Special days in Great Britain

Some key vocabulary

• Traditions• Customs• Celebration• Festival

Bonfire Night5th November

Bonfire Night

• On 5th November 1605 some men tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament

Bonfire Night

• The most famous man was called Guy Fawkes• All the men were captured and tortured

The top signature is Guy Fawkes’ before torture...

... and after...

Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night•Nowadays people put a model, or an “effigy,” of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire and burn it.

•Children make their “Guy” out of paper and old clothes and put it in a wheelbarrow. They take it to their neighbours and say, “Penny for the guy.” They then use the money to buy fireworks.

Bonfire NightAt these parties people eat special, warming food, such as jacket potatoes and toffee apples

People often say this rhyme:

Remember, remember, the fifth of NovemberGunpowder, treason and plot,

I know no reasonWhy Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day

• It is celebrated on 11th November• On this day we remember all those who have

been killed in wars• The First World War ended at 11am on 11th

November 1918• At this time everyone is silent for two minutes• Everyone in Britain wears a red poppy as a

sign of their support

Remembrance Day• On 11th November there

is a special event in the Royal Albert Hall

• The Royal Family attend the service

At the end a piece of music called “The Last Post” is played and poppy petals are dropped from the ceiling – one petal for each person killed in wars since 1914

Burns Night

25th January

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet

On this day, people attend “ceilidhs” (a type of dance) and sing “Auld Lang Syne,” which is also sung on New Years’ Eve

Burns Night

•People eat Scottish food, such as haggis

•Haggis is the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep, mixed with onion and cooked in the sheep’s stomach

•When the haggis is brought in, people recite a poem by Robert Burns

Valentine’s Day

14th February

Valentine’s Day•On this day boyfriends and girlfriends give each other a greeting card with loving words

•Boys buy red roses and chocolate for their girlfriends

Around one billion cards are sent every year

April Fool’s Day

1st April

April Fool’s Day

• This is a day of jokes, tricks, and funny things!• In Britain the jokes end at midday.• Here are some untrue stories told on this day:• “Big Ben’s clock will go digital”• “The Leaning Tower of Pisa has fallen over”• “Spaghetti grows on trees”

May Day1st May

May Day

• May Day used to mark the beginning of the summer• Traditional customs include Maypole dancing and the

crowning of the May Queen

May DayIn Oxford students go to Magdalen College to hear the choir sing

It’s very beautiful, but you have to get up very early... They start singing at 6am!

Sometimes students jump off Magdalen Bridge into the river, which is very dangerous

Saints Days

St. George’s Day

• St George is the patron saint of England• It is celebrated on 23rd April• St George is famous for fighting a dragon• The hymn “Jerusalem” is sung in churches on

this day• People sometimes wear a red rose

St Patrick’s Day

•St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland•It is celebrated on 17th March•People wear green clothes, eat Irish food and go to big processions•It is also a very popular festival in the USA•People believe that he got rid of all snakes in Ireland

St David’s Day

• St David is the patron saint of Wales• It is celebrated on 1st March• Welsh people often eat “cawl,” a type of meat

stew• They also wear either a daffodil or a leek

St. Andrew’s Day

• St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland

• It is celebrated on 30th November

• People sometimes wear a thistle