Wirtualna wycieczka do Wielkiej Brytanii Festivals in Great Britain Projekt edukacyjny CEO Wirtualna wycieczka do Wielkiej Brytanii Festivals in Great Britain CEO

St. Dawid's Day It is the feast day of Saint David, the patron of Wales, and it falls on the 1st of March each year. The first day of March was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David. Tradition holds that he died on that day in 589. The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century. Parades in Cardiff Every year parades are held in Wales to commemorate St. David. The largest of these is held in Cardiff and it is formally attended by either the British Monarch or the Prince of Wales. Parades are a mixture of folklore and military tatoo Indeed, to mark St. David's Day, and their return from a six-month tour of Afghanistan, soldiers from the Royal Welsh Regiment provided The Changing of the Guard ceremony at Castle’s south gate on 27 and 28 February 2010.

Twelfth night day Twelfth Night is usually celebrated in the evening and night of 5 January. It is based on an old custom of observing sunset as the start of a new day. It’s the traditional time to take down the Christmas decorations, as there is a belief or superstition that leaving decorations up for longer will bring bad luck on the home. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, fruit and other treats were popular Christmas decorations because of their scarcity. They were taken down on Twelfth Night and eaten for the feast of the Epiphany on 6 January.

New Year New Year in United Kingdom is celebrated on January 1, the first day of the first month as per the Gregorian Calendar. This day was officially declared as New Year's Day in 1752. It is the time to ring out the old year and bring the new one by merry making. New Year is the much awaited celebration for the people of UK. They love to enjoy each and every minute of the going year. Theme parties, salsa dance and live performances are the some of the rocking events of New Year in UK.

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I in 1918

Easter In the UK Easter is one of the major Christian festivals of the year. It is full of customs, folklore and traditional food. However, Easter in Britain has its beginnings long before the arrival of Christianity. In Britain Easter occurs at a different time each year. It is observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that the festival can occur on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

Mother’s day Mothers Day in UK is celebrated with great excitement and verve but it does not fall on the same date as in US. Mother's Day in Great Britain has no fixed date, but it always falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Since the Lent days are not fixed, the date for Mothers Day changes every year. Mothers Day came to be celebrated in UK in 17th century as Mothering Sunday, much before the custom began in US. On this day children give flowers and bouquets to their mother to express their love for them.

Father’s day Father's Day in UK is celebrated in much the same way as it is celebrated in US. In UK, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and therefore the date of the festival is never fixed. People celebrate the occasion by honoring their father and expressing affection for them by presenting popular gifts like cards, flowers, chocolates and neckties. Little children often give handmade gifts to their dad. Several clubs, schools and cultural societies in United Kingdom organize Fathers Day parties and get-togethers and provide people an opportunity to celebrate the day. Games and fun-filled add joy to such celebrations.

St George’s day St George's Day in England remembers St George, England's patron saint. The anniversary of his death, which is on April 23, is seen as England's national day. According to legend, he was a soldier in the Roman army who killed a dragon and saved a princess. Many people in England don’t observe nor know when the national day is at all. However, in recent years, celebrating St George's Day seems to gradually be regaining popularity in England. From the 15th century, St George's Day used to be a national holiday in England, and was celebrated as widely as Christmas. But the celebrations waned by the end of the 18th century after England had united with Scotland on May 1, 1707.

April Fool’s Day April Fools' Day is always celebrated on April 1st. It is the name given to the custom of playing practical jokes on friends, or sending them on fools errands. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes played on friends or relatives might last the entire day. Even the news media and major companies sometimes get involved. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!". The history of April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is not clear. There is no first "April Fools' Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar, although it is known to date back at least to the sixteenth century.

Halloween Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses„. Masks and consumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.

Boxing Day Boxing Day takes place on December 26th and is only celebrated in a few countries. It was the day when the alms box, collection boxes for the poor often kept in churches, were traditionally opened so that the contents could be distributed to poor people. Some churches still open these boxes on Boxing Day. The next day in the shops start to sales.

1st May Day A popular activity on May Day is to decorate a pole with brightly colored ribbonor paper streamers. Some also add flowers and balloons. The pole is usually carried in a parade and then placed in the ground at a designated area. People then dance around the May pole, holding the ends of the streamers or ribbon in their hands. In London, May Day is celebrated with the children going from house to house. They bring flowers and get pennies in return. The pennies are then thrown intoa wishing well. The pennies are then donated to charity.

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March in Dublin, Ireland. The tradition came about at the instigation of the Irish Protestant organisation The Knights of St. Patrick. Originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue . Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.  Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century.  Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish , and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day.  In the 1798 rebellion , to make a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name . According to legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock , a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people. Girls playing Irish folk music during a St Patrick's Day parade

Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday  is the day preceding Ash Wednesday , the first day of Lent . In most traditions the day is known for the eating of pancakes before the start of Lent. Pancakes are eaten as they are made out of the main foods available, sugar, fat, flour and eggs, the consumption of which was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent.

Saint Valentine's Day The Legend of St. Valentine The history of Valentine's Day-and the story of its patron saint-is shrouded in mystery. We know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?  The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. One legend says that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.  Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped  of the winged Cupid 

Bibliography http://www.happywink.org/newyearfestival/new-year-in-uk.html http://www.learnenglish.de/culture/easter.htm http://www.halloweenhistory.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_David's_Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick's_Day http://angielskidlakazdego.blox.pl/2009/05/May-Day-1st-May.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday

The End Made by: Dominik Pływacz Kacper Dmowski Patryk Boruc Gimnazjum w Mokobodach im. J. Piłsudskiego