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Later on, the Roman Empire took over the British Isles. The Romans also celebrated May Day, but for a different reason. They had a feast that was devoted to Flora, the goddess of flowers. The festival was held from April, 28 through May, 2. They celebrated with games and theatrical performances. As the years went by, the Roman traditions of the Flora Festival meshed with the British traditions of the Beltane Festival, and new traditions were created and mixed in with the old.

As the Puritans gained control in the region, the festivals began to wane. The Puritans discouraged the people from celebrating these festivals, so the traditions were lost. Once the Puritans lost their power to England the leaders tried to bring the festivals back, but their excitement was not as grand as it had been before.

A maypole is one of the traditions that were started in the middle Ages. A pole was found in the center of every city on May Day. The townspeople would run around the pole with ribbons. The Puritans put this practice aside, but many cities still celebrated, just changed the name of the pole and festivity. A May basket is also one other tradition originating in the British Isles. People would exchange May baskets and hang them on the doorknobs of family and friends to celebrate this holiday.

BONFIRE NIGHT

Guy Fawkes Night, also called Bonfire Night, is an annual celebration (but not a public holiday) on the evening of the 5th of November primarily in the United Kingdom, but also in former British colonies. It celebrates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in which a group of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on the evening of 5 November 1605, when the Protestant James I of England, his eldest sons and the majority of the English Parliament was within its walls. The conspirators were executed.

The celebrations, which in the United Kingdom take place in towns and villages across the country, involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires, on which "guys", or dummies, representing Guy Fawkes, the most infamous of the conspirators, are traditionally burnt. Before the fifth, children traditionally used the "guys" to beg for money with the chant "Penny for the guy", although this is now rarely seen.

In the United Kingdom, there are several other regional traditions that accompany Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night: the eating of bonfire toffee, parkin, toffee apples, the traditional 'apple lollipop', which consists of an apple coated in toffee on top of a stick; and baked potatoes, which are wrapped in foil and cooked in the bonfire or its embers.

HALLOWEEN

Most of British big holidays have more-or-less self-explanatory purposes-to celebrate aspects of the Christian tradition, to honor the coming of the new year or the change of seasons, to remember the legacy of family members or noted historical figures.

But Halloween doesn't seem to fit in any of those above categories.

According to some points of view, the origins of Halloween are a lot like the origins of Christmas and Easter as we practice them today-Ancient Roman, Catholic, and European Pagan lore, all blended together.

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The name Halloween is Scottish in origin and is short for "All Hallow's Eve," the night before "All Hallow's Day," or All Saint's Day. That day was set by Pope Boniface IV to honor the Catholic saints, and also to replace a Roman pagan festival of the dead (which had been held in late February, the end of the old Roman year). Later, Pope Gregory III changed All Saint's Day to November, 1.

By the time Christianity came to the British Isles, local folk had already been celebrating their own festival of the dead on Samhain (November, 1, the Celtic new year). Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain, most notable that night was the time of the wandering dead, the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink to masked and costumed revellers, and the lighting of bonfires, continued to be practiced on October, 31.

In other words, the Christian church incorporated local Irish, Scottish, and Welsh pagan traditions into one of its own holy days. Just as the old fertility symbols of the rabbit and the evergreen tree became parts of Easter and Christmas, so have the symbols of the end of the fall harvest season and the coming of darkness become parts of a modern western-world celebration.

The most celebrated Halloween decoration is the jack-o’-lantern, traditionally a hollowed-out pumpkin carved to resemble a grotesque face and illuminated by a candle placed inside. The jack-o’-lantern derives its name from a character in British folktales. According to these tales, the soul of a deceased person named Jack O’Lantern was barred from both heaven and hell and was condemned to wander the earth with his lantern. Orange and black, colors associated with pumpkins and darkness respectively, figure prominently in most Halloween decorations.

Trick-or-treating is another Halloween tradition, in which costumed children go from house to house soliciting candy or other treats from their neighbors. According to this custom, children greet each homeowner with the cry “Trick or Treat,” suggesting that some sort of prank will be played unless treats are provided.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Remembrance Day is a day to commemorate the sacrifice of veterans and civilians in World War I, World War II, and other wars. It is observed on November,11 to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. The observance is specifically dedicated to members of the armed forces who were killed during war, and was created by King George V of the United Kingdom on November, 7 1919.

Common British traditions include two minutes of silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month because that was the time (in Britain) when the armistice became effective.

Ceremonies are held at local communities' War Memorials, usually organised by local branches of the Royal British Legion – an association for ex-servicemen. Typically, poppy wreaths are laid by local organisations including the Royal British Legion, ex-servicemen organisations, cadet forces, the Scouts, Guides, Boys' Brigade, St John Ambulance and the Salvation Army.

The main commemoration is held in Whitehall in central London, where the Queen, Prime Minister, and other senior political and military figures join with veterans to lay wreaths at the Cenotaph.

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Comprehension Check

81. Choose the correct answer.

1.Christmas in Britain is celebrated on …

а) January, 7 b) December, 25 c) October, 31 d) November, 5

2.Britons have a custom of kissing beneath a sprig of …, which is derived from an ancient pagan tradition.

a) ivy b) oak c) poppy

d) mistletoe

3.The day after Christmas that is known in Britain as Boxing Day is associated with a custom of…

a) giving a gift of money or food inside a box to the politicians who cared about you regularly during the year.

b) giving a gift of money or food inside a box to the deliverymen and tradespeople who called regularly during the year.

c) giving a Christmas box to the children.

d) giving a gift of money or food inside a box to masked and costumed revelers.

4.Easter is observed…

a) at some point between late March and late April (or May even) each year

b)on March 8

c)on April 28

d)at some point between late February and late April (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity)

5. In the north west of England there is the tradition (connected with Easter)

a)of hiding the eggs overnight for children to find them

b)performing pantomimes

c)of rolling decorated eggs down steep hills

d)baking hot cross buns

6) In Ancient times … was the second most important holiday to the nation

a)Easter

b)May Day

c)Christmas

d)Poppy Day

7)According to beliefs people tried to increase fertility on May Day, so they… a) exchanged chocolate eggs

b) walked through the fire

c) kissed beneath a sprig of mistletoe

d) attended Sunday Mass or services in the morning and then participate in a feast or party in the afternoon

8)Guy Fawkes Night is usually associated with…

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a)a maypole

b)chocolate eggs

c)fireworks displays

d)poppy wreaths

9)The tradition to celebrate Halloween goes back to… a) Ancient Roman and European Pagan lore

b) Ancient American and European Pagan lore c) Ancient Scottish traditions

d) the traditions preserved in XIV century

10)Remembrance Day is a day to commemorate the sacrifice… a) of warriors who took part in the Crusade

b) of veterans and civilians in World War I,

c) of veterans and civilians in World War I, World War II, and other wars d) of veterans and civilians in the star wars

82. Complete the table – what things people usually associate with different holidays (e.g. symbols etc).

Language Focus

83. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations in

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-fertility

84. a) Give the synonyms for the following words.

Pagan, to adhere, to refine, chant, to solicit, to blend, prank.

b) Give the antonyms for the following words.

Build-up, fertility, to wane, armistice.

85. Complete the table to make word families. Use a dictionary to help you.

86. Think of the words that fit the definitions below.

1.the state of being able to produce babies (about people, animals, plants);

2.a formal agreement during a war to stop fighting and discuss making peace;

3.to become gradually weaker or less important;

4.words or phrases that a group of people shout or sing again and again;

5.a tube of coloured paper that makes a loud explosive sound when it is pulled open by two people. It usually contains a paper hat, a small present and a joke, and used in Britain at Christmas parties and meals;

6.to make a substance pure by taking other substances out of it; to improve smth by making small changes to it;

7.to express very strong disapproval of smb/smth, usually for moral reasons;

8.a person who holds religious beliefs that are not part of any of the world’s main religions;

9.noisy fun, usually involving a lot of eating and drinking;

10.a trick that is played on smb as a joke;

11.to stick firmly to smth;

12.a type of play with music, dancing and jokes, that is based on a fairy tale and is usually performed at Christmas.

87. Paraphrase the following sentences using the topical vocabulary so that they mean the same.

1)The day was in its prime, then the day faded, and still she slept on. (to wane)

2)She never liked him to play childish tricks. (prank)

3)The whole town blamed the girl for her wild behaviour. (to condemn)

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4)We could hear sounds of binge from next door. (revelry)

5)A group of Buddhists, singing and carrying placards, waited outside.(to chant)

6)These houses seem to harmonize with the trees and the surrounding land. (to blend)

7)Take care not to entangle your long clothes in the wheels. (to mesh)

8)These labels do not stick well. (to adhere)

88. Translate the following sentences into English.

a) Перший робочий день після Різдва вважається загальнонаціональним святом у Великобританії. У цей день – День Подарунків - існує традиція дарувати подарунки друзям, родичам та колегам.

b) Існує багато традицій пов’язаних з Різдвом, найважливіша з них – дарування подарунків. Члени кожної родини залишають свої подарунки під різдвяною ялинкою.

c)Напередодні Різдва діти вішають панчохи таким чином, щоб Санта-Клаус міг покласти у них подарунки. Якщо дитина погано поводилася протягом року, Санта-Клаус на покарання може покласти у панчоху шматочок вугілля.

d)Традиція Святкування Хеллоуїна з’явилася у 5 сторіччі до нашої ери в ірландських кельтів. 31 жовтня вони відзначали кінець одного року і початок нового.

e)Існувало повір’я, ніби на Хеллоуїн у земний світ поверталися духи, і люди боялися, що вони можуть їх зустріти. Тому коли люди виходили з будинків, то вдягали маски, щоб духи вважали їх такими ж безтілесними істотами як і вони самі.

f)Щороку 5 листопада у Великобританії святкується річниця Порохової змови, або Ніч Гая Фокса. По всій країні, у всіх містах і селах запалюються величезні багаття, запускаються чудові феєрверки, спалюються зображення Гая Фокса.

g)Як і більшість Християнських свят, історія Великодня бере свій початок з дохристиянських часів. Наші предки святкували у ці дні відродження сонця, ми ж святкуємо відродження Христа.

89. Project

Find some additional interesting information about holidays and customs given below and report next time (origin, interesting traditions, symbols, cards, pictures, etc).

1.State Opening of Parliament

2.Trooping the Colour

3.Changing the Guards

4.Lord Mayor's Show

5.Ceremony of the Keys

6.Christmas

7.Boxing Day

8.New Year's Eve and / or New Year's Day

9.Remembrance Day (Poppy Day)

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10.Spring Bank Holiday

11.Summer Bank Holiday (August Bank Holiday)

12.Easter Sunday (Easter Day) and Easter Monday

13.Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday)

14.Mothering Sunday

15.Mother's Day

16.Father's Day

17.St. Valentine's Day

18.Halloween

19.Guy Fawkes Night

20.Eisteddfod

21.May Day

22.St. George's Day

23.St. Patrick's Day

24.St. Andrew's Day

25.St. David's Day

SELF-STUDY BOX

90. Check the pronunciation of the following geographical names in the dictionary.

England: London, Birmingham, the Strait of Dover, the Thames, the Pennines Yorkshire, Lancashire, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Midlands, Stonehenge

Scotland: the Arctic Circle, the Cheviot Hills, the Hebrides, the Orkney Shetland, Islands, Loch Ness, Aberdeen, the Clyd, Glasgow, Edinburgh

Wales: Snowdonia, Snowdon, Cardiff, the Taff River, Swansea, Eisteddfod

The Northern Ireland: Ulster, Belfast, the Irish Free State of Eire, the Mourne Mountains, Lough Neagh, the Shannon

91. Read the following texts, translate them into Ukrainian. Make sure you study the language of the text to be competent in further exercises and discussions.

ENGLAND

Of the four parts which make up Great Britain England is the largest, the industrial and most densely populated part of the United Kingdom. Over 46 million people of the population of the UK live in England.

The greatest concentrations of population are in London, Birmingham and northwest industrial cities. The coasts of England are washed by the N o r t h Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. No part of England is more than 120 kilometers from the sea.

It is interesting to note that the sea has been important in the history of England. It was a good protection against the attacks of outside peoples. Fishing has always been an important industry, especially in the east. The sea also has a great effect on England's climate.

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There are many rivers in England. The longest and the most important is the Thames. The rivers are of great importance for communication and especially for carrying goods.

England is mostly a lowland country. There are upland regions in the north and the southwest, but the rest of England is almost flat.

Northern England, Midlands and Southern England-each part of England is different. The Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area. On either side of the Pennines the plains of Yorkshire and Lancashire stretch to the sea. In Yorkshire swift rivers flow down from the hills into valleys called 'dales'.

The wool industry is centered in Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry in Manchester, iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities. The industries of the Midlands, with Birmingham as its chief city, produce metal goods, from motor cars and railway engines to pins and buttons. The Midland plain makes good farm land.

In Southern England some of the oldest British settlements and traces of ancient monuments such as Stonehenge are found.

SCOTLAND

Although Scotland takes up one third of the territory of the British Isles, its population is not very big. It is the most northern part of the island of Great Britain and is not far away from the Arctic Circle. That's why it is not densely populated: its population is a little over 5 million people. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland. Apart from this land link with England, Scotland is surrounded by sea.

Scotland includes the Hebrides off the west coast, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands off the north coast. It is bounded by the North Sea on the east.

Scotland is divided into three regions: the Highlands, which is the most northern and the most underpopulated area with a harsh climate, the Lowlands, which is the most industrial region, with about three quarters of the population, and the Southern Uplands, with hills, which border on England.

The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. They reach their highest point in Ben Nevis (1343 m). Many valleys between the hills are filled with lakes, called lochs. The best-known is Loch Ness where some people think a large monster lives. The most important city here is Aberdeen which is the oil centre of Scotland. Ships and helicopters travel from Aberdeen to the North Sea oil rigs. Work on an oil rig is difficult and dangerous.

Most of the population of Scotland is concentrated in the Lowlands. Here, on the Clyde, is Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city.

Shipbuilding is one of its most important industries; other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining. It is the centre of the workingclass movement and has glorious revolutionary traditions.

Glasgow was a grim city because of the greyness of the houses many of which were not suitable for living and needed repairs or rebuilding. But now this city is rapidly changing, turning into an important cultural centre. Glasgow is sometimes called 'the friendly city'.

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Scotland had been an independent state and was joined into the UK in 1707, after a long struggle for its independence.

One of the things that people associate with Scotland is the kilt. The kilt is a relic of the time when the clan system existed in the Highlands. Everybody in the clan had the same family name.

Edinburgh has been the capital since the 15th century, when its fortified castle was the centre of Scotland's resistance to its enemies. Edinburgh is the cultural centre of Scotland. It is associated with the names of George Gordon Byron and Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns and Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. It is also associated with the world-famous Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama. The Festival was first held in 1947 and has been held annually ever since. Its emblem is a thistle. The Edinburgh International Festival of 1987 was devoted to this country.

WALES

Another constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is Wales. It became part of England in 1536 by the Act of Union. Until then it had been regarded as a separate principality but a dependency of England. The Welsh call their country Cymru, and themselves they call Cymry, a word which has the same root as 'comrader' (friend, or comrade). The population of Wales is over 3 million people. About 75 per cent of the people of Wales live in towns and urban districts.

The living standards of people in Wales are lower than in England, the unemployment rate is higher. South Wales has a rich tradition of struggle for more jobs and better working conditions in mines.

Wales is a highland country of old, hard rocks. North Wales is a country of mountains and deep valleys; South Wales is a land of high hills and wide valleys. The pride of Wales in scenery is Snowdonia, a region of high mountains. Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, the largest city of Wales. Cardiff is situated near the mouth of the Taff River. It is an administrative and educational centre.

The second largest city in Wales is Swansea where mainly steel production can be found. Since World War II there has been intensive development in the metals industries especially in the south and southeast.

The Welsh people, especially in rural areas, are fond of folk music, singing, poetry and drama. Welsh literature is one of the oldest in Europe. There are many choirs in Wales, the standard of singing is high and the love of good music is widespread. Now there is a growing movement of revival of Welsh culture from which sprang the revival of Eisteddfod. Eisteddfod in the form of a gathering of bards had occasionally been held in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Now Eisteddfod is a festival of Welsh culture.

Wales has its own flag called the Welsh dragon.

NOTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northeast of the island of Ireland, only one-sixth of its territory. Northern Ireland contains six of the nine counties of the historic province of Ulster and that is why the

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name 'Ulster' is sometimes used as equivalent to Northern Ireland. Its capital city is Belfast.

For seven centuries Ireland was a colony of Britain. Due to the colonial policy of Great Britain the Irish nation was forcefully partitioned. As a result of the hard struggle of the Irish people for independence the larger part of Ireland (26 counties) gained the status of a British dominion in 1921. Much later, in 1949 it was officially proclaimed an independent state, the Irish Free State of Eire. The industrial northeast (Northern Ireland with its 6 counties) was retained by Great Britain as its smallest component. But certain forces of both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland are for the reunification of the country, against social deprivation which is at its worst among Catholics. They believe that British withdrawal from Ireland is the only way to achieve peace.

If one asks an Irishman away from home what he misses most about Ireland, he will probably tell you 'the greenness'. Irish poets put it in a different way when they call Ireland ‘the Emerald’ Isle. Is the grass really greener in Ireland? The fact is that the winds usually blow in from the Atlantic Ocean and make the air and soil warm and damp. Grass grows well in such a climate and it makes the island look so beautiful.

There are low hills and peaks of rocks in the northwest, while the northeast sector of the island is a plateau. The Mourne Mountains in the southeast slope dawn to Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles. The rivers of Ireland are short, but deep. The largest river is the Shannon.

The population of Northern Ireland is about 1.5 million people. 53 per cent of the total population lives in urban areas. The whole economy of Northern Ireland is closely integrated with that of Great Britain. It has its roots in three basic industries – agriculture, textiles and shipbuilding. The larges industry is agriculture conducted for the most part on small family farms. It occupies about 72 per cent of the land area.

Belfast, the capital of Northern Irelands is the leading industrial centre and a large port. Its chief industries are the production of linen and other textiles, clothing, shipbuilding, engineering.

In Ireland the national musical instrument is the harp.

Comprehension Check

92. What do you know about?

1.the UK as an island state?

2.the chief rivers of Great Britain and their importance in the life of people?

3.the largest lakes in the British Isles and what they are associated with?

4.the countries and largest cities in the UK?

5.the distribution of population in the UK?

6.the reason why Scotland is not densely populated?

7.the reason why the Highlands is the most underpopulated area of Scotland?

8.the reason why Aberdeen is the most important city in the Highlands?

9.the reason why Glasgow was a grim city?

10.the reasons why the sea has been important in the history of England?

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