St George's Day & Shakespeare’s Day, April 23 St George's Day in England remembers St George, England's patron saint. The anniversary of his death is on April 23. According to legend, he was a soldier in the Roman army who killed a dragon and saved a princess. St George's Day used to be a national holiday in England. It is now an observance that is celebrated with parades, dancing and other activities. Flags with the image of St George's cross are flown on some buildings, especially pubs, and a few people wear a red rose on their lapel. On April 23, many fans and enthusiasts of William Shakespeare, who was one of England’s greatest poets and dramatists, celebrate National Shakespeare Day, also simply known as Shakespeare Day, each year.
May Day, first Monday of May The first Monday of May is called May Day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is known as the Early May Bank Holiday in Scotland. This holiday probably originated as a Roman festival honouring the beginning of the summer season (in the northern hemisphere). In more recent times, May Day has become a day to campaign for, and celebrate, workers' rights. In many places, the first day, or the first Monday, in May is celebrated as the start of the summer season. People organise events to rejoice for the end of the winter season, for fertility, and for the approaching summer; whole animals are roasted on spits, and cider and beer flow freely. A particularly widespread May Day tradition is maypole dancing. Children, particularly girls, dance around a tall pole, decorated with long, colourful flowing ribbons. The aim of the dance is to create a decorative pattern on the pole with the ribbons. The maypole dancing has roots in Roman Britain around 2,000 years ago, when soldiers celebrated spring by dancing around decorated trees, while giving thanks to their goddess of spring, Flora. Another traditional form of dancing, Morris dancing, is also associated with the beginning of May. Dancers dress in white with bells on various parts of their costumes and carry scarves and long wooden sticks, accompanied by loud accordion music. Families go ‘a-Maying’, setting out for the countryside and bringing back armfuls of flowers. They make floral garlands, decorate houses with flowers and leaves and crown the May Queen, the prettiest girl of the village, as a living image of Flora. In some areas, girls go out very early to wash their faces in the morning dew, as this will make them very beautiful the following year.
Spring Bank Holiday, last Monday in May For many people, the Spring Bank Holiday is a pleasant day off work or school. Some people choose to take a short trip or holiday. Others use the time to walk in the country, catch up with family and friends, visit garden centres or do home maintenance. However, in some parts of the United Kingdom, there are some customs associated with this day. On Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, they hold the Annual Cheese Rolling Race, in which people race down a steep hill following a large round cheese. The hill is concave and has an incline of 1:1 in some places. The first person to cross the finishing line wins a Double Gloucester cheese weighing about 8lbs (around 3.5kg). The custom may have been started by the Romans or ancient Britons and be an ancient fertility rite or a way of guaranteeing the rights of the villagers to graze their livestock on the surrounding land. In some years, there have been a lot of injuries, causing the event to be cancelled a couple of times in recent years. In these years, the cheese was rolled down the hill, but nobody was allowed to chase it.
The Queen’s Birthday, second Saturday of June The Monarch's birthday has been celebrated in the United Kingdom since 1748, during the reign of King George II. Queen Elizabeth II's Official Birthday was originally celebrated on the second Thursday of June, the same day that her father, King George VI, celebrated his Official Birthday during his reign. However, this was changed in 1959, seven years after she became Queen, and her Official Birthday has since then been celebrated on the second Saturday of June. The day is marked in London by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which is also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade. The list of Birthday Honours is also announced at the time of the Official Birthday celebrations. In British diplomatic missions, this day is treated as the National Day of the United Kingdom.
Father’s Day, third Sunday of June Father's Day is held on the third Sunday of June in the United Kingdom. It is a day to honour fathers and father figures, such as grandfathers and fathers-in-law. Many people make a special effort to visit their fathers or to send them a card or gifts. Some families celebrate Father's Day by planning an outing or weekend trip, perhaps just for the male members of the family. This may be a simple walk in the countryside or a whole planned “experience”, such as driving a fire engine, rally car, tank or even an airplane, or taking a golf, football or cricket lesson with a celebrity coach. Other families organise a special meal at home or in a pub or restaurant. A common Father's Day meal is a traditional roast dinner with meat, stuffing, potatoes and vegetables, accompanied by pints of ale or lager.
Midsummer’s Eve, June 23 In Great Britain from the XIII century, Midsummer’s Eve was celebrated with the lighting of bonfires, feasting, and merrymaking. It was the summer equinox festival, a Celtic festival, and it was considered lucky to jump over the bonfire. Midsummer's Eve is a time associated with witches, magic, fairies and dancing. On the eve of Midsummer's Day, many bonfires were lit all over the country. This was in praise of the sun, for the days were getting shorter and the sun appeared to be getting weaker, so people would light fires to try to strengthen the sun.
Summer Bank Holiday, last Monday in August For many people, the Summer Bank Holiday marks the end of the summer. Some people take trips or short holidays during the three-day weekend. For others, it is another opportunity to work in their gardens or carry out home improvements. In London the Notting Hill Carnival is held. This street festival is best known for its exuberant costumes, dancing and music played by steel drum bands. The festival has been held every year since 1965 and was originally organised by immigrants from the Caribbean, particularly Trinidad, that had arrived in the United Kingdom. It started as a protest against the racism, poor working and housing conditions that they suffered. Today, the Notting Hill Carnival is a multicultural celebration, attracting over two million people and is thought to be the second largest street carnival in the world.
Feast of St Francis of Assisi, October 4 The Feast of St Francis of Assisi is a day when special church services are held to bless pets in the United Kingdom. Pets of all kinds, including dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, and even a 100-year-old tortoise, have been blessed in churches in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the past. Some churches hold special celebrations or events to coincide with the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Some radio stations that broadcast classical music may feature songs associated with the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on this day.
Halloween, October 31 Halloween has its origins in the pagan festival of Samhain in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and celebrations in the United Kingdom include parties where guests are often expected to arrive in a costume that reflects the day's theme. The Celts believed that on the eve of each new year, October 31, Samhain called to himself all the spirits of the dead, who lived in a hill of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Oge, and that the forces of the spirits could join the world of the living, thus causing the temporary dissolution of the laws of time and space, allowing the dead to merge with the world of the living and wander undisturbed on Earth. Samhain was, therefore, a celebration that united the fear of death and of spirits, with the joy of the celebrations for the end of the old year. During the night of October 31, gatherings were held in the woods and on the hills for the ceremony of the lighting of the Sacred Fire, and animal sacrifices were made. Dressed in grotesque masks, the Celts returned to the village, making themselves light with lanterns made of carved onions, inside which the embers of the Sacred Fire were placed. After these rites the Celts celebrated for 3 days, masking themselves with the skins of the killed animals to scare the spirits away. In Ireland, there was the custom of lighting torches outside their houses and leaving food and milk for the souls of the dead who would visit their families, so that they could refresh themselves and decide not to play jokes on the living. This is where the custom of trick-or-treating comes from, when children dress up and go from house to house, knocking on the door and asking for sweets. Those who do not give out a treat may be tricked with a joke instead
Souling, November 2 Souling is an English festival which involves a group of people visiting local farms and cottages. The merrymakers would sing a “traditional request for apples, ale, and soul cakes.” The customs associated with Souling during Allhallowtide - three days of All Saints' Eve (Halloween), All Saints' Day (All Hallows') and All Souls' Day - include consuming and/or distributing soul cakes, singing, carrying lanterns, dressing in disguise, bonfires, playing divination games, carrying a horse's head and performing plays. Soul cakes formed a key part of the Souling traditions, and were made on All Souls' Day, November 2nd, always in a triangular shape, and often kept for good luck. The traditions associated with Souling included Soulers visiting houses with “hollowed-out turnip lanterns” with a candle inside which represented a soul trapped in Purgatory. In parts of Yorkshire, children still appear on door steps with turnip lanterns, disguised as witches, ghosts and skeletons. Bonfires were also lit on Halloween and during Hallowtide (the period of Halloween), which may be related to the Purgation of souls by holy fire.
Guy Fawkes Night, November 5 Guy Fawkes Night is annually held on November 5. It is sometimes known as Bonfire Night and marks the anniversary of the discovery of a plot organised by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605. Guy Fawkes, a Catholic, was arrested, tortured and executed for his part in the plot. Hence many Catholics are more restrained in their celebration of this day. Many people light bonfires and set off fireworks. In some towns and cities, the municipality organises a bonfire and professional firework displays in parks, which tend to be very popular. Due to its proximity to Halloween, many people organise a combined party for Guy Fawkes Night and Halloween, including elements from both festivals, such as a bonfire and dressing up in spooky outfits. Popular foods include toffee apples, bonfire toffee and potatoes baked in the ashes of the fire
Remembrance Day, second Sunday in November and November 11 Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom honours the heroic efforts, achievements and sacrifices that were made in past wars. The main observance is on the second Sunday in November, but 2 minutes of silence is also held on November 11. People stop work to observe a moment of silence at 11am on November 11, which is the time and date when hostilities formally ended after more than four years of battle during World War I. Poppies are worn as a symbol of respect and tribute on Remembrance Sunday and/or November 11. The day is also marked by events such as memorial services, church services and parades. A national commemoration takes place at Whitehall, a road in the City of Westminster in central London.
St Andrew’s Day, November 30 The Scottish flag, or Saltire, is flown on public buildings in Scotland on St Andrew's Day. In the rest of the United Kingdom, the British Union Flag is flown. Some people have a day off work in Scotland. In Edinburgh, there is a week of celebrations, concentrating on musical entertainment and traditional ceilidh dancing. A ceilidh is a social event with couples dancing in circles or sets (groups of eight people). In Glasgow city centre, a large shindig, or party, with traditional music and a ceilidh are held. In Dumfries, songs are performed in the Burn's night tradition. There is a lot of folklore associated with St Andrew's Day, particularly around young women, who hope to marry. At midnight, as November 29 becomes November 30, young woman pray to be shown signs about their future husbands. They peel an apple in such a way that the peel remains in a single piece and they throw this over their shoulders. The shape that the peel forms on the ground indicates the first letter of their future husbands' names. They also drop molten lead or candle wax into a bucket of water. The shape that it forms indicates the profession of the men they will marry. .