Lecture VIII. British Customs and traditions

2.7Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesdayis celebrated in March or April. It is the day before the Christian period of Lent.Lent lasts for 40 days before Easter. Pancake Day is traditionally a day of celebration, the last day that you can eat what you want until Easter. The day is characterized by merrymaking and feasting and eating of pancakes.
2.8. Guy Fawkes Night.
On November 5^th is one of the most popular festivals Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated. It commemorates the discovery of Gunpowder Plot on November fifth,in1605.It was planned by the Roman Catholics to destroy the English Hoses of Parliament and to blow up King James I together with Lords and Commons who assembled to open the Parliament and seize power. But the organizer of the Plot Guy Fawkes was arrested and soon hanged. Now people make bonfires and burn on them figures of ragged dummy(a guy) made of old clothes and straw. During the day children put the guy in the cart and ask the passerby to spare a “penny for a guy”. The traditional food is toffy.


Assignments for Self-Control
Questions:
1. What kinds of holidays are celebrated in the UK?
2. What are the national days of the countries of the UK?
3. Who popularized Christmas tree the first in the UK?
4. Why the 26^th of December is called a boxing day?
5. When is Pancake Day celebrated? And how?
6. What does the expression “a penny for a guy” mean ?
7. When falls the Easter?
8. In the bank holidays banks are …. And why?
9. Who was Guy Fawkes?
10. Do you have similar festivals in your country?