Family
Christmas and New Year Traditions
The
British family is a model of conservation and commitment to
traditions. Customs and traditions are an indispensable part of the
life of every British person. Events when the whole family invariably
gathers together are engagements, weddings, the birth of a child, and
the birthdays of the older members of a family, as well as religious
holidays such as Easter and Christmas.
Christmas
is considered the main family holiday in the United Kingdom, although
not everywhere. In Scotland and parts of northern England, people
prefer Hogmanay, New Year’s festival. At the time of the Protestant
reformation, the celebration of Christmas was considered a Catholic
tradition, and that is why it was banned for many years.
Nevertheless, people cannot live holidays. So gradually, the New Year’s
festival replaced the celebration of Christmas for most of the Scots.
Many traditions and superstitions are connected with Hogmanay. It is
necessary to clean the house very well when preparing for the
holiday. Meeting New Year with old garbage in a house is bad luck.
It is advisable to complete all projects that have been started and
pay all debts. On the evening of 31st December, the family
gathers to celebrate the old year. On this evening, it is also
traditional for parties of masked children or young men to visit
houses as mummers. Food and drinks for the holiday are tasty and
plentiful. Roast goose is served, apples are baked in dough, and
puddings and “Black Bun”, a Scottish fruit cake, are cooked. After
midnight, everyone gathers in a circle with their arms crossed and
holding hands. People start singing the famous song “Old Lang Syne. The
text was written by Robert Burns in 1788. Hogmanay is also famous
for the tradition of “the first foot”. If the first person to cross
the threshold of a home in t he New Year is a dark-haired man, a
family expects a happy year. If the first guest is a woman,
especially with blond or red hair, this means failure. The first
guest brings with them symbolic gifts: embers, salt, a piece of
cake, or a loaf of bread. In their return, the hosts treat their
guests.
As
for Christmas, today it is without a doubt the warmest family
holiday for most Britons. It is the time when grown-up children
visit their parents and meet their relatives. The whole family is
gathered together for several generations at the Christmas table.
Everyone congratulates each other, and presents their gifts. The main
celebration, Christmas dinner, falls on 25th of December. On
Christmas Eve people are just preparing for the holiday. Traditional
Christmas dishes are turkey, hot pies with various meat fillings, of
which the British are so fond, and of course, the king of the
Christmas table - the Christmas pudding.
However,
most of the modern Christmas traditions of Great Britain are just
over 100 years old. They appeared in the Victorian era in the middle
of the 19th century. For example, the first ever Christmas
card was sent in 1843. For a long time in the United Kingdom there
was no custom for decorating Christmas trees. The spouse of Queen
Victoria, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, brought this tradition
with him from his native Germany. At first, the British even called
Christmas tree decorations “German toys”.
The
New Year for the British is a far less important holiday than
Christmas. It is perceived rather as a continuation of Christmas
festivities than as an independent, important date. However, New Year
is celebrated in England quite widely, with numerous mass
celebrations and noisy parties. Unlike Christmas, it is not considered
a family holiday; on the contrary, on the night of 31st
of December, most people go out into the streets of cities, visit
friends, or go to local pubs and restaurants.
The
main place to celebrate the New Year in England is Trafalgar Square.
A huge 25-metre Christmas tree is set up on it. The tree is given
to t he UK by Norway. This tradition originated in 1947, after the
Second World War. The Norwegians presented the British with a grand
Christmas tree in recognition of their help in the fight against
the German occupiers, and since then not a single winter holiday
has been held in London without a luxurious northern trees.
One
of the most revered traditions in British families are grandparents’
birthdays. All the family comes together, and an apple pie baked by
the grandmother is served on the table. There is a national
tradition than when a person turns one hundred years old, the
monarch sends them a personal birthday card.
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