1. Holidays in Great Britain
There are some public holidays in Great Britain.

2. Christmas Eve December, 24th
On Christmas Eve some people go to a special church service. This service is called Midnight Mass. It starts at 12 o’clock at night.

3. Christmas December, 25th
Christmas is the most popular holiday in Britain. It is celebrated on the 25th of December. People spend time at home, with their families, eat special food and drink a lot. Many people decorate Christmas trees with toys and little coloured lights.

4. Boxing Day December, 26th
The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. The priest in church opens boxes with money and presents and gives to the poor people.

5. New Year’s Day January, 1st
New Year’s Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. Some people don’t celebrate it at all. Some people have New Year parties. At midnight they listen to the chimes of Big Ben, drink a toast to the New Year and sing Auld Lang Syne.

6. St. Valentine’s Day February, 14th
St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February. It is the day of sweethearts. On this day people send cards, candles or flowers to those whom they love.

7. St. Patrick’s Day March, 17th
March 17 is the feast day of St. Patric, the patron saint of Ireland. The day is celebrated by Irish and Irish Americans. The Irish people have patriotic meetings, huge parades, musical and social events that make this day a gala event. The Irish wear green neckties and hair ribbons.

8. April Fool’s Day April, 1st
The fun of the holiday is to play silly but harmless jokes on family members and friends. The victim of these jokes is called an April fool.

9. Easter Late March or early April
Easter is a Christian holiday in March or April. On this day Christians remember the death of Christ and his return to life. They go to church and have a celebration dinner. The most popular emblem of Easter is the Easter egg. People paint hard-boiled eggs in different colours.

10. May Spring Festival
Girls put on their best summer dresses and around their waists.

11. Spring Bank Holiday Last Monday of May
It is an official holiday. Enterprises and offices are closed on that day and it is a day off for everybody. If the weather is fine people prefer to spend this day in the country and have picnics.

12. Late Summer Bank Holiday Last Monday of August
It is also an official holiday. It is a time for sports competitions at the stadiums. All over the country horse races are held and in every city, town and village there are traditional fairs with roundabouts, swings, Punch and Judy shows.

13. Halloween October, 31st
One of the most widespread festival in Great Britain. In the evening people usually make up parties. Both hosts and guests put on fancy dresses and play generally magicians, witches, ghosts and skeletons.

14. Guy Fawkes Day November, 5th
Guy Fawkes Day is one of the most popular festivals in Britain. British people burn a dummy, made of a straw and old clothes, on a bonfire and let off fireworks.