Holidays in Great Britain / Праздники в Великобритании

British people like any other nation like holidays. It is a time to rest and spend with relatives and friend. One of the most popular holidays in Britain is St. Valentine's Day. Every February 14th, boys and girls, husbands and wives, friends and even colleagues tell each other about their love and thank each other for the support and understanding. People send Valentine cards. They are not signed, instead people write "Your Valentine". The first Valentine of all was a Christian bishop. Before his death he sent a note of friendship to his jailer's blind daughter.

Most people in England like Pancake Race on Shrove Tuesday. At home families have pancakes for dinner. At school teachers and children have pancakes for school dinner. Everyone knows that pancakes are tasty, but not everyone knows that in England on Shrove Thursday, people race with them, fight for them. At Westminster School, in London, there is a pancake fight. The school cook tosses a pancake high into the air. The boys (one from each class) fight for the pancake. The boy who has the biggest piece is the winner.

Mothering Day is another old holiday in Britain. In the middle of March young people present their mothers with small gifts, flowers and a special kind of cake. This kind of cake was especially popular in the Middle Ages, but it is also possible to buy them today. Mothering Sunday is not the same as Mother's Day, which is an American holiday and is celebrated in May.

But the most famous holidays in Britain are Easter and Christmas. Easter is the time to present spring flowers and presents in the form of eggs. Christmas presents can be found under the Christmas tree. Most big offices, schools, colleges and universities have a dance or a party at Christmas. Christmas is an exciting time, but it can also be a very expensive time. You need money to buy Christmas presents for your family and friends, you need money to buy clothes for Christmas parties and so on. But British people like holidays and celebrate them with pleasure.

Словарь

a jailer — тюремщик

Shrove Tuesday — вторник на Масляной неделе

 the Middle Ages — Средние века

Easter — Пасха