Holidays

A few words about holidays in some English-speaking countries and in Russia.

I think the greatest public holiday in Great Britain, Europe and the USA is Christmas. It celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. For millions of Christians of the world it is the happiest time of the year. Most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25. It is celebrated in different countries in various ways with presents, a lot of food and Christmas trees. The first day after Christmas is a public holiday. In England it is called Boxing Day. Once people gave presents to servants in boxes. The traditional Christmas dinner consists of a turkey, a Christmas cake, a fruit pudding and other dishes. People decorate their homes with Christmas trees and ornaments. There are many lights, the sound of bells and Christmas carols in towns and cities. People give presents to each other. Children hang up stockings, so Santa Claus can put candies, fruit and other small gifts into them.

American national holidays are Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day. Independence Day is celebrated on the 4^th of July. It is an official holiday. On this day Americans do not work. People have picnics with hot dogs, hamburgers, and potato salads.They play baseball. In the evening they watch fireworks.

Halloween is celebrated on the 31^st of October. Children wear costumes and masks. They carve jack-o’-lantens out of pumpkins with a candle inside. It is the festival of the dead. Children go from door to door and say ”trick-or-treat”. People give them candies, fruit and money.

In our country Halloween is celebrated too but not much. Many Russian people think that it is a bad and godless event. I do not celebrate this holiday either. Thanksgiving Day is a festival when people thank God for rich harvest. Americans eat traditional national dishes - roast turkey, jelly, potatoes and pumpkin pies.

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14^th of February. Now it is a day for sweethearts. People show their friends and relatives their love. They send roses, candies and cards called valentines – greeting cards. Young people in Russia like this holiday as well. At our school we celebrate this holiday too.

In our country people celebrate Christmas on the 7^th of January. They give presents, go to the church. I think that the greatest holiday in Russia is New Year. A New Year tree is a symbol of this holiday. People decorate it with lights and toys

We celebrate Victory Day on the 9^th of May. 60 years ago Soviet people defeated fascism on our territory and on the territory of Europe. On that day the war veterans get presents, march on the squares, sing war songs.It is a national holiday.

We celebrate the 8^th of March, Women’s day when men give presents and flowers to their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters.

Great Britain

A few words about what Great Britain and England are associated with when we think or talk about it.

The official name of the country whose language I study is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of the Islands of Great Britain and Ireland and many small islands. The island of Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales. The capital of the country is London. The capital of Scotland is Edinburg. The capital of Wales is Cardiff. The North Sea, the Straight of Dover and the English Channel separate Great Britain from the continent. On the west coast it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The mountains in Great Britain are not very high. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland. The main rivers are the Themes, the Mersey and the Severn. They are not very long.

A few words about the English climate. It is very changeable but on the whole it is mild and wet. It is influenced by the warm Gulf Stream. The summers are cool and rainy, the winters are not very cold.

England is a green country, every family has it’s own large or small garden. England is famous for its beautiful parks and gardens.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. The leading industries of the country are the textile industry, coal, iron and steel, various machines, shipbuilding and others.

There are many large industrial cities there, such as Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as Cardiff, York, Chester, Oxford – the home of the oldest University of England, where the most famous college is Christ Church. Cambridge is Britain’s second oldest University.