FESTIVITIESin

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JANUARY

NEW YEAR"Happy New Year!“: Greeting said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets under way.

– ANCIENT NEW YEARSIn 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon marked by the first day of spring.

– It lasted for eleven days and each day had its own particular mode of celebration.

– The Romans continued to observe the New Year in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors.

– Finally, Julius Caesar established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar, which again established January 1 as the new year.

– TRADITIONS: New year’s resolutions

CHINESE NEW YEARTRADITIONS:

• Doors are decorated with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper whose texts seek good luck and praise nature.

• In many homes and temples incense is burned, and also in the temples

• A large family dinner is served.

• In China, the public holiday lasts for three days but the festival traditionally lasts for 15 days

• 'Happy New Year' in Chinese (cantonese): Sun nien fai lok

• The Chinese do not celebrate the New Year on the same day as we do

– Chinese New Year starts with the second New Moon after the winter solstice and ends on the full moon 15 days later.

– Like all Chinese festivals it is determined by the lunar/solar calendar, so the actual date varies from late January to mid-February.

BURN’S NIGHT• People from Scotland celebrate Burns' Night on 25

January, the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's great 'national' poet and songwriter.

TRADITIONS:• A large formal dinner, ritual started by close friends of

the poet a few years after his death as a tribute to his memory. – First, Haggis are served: haggis are the traditional Scottish dish

served that night (it is made from a sheep's stomach stuffed with minced heart, liver, suet (animal fat) and oatmeal (a cereal).

– Next comes the reciting of a prayer, Selkirk Grace (written by Burns).

FEBRUARY

VALENTINE’S DAY

• Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome when the city was ruled by emperor Claudius.

• Claudius wanted a big army and to battle in wars, but most people didn’t agree with that.

• Claudius thought that if men weren’t married, they wouldn’t mind to go in wars, so he forbid marriages.

• Valentine ignored the law and continued performing secret marriage ceremonies until he was caught.

• He was thrown in jail but he was visited by many love supporters, especially, the daughter of the prison guard, who helped him keep his spirits up.

• Valentine died on the 14th February, but he left a note for the girl, thanking her for her friendship and loyalty.

• The card said: Love from your Valentine

This is why from that day on, people usually send love

messages on Valentie’s day

MARCH

EASTER• Easter is a Christian Festival

that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

• On the third day after Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion, now called Easter Sunday, he rose from the dead. Mourners went to His tomb to collect His body. However, He was not there and they were greeted by an angel who said :"He is Risen".

• SYMBOLS:

– Easter eggs were painted with bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring

– Easter Bunny and Easter Hunt

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

• He travelled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years.

• After that, he was considered a Saint.

•Far from being a Saint, until he was 16, he was considered himself a pagan.•At that age, he was sold into slavery, which helped him become closer to God.• After six year, he escaped from slavery and studed in a monastery to convert the pagans to Christianity.

APRIL

• The custom of this day is to play jokes or send friends on fools' errands.

• This custom was brought to America by the British.

• -When do we celebrate 'April Fool's Day' in Spain?- What is the Spanish translation for this festival?- Do you play jokes on your friends? If so, what kind of jokes do you usually play?

APRIL FOOL’S DAY

MAY

MOTHER’S DAY

• Do you usually celebrate 'Mother's Day'?When is it celebrated in Spain?

• Do you give your mother a special gift on this day?

• The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honour of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.

• Cards and poems are a typical gift for this day

JUNE

JUNE

FATHER’S DAY

• • Do you celebrate 'Father's Day?• When is it celebrated in Spain?• Do you buy a special gift for your dad?• What's the most common present on Father's Day?

• This day is used to honour all fathers all over the world!

• But how did it begin ?

-Sonora Dodd, from Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

JULY

4TH JULY

• Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• TRADITIONS:- Parades , picnics and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday.

AUGUST

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

• The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August.

• By invitation from the General Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of opera, theatre, music (especially classical music) and dance from around the world to perform.

SEPTEMBER

HARVEST FESTIVAL

• In England, thanks have been given for successful harvests since ancient times. This day is celebrated by singing, praying and decorating the churches with baskets of fruit and food.

• Harvest Festival reminds Christians of all the good things God gives them. This makes them want to share with others who are not so fortunate.

HALLOWEEN• When is Halloween celebrated?• Do you usually celebrate Halloween?• If so, what do you usually do on that night?• What is the Catalan festival celebrated on the same day?• Do you celebrate it?• What do you do/eat/drink … on that night?

• On that day they wore scary costumes because they believed that then the evil spirits wouldn't recognize them as humans and wouldn't mess with them.

• The earliest origin is from the Celts, who lived in Scotland. On October 31, they celebrated the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the cold, dark winters. The Celts believed that on Oct 31, the Lord of Death released souls back to Earth

• TRADITIONS:• - Costumes• - Masks• - Pumpking carving• - Trick-or-treat• - Jack-o- Lantern story

• Thanksgivint is to celebrate the time when the first European settlers in the US were helped and taught how to grow crops by the Native Americans.

• People celebrate it with a special meal.

GUY FAWK’S NIGHT

• On 5 November every year, children in Britain get excited because it is Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes' Night). They lit bonfires and enjoy firework displays.

• It’s the date when, in the 17th century, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Parliament, bur failed.

• People celebrate it with a bonfire and fireworks.

DECEMBER

CHRISTMAS– There is preparation going on of

foods, the sending of Christmas cards, the decorating of houses and churches, and the readying of gifts.

– On Christmas Eve youngsters hang up their stockings on the ends of the beds or by the chimney.

– On Christmas morning the family traditionally opens their presents and prepares for a big feast which is typically served just after midday.

– At every place on the table there is a cracker. The meal begins with a toast, followed by the popping of the crackers.

– In the afternoon they exchange visits with neighbours and other family members.

– CRACKERS

– KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE

– STOCKING

– REINDEER & RUDOLPH

– THE COIN PUDDING

– POINSETTIA

– FATHER CHRISTMAS

– The evergreen HOLLY symbolises eternal life.