Festivals in Britain

1. As you read the chapter, find out the answers to these questions:

   1. When might you receive something from an unknown person?

   2. What is the connection between George and a rose?

   3. Who stays in bed late a few weeks before Easter?

   4. When did spaghetti grow on trees?

   5. When do rabbits lay eggs?

   6. When is the first holiday in May?

St. Valentine’s Day

St. Valentine is the patron saint of lovers, and on 14 February young men and women declare their feelings for each other. But the tradition is to do so anonymously. Valentine’s Day cards and romantic flowers such as red roses are sent which, although they carry massages of undying love, are always left unsigned. Indeed, some people go to great lengths to disguise their handwriting in order to maintain their anonymity. Many people hope for cards on St. Valentine’s Day and failure to receive any can cause great disappointment.

National Saints’ Days

The patron saints of Wales, Ireland and England are, in order, St. David, St. Patrick and St. George. Their days are celebrated on 1 March, 17 March and 23 April respectively. National symbols depicting the Welsh dragon on leek¹, the Irish shamrock² and the English rose are worn on the appropriate days, and you will see small gatherings of the various nationalities having a drink together or celebrating in the streets – particularly when they are living away from their native country.

St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, has his day later in the year on 30 November. Scotland’s national symbol is the thistle³.

Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday, or Mother’s Day as it is usually called, falls three weeks before Easter Sunday. On this day, mother is rewarded for all her work looking after the house and family during the rest of the year. Her husband and children usually

buy her a card and a small gift, and traditionally bring her breakfast in bed. Sometimes she will also be taken out for lunch.

Father’s Day, as the name implies, is when Dad gets his treats. Fathers’ Day is on the third Sunday in June but is less widely celebrated than Mothers’ Day. Perhaps this is because fathers are seen to be less deserving than mothers.

All Fools’ Day

Normally called “April Fools’ Day”, this day falls on 1 April. It is a day when you can light-heartedly make fools of your family, friends and colleagues by playing tricks on them. People send messages intended to mislead, offer fake food, creative realistic-looking blood stains and devise a host of other deceptions to fool the gullible.

Even newspapers, television and radio programmers join in the fun, publishing and broadcasting amusing and unlikely tales. A few years ago the Guardian newspapers published a whole supplement about a fictitious group of islands called San Serif, with articles on the economy, climate, political situation, weather, etc. But the most famous April Fools’ joke was perpetrated by the BBC’s highly-regarded television documentary programme, “Panorama”. The programme presented an apparently serious report about spaghetti growing on trees in Italy. It examined the problems of cultivating and harvesting spaghetti and included interviews with spaghetti farmers.