house to house in their costumesand ring doorbells. When the door opensthey shout, " Trick or treat?". Peopleusually give them sweets or money. If

not, the children play a trick! They writeon windows with soap or spray shavingcream on cars and people! britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comThanksgiving is a very importantAmerican festivity and it is celebratedon the last Thursday of November.However, schools and many shops andoffices are closed for four days:Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.Thanksgiving is a special day forfamilies to be together and to thank Godfor all they have. Americans travel greatdistances to be with their families onthis occasion.Why is Thanksgiving such an importantday? The tradition started with thePilgrims, the founders of America. ThePilgrims left Great Britain in 1620 because of religious persecution. Theywanted to start a new life in Americaand practise their religion in freedom.One hundred men, women and childrenleft Britain on a small ship called the Mayflower . Their sea voyage was verydifficult. Many Pilgrims died during thevoyage.They arrived on the north-east coast of


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North America in December 1620 andfounded Plymouth. The area was awilderness. It was almost winter andthey had no homes and little food. Theyimmediately built small homes, but it

was too late to cultivate crops.The winter was very cold and harsh.Almost half of the Pilgrims died becausetheir living conditions were very bad.The friendly Wampanoag Indians helpedthem during the long winter.In the spring the Pilgrims met an Indiancalled Squanto. He explained how togrow corn, hunt and live in thewilderness.Soon the Pilgrims and the Indians became good friends. The Pilgrimsworked hard and cultivated crops. Thesummer harvest was excellent. By November 1621 everyone had food anda home. There was hope for the future.Governor William Bradford, the Pilgrimleader, decided to celebrate with adinner for the Pilgrims and the Indians.He wanted to give thanks to God. Thiswas the first Thanksgiving dinner and itlasted for three days!Today the traditional Thanksgiving mealis similar to the first.People eat roast turkey, sweet potatoes,corn, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.Most families start the meal with a prayer.The long Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to start Christmas shopping!Big stores and shops are open on Friday,Saturday and Sunday for the Christmasshoppers. britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.com


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Christmas Part I britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comOn 25 December Great Britain and theUnited States ( and many othercountries) celebrate Christmas. Theword Christmas comes from the OldEnglish " Cristes maesse", Christ mass. On this day Christians celebratethe birth of Christ.Kindness and giving are the spirit ofChristmas. Charles Dickens, the famousBritish writer, wrote A Christmas Carol,a story about the true meaning ofChristmas.Why is Christmas celebrated on 25December?Christmas comes from two paganfestivals. People celebrated the wintersolstice on 21 and 22 December. TheRoman emperors chose 25 December asthe birthday of the sun ( natalis solis).After the winter solstice, the days become longer and the sun is higher inthe sky. In ancient Rome this was theseason of Saturnalia. Saturnalia was atime of marrymaking. During Saturnaliathe Roman exchanged presents.The pagan tribes of northern Europeenjoyed a 12-day winter festival calledYule. Yule had its own traditions ofYule cakes, fir trees, holly, mistletoeand presents. Fir trees and holly are stilla symbol of Christmas. Today a branch


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of mistletoe in the house has anothermeaning: when a boy and girl meet underthe mistletoe they usually kiss! Thecustom of kissing under the mistletoe isan ancient Celtic rite.

Medieval Christmas was a long event. Itlasted twelve days like the Yule festival.Celebrations started on 25 Decemberand ended on the night of 6 January.Christmas is the biggest holiday on theAmerican and British calendar.However, in Scotland, New Year ismore important. In Great Britain and theUnited States people prepare forChristmas weeks before 25 December.Cities and towns are beautifullydecorated with Christmas symbols; theChristmas tree, Santa Claus, colourfullights and much more. Shop windowsare full of presents for everyone. Peopleare busy buying presents. There areSanta Clauses everywhere. On streetcorners people sing Christmas carols. InBritain many children go carol singingwith an adult. They go from house tohouse and sing. They usually receivemoney for their singing. They use thismoney to buy presents. There is a joyousatmosphere.Christmas today respects many of the oldtraditions and has added new ones. Themodern Christmas tree originated inwestern Germany long ago. TheGermans put up a fir tree in their homesand decorated it with biscuits andcandles. German settlers took thistradition to North America in the 17thcentury. By the 19th century Christmastrees were very popular in the UnitedStates. britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.com


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Christmas Part II britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comIn Britain the Christmas tree became popular after 1840. The German PrinceAlbert, Queen Victoria husband, took the Christmas tree to the British RoyalFamily. Soon the Christmas tree became popular all over Great Britain. There isa big tree every year in TrafalgarSquare, London.Today America most famous Christmas tree is in the RockefellerCenter, New York City.The Empire State Building in New YorkCity is one of the tallest buildings in theworld. At Christmas the top of the building is iluminated with red andgreen lights!Today almost every Christian family hasa decorated Christmas tree at home or inthe garden. Some families put up the treeon Christmas Eve and others put it up atthe beginning of December. Manyfamilies put a Nativity scene under theChristmas tree. St Francis of Assissicreated the first Nativity scene in the1200!Many Americans wear " Christmasclothes" during the Christmas season.These are clothes with Christmascolours and symbols. Christmas crackersare an old tradition. They were inventedin London. Two people pull the crackeruntil it " bangs" and opens. Inside there


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is usually a small present, a paper hatand a joke.In the United States there are " Christmasshops" in many cities. They sell all typesof Christmas trees, ornaments and other

decorations for the home. " Christmasshops" are open all year long, so you can buy your Christmas tree in June!It is usual to send Christmas cards torelatives and friends. The first Christmascard was designed in Britain by JohnCallcott Horsley in 1843. A thousandcopies of the card were printed inLondon. The design was a family partywith the words " A merry Christmas anda Happy New Year to you."In the mid-19th century a shop owner inAlbany, New York, made a card thatsaid:" Christmas greetings fromPease Great Variety Store".This was the beginning of the bigChristmas card industry.The figure of Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, a 4th century Christian bishopof Asia Minor. He was famous for hisgenerosity and kindness. The Dutchsettlers of New York brought thetradition of Sinterklaas ( Santa Claus) toAmerica. Father Christmas, or SantaClaus, is an important part of theChristmas tradition. Children writeletters to him and ask for special presents.Today we see Santa Claus as an old manwith a white beard, dressed in a red suit.He drives a sleigh pulled by reindeerand comes down the chimney with toysfor the children. This image of SantaClaus was created by the Americancartoonist Thomas Nast in 1863.American and British children put out astocking on Christmas Eve because theyhope to receive presents from SantaClaus. Then they go to bed early becausethey want Santa Claus to come. ManyChristians go to church services atmidnight and others go on Christmas


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morning. Christmas presents are usuallyopened on Christmas morning. AfterChristmas dinner many families listen tothe traditional Queen Speech in Britain and watch special Christmas television

programmes. Children play with theirnew toys.In Britain some people go for aChristmas Day swim in the sea or in alake. In Hyde Park in London somecourageous people swim in theSerpentine!More about Christmas at:http://www.northpole.com/http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/spanish-festivals/christmas-in-spain.htmhttp://www.christmas-carols.net/ britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comSt. Patrick Day britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.com

In the United States and Great Britain,the Irish communities celebrate St.Patrick Day on 17 March.The Irish community in the United Statesis very big. During the 1800 thousands of Irish immigrants went to America.They settled in all parts of the country


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and took their traditions with them.Who was St. Patrick and why is he important to the Irish?St. Patrick is the patron of Ireland. Heleft several writings about his life and

work in Ireland.Patrick was born in Britain in 389 AD.His father was a landowner and aChristian. When Patrick was 16 yearsold he was captured and taken toIreland. He became a slave. After sixyears Patrick escaped to France by ship.There he became a priest.He returned to Ireland as a bishop in 432AD. His missionary work was verysuccessful. He converted most of theIrish to Christianity. He was a generousand dedicated man. He introduced theRoman alphabet to Ireland.There are legends about St. Patrick. Onelegend says that he banished all theserpents from Ireland. Another legendsays that he used a shamrock to teach theIrish about the Trinity. Today theshamrock is still a symbol of Ireland andthe Irish.St. Patrick died in 461 and his tomb atDownpatrick is a centre of pilgrimage.Today on 17 March there are big parades in most American cities inhonour of the Irish. Marching bandsdressed in green play lively Irish music.The Irish community organises paradesand other colourful events.American and British people wear greenclothing on St. Patrick Day. Most people wear a green shamrock. Manyshops and restaurants are decorated withgreen shamrocks in honour of the Irish. britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.com

The Traditions Of Guy Fawkes Night novareinna.com


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The Tradition of Guy Fawkes NightGuy Fawkes Night is celebrated inBritain annually on November 5th.The event is accompanied byfirework displays, the lighting of bonfires and the ceremonial effigy- burning of one Guy Fawkes. Theorigin of this celebration stemsfrom events which took place in1605 and was a conspiracy knownas "The Gunpowder Plot," intended

to take place on November 5th ofthat year (the day set for theopening of Parliament). The objectof The Gunpowder Plot was to blow up English Parliament alongwith the ruling monarch, KingJames I. It was hoped that such adisaster would initiate a greatuprising of English Catholics, who


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were distressed by the increasedseverity of penal laws against the practice of their religion.The conspirators, who began plotting early in 1604, eventually

expanded their members to a pointwhere secrecy was impossible.One of their number, Thomas Percy(who had contacts at the Court ofKing James), hired a cellar beneaththe House of Lords. Within thiscellar were secretly stored 36 barrels (almost two tons) ofgunpowder, overlaid with iron barsand firewood. The plan went awry,however, by way of a myseriousletter received by Lord Monteagleon October 26th (10 days prior tothe opening of Parliament).Monteagle, brother-in-law ofFrancis Tresham (another of theconspirators and likely author ofthe correspondence...although thiswas never proven), was urged inthe letter not to attend Parliamenton opening day. When the messagewas revealed to the First Earl ofSalisbury and others, they tooksteps which led to the discovery ofthe hidden cache and the arrest ofGuy Fawkes on the night of November 4th as he entered thecellar. The majority of the otherconspirators, either overtaken asthey attempted to flee or seizedshortly thereafter, were killedoutright, imprisoned or executed.While the plot itself was the workof a small number of men, it provoked hostility against allBritish Catholics and led to anincrease in the harshness of lawsagainst them. Even to this day, it isthe law that no Roman Catholicmay hold the office of monarch andthe reigning king or queen remainsSupreme Head of the Church ofEngland.


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similar celebrations took place oneach anniversary and, over theyears, became a tradition. In manyareas, a holiday was observed,although it is not celebrated in

Northern Ireland.Guy Fawkes Night is not solely aBritish celebration. The traditionwas also established in the Britishcolonies by the early Americansettlers and actively pursued in the New England States under the nameof "Pope Day" as late as theEighteenth Century. Today, thecelebration of Guy Fawkes and his

failed plot remains a tradition insuch places as Newfoundland(Canada) and some areas of NewZealand, in addition to the BritishIsles.

The Life And Death Of GuyFawkesThe Other Co-ConspiratorsThe Reigning Monarch


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The Ceremonial TrappingsChants And RhymesBack to Hall of Festivitiesnovareinna.com

Easter britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comEaster is a very important Christianfestivity. People celebrate theresurrection of Jesus Christ on the thirdday after his death.Easter is celebrated on the first Sundayafter the full moon in March. This is between 22 March and 25 April. Theorigin of the English word Easter isuncertain. It probably comes from the pagan goddess of spring, Eostre. The pagans celebrated the arrival of springwith special festivals.


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The Christian Easter slowly replaced the pagan festivals, but some symbols of thespring festivals remained, such asflowers, eggs, rabbits and bunnies. Thetradition of the Easter basket is ancient.

The pagans offered their eggs in grass baskets to the goddess Eostre.In Britain and in the United States it isusual to send Easter cards to friends andrelatives. For most Christian familiesEaster morning begins with a churchservice. Some Easter services beginvery clearly in the morning. Others take place out of doors in a garden or park.Easter is a time for Christians to behappy and there is special music in thechurches. It is possible to hear GeorgeFrederick Handel " Messiah" during some Easter services.To celebrate Easter and the arrival ofspring almost everyone wears somethingnew: a new dress, a new suit, newshoes.Before Easter Day American and Britishchildren paint Easter eggs with brightcolours and designs. Coloured eggswere exchanged at ancient springfestivals. The egg is an ancient symbolof life and fertility. The decoration ofEaster eggs began in England during theMiddle Ages. Members of noblefamilies gave one another gold-coveredeggs as Easter presents!On Easter Day in the United States thereis the traditional Easter egg hunt in everycity and town. Parents tell their childrenthat the Easter bunny hid many eggs inthe park. The children must find thehidden eggs. Eggs are hidden in thegrass, in a shrub or under a tree. Whenthe children find the eggs they put themin colourfulEaster baskets. The child with the biggest number of eggs is the winner.The tradition of the Easter bunny and the basket of eggs was introduced byGerman immigrants long ago.On Easter Monday children roll their


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eggs down a hill. Egg rolling is anancient Easter tradition. The first eggthat reaches the bottom of the hillwithout breaking is the winner. Afamous egg-rolling contest takes place

outside the White House in WashingtonDC on Easter Monday. The President ofthe United States invites children to rolleggs on the lawn of the White House.At Easter time there are chocolate eggs,chocolate bunnies and sugar eggs in allsweet shops. Some eggs are a specialEaster food. They are small sweet cakeswith a cross on top. This crossrepresents Christ death on the cross.Tha buns are usually eaten in Britain onGood Friday.In many American cities and towns thereis an Easter Bonnet Parade. Girls andwomen with funny and bizarre Easter bonnets march in the parade. Mostwomen make their own bonnets. There isa prize for the most original. The mostfamous Easter Bonnet Parade is in NewYork City, on Fifth Avenue. Thousandsof people participate! britishandamericanfestivities-mreina.blogspot.comEarly May Bank Holiday in United Kingdom timeanddate.comQuick Facts May Day, or the Early May Bankholiday, is on the first Monday of Mayeach year.Name Early May Bank Holiday Early May Bank Holiday 2014 Monday, May 5, 2014Early May Bank Holiday 2015 Monday, May 4, 2015List of dates for other yearsThe first Monday of May is a bankholiday in the United Kingdom. It calledMay Day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is known as the


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Early May Bank Holiday in Scotland. It probably originated as a Roman festival

honoring the beginning of the summerseason (in the northern hemisphere). Inmore recent times, it has been as a day tocampaign for and celebrate workers'rights.Early May Bank HolidayMaypole dancing is a popular traditionon the Early May Bank Holiday.iStockphoto.com/Thomas SarradetWhat do people do?In many places, the first day or the firstMonday in May is celebrated as the startof the summer season. Events are held tocelebrate the end of the winter seasonand the fertility and hope of theapproaching summer. A particularlywidespread tradition is that of maypoledancing. Children, particularly girls,dance around a tall pole, from whichribbons are suspended. The aim of thedance is to create a decorative patternon the pole with the ribbons. Manyschools, particularly in rural areas,organize displays of maypole dancing.


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goddess. Through the ages, there have been some attempts to outlaw this typeof celebration, because it was seen asunchristian. However, the celebrationshave been remarkably robust.

In Scotland, the Early May Bank holidayhas been observed on the first Mondayin May since 1871, but was onlyintroduced in the rest of the UnitedKingdom in 1978. In 1995 and only inthat year, this bank holiday was movedto the second Monday in May (May 8) tocommemorate the 50th anniversary of theallies accepting the surrender of thearmed forces of Nazi Germany. Thiswas the formal end of World War II andis known as VE Day.Early May Bank Holiday Observances Related holiday Summer Bank Holiday Monday, August 4, 2014, Monday, August 25, 2014Other holidays in May 2014 in United Kingdom Yom HaAtzmaut Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Lag B'Omer Sunday, May 18, 2014 Spring Bank Holiday Monday, May 26, 2014 Isra and Mi'raj Tuesday, May 27, 2014 Ascension Day Thursday, May 29, 2014 timeanddate.comNotting Hill Carnival carmenlu.comNotting Hill Carnival history The Notting Hill Carnival takes place inLondon, on the last weekend in August;Carnival 2006 will be the 42nd. RhauneLaslett, a well respected social workerin Notting Hill of the 60s, applied tohold a street carnival in Notting Hill.The area was largely populated byimmigrants from Ukraine, Spain,Portugal, Ireland, the Caribbean andAfrica. It suffered from highunemployment and poor housingconditions. There was an air of unrest in Notting Hill with the locals not trusting


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the immigrants, resulting from a background of racial tensions andseveral reports of racist attacks on theWest Indian community in particular.The carnival was designed to unite these

people from different ethnic backgrounds in a week-long event thatwould culminate in an August bankholiday parade. The first carnival, in1965, was attended by less than 1,000 people, but was a great success. For thefirst time Black people could expressthemselves freely on the streets of Notting Hill in appreciation of the musicand togetherness and reminiscing of theCarnivals back home.Over the next few years, as the WestIndian population in the area grew, thecarnival became particularly associatedwith the Trinidad sounds of calypsomusic, which is now a central part ofevery carnival. The crowds grew bytheir tens of thousands each year. Thetensions between the police and theWest Indian community continued tosimmer, eventually erupting in the Notting Hill carnival riots in 1976. Mostof the 200,000 people at the carnival thatyear werent even aware of the resentment felt by the black communityagainst the heavy-handedness of the police. Nevertheless, even riots couldnt dampen the carnival spirits for long.Throughout the 1980s and 1990s thecarnival established itself as Europes largest street festival, routinely drawingcrowds of more than a million people. In2002 the carnival was given a royal sealof approval; to celebrate the Queens Golden Jubilee, the colourful processionof dancers and musicians moved downthe Mall (the road which runs fromTrafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace) before rejoining their regular route.The Notting Hill Carnival as we know ittoday was born in the 60s and has sinceevolved into an event that predominantlyreflects the best of Black Music.


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(adapted from: www.insideout.net)carmenlu.com ArchiveAll Download Newest


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Instapaper_ Wednesday, Jan. 15t - Beatrice Astarita

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