British studies about holiday, festival, celebration throughout Great Britain, United Kingdom, England, London, Edinburgh, Scotland, etc.

1. British Studies
Holidays and Celebrations
Arif Furqan, S.S, M.A.

3. New Year’s Eve
Many cities and towns in the UK celebrate the coming New Year by putting on public firework
displays. The city of London has one of the most famous ones. Thousands of people gather at the
banks of the river Thames to see an almost 12-minute fireworks display over the London Eye, a
giant Ferris wheel.

4. St. Patrick’s day/Northern Ireland National Day
St Patrick's Day Festival attracts more than 125,000 people to events across London
and to the parade and festival in central London and Trafalgar Square. It's become a
destination event showcasing the best of Irish food, music, song, dance, culture and
arts.

5. Chinese New Year Celebration in London
Outside of Asia, London has the largest Chinese New Year celebrations. There is a parade that
travels from Charing Cross Road to Shaftesbury Avenue, tons of events occurring in Trafalgar
Square (including puppetry, music, and speeches), and a Magic Lantern Festival to end the New
Year celebrations!

6. Bonfire Night
On November 5, 1605, a man by the name of Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of
Lords and assassinate King James I. Now, on this day each year, people of the UK celebrate his
failed attempts. To celebrate, locals will light bonfires and set off fireworks all around the city.

7. Bonfire Night 2016; Trump, You’re Fired!
An effigy of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is burnt as part of
bonfire night celebrations in Edenbridge, Britain.

8. Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian religious holiday which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ. The holiday is one of many observed during the holy week, and comes after Maundy
Thursday and before Easter Sunday. It is a public holiday in the UK, and therefore
supermarkets operate restricted hours, and there is no post either.

9. Easter Day
Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. Christians believe Jesus was
crucified on Good Friday and rose again three days later. The three days are known as the
Easter Triduum. With Easter Monday also a bank holiday, it means a four-day long weekend
for many people.

10. Easter Chocolate Eggs Sale

11. Early May/Mayday
The first Monday of May is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom. It is called May Day in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland. It is known as the Early May Bank Holiday in Scotland. In more
recent times, it has been as a day to campaign for and celebrate workers' rights.

12. Spring Holiday – Last Monday of May
Also known as the late May bank holiday, is a time for people in the United Kingdom to have a
day off. For many people the spring bank holiday is a pleasant day off work or school. Some
people choose to take a short trip or vacation. Others use the time to walk in the country, catch
up with family and friends, visit garden centers or do home maintenance.

13. Battle of Boyne, Northern Ireland
People in Northern Ireland have a bank holiday on or after July 12 to commemorate the
Battle of Boyne, which occurred on Ireland’s east coast in 1690. This symbolize the battle of
King James VII (Protestant) and King William III of Orange (Catholic)

14. August Bank Holiday/Summer Bank Holiday
The August Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday of August across the UK, except in
Scotland where it’s held on the first Monday of the month. In 2018, the holiday’s dates are
27 August and 6 August respectively.

15. Royal Wedding Bank Holiday
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding date of April 29, 2011 was a bank
holiday throughout the United Kingdom, which allowed most people the chance to
celebrate the occasion.

16. St. George’s Day/England National 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.

18. St. Andrew’s Day/Scottish National day
St Andrew's Day falls on November 30, according to many Christian churches. St Andrew's Day is
a bank holiday in Scotland. 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. In 2006 it was
made a bank holiday in Scotland, and has traditionally been a day off for students of St Andrews
University.

19. Christmas
Christmas Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on December 25. It traditionally celebrates
Jesus Christ's birth but many aspects of this holiday have pagan origins. Christmas is a time for
many people to give and receive gifts and prepare special festive meals.

20. Christmas
Many people spend Christmas Day with family members, with whom they exchange gifts
and cards. Many children wake up to find a sock or stocking filled with small gifts on their
bed or somewhere else in the house. These have supposedly been brought by a mythical
figure called 'Father Christmas' or 'Santa Claus', who lives for most of the year at the North
Pole.

21. Santa Claus is coming to town: Thousands of Father Christmases gather in Trafalgar
Square for flash mob

22. Boxing Day
Boxing Day in the United Kingdom is the day after Christmas Day and falls on December 26.
Traditionally, it was a day when employers distributed money, food, cloth (material) or other
valuable goods to their employees. In modern times, it is an important day for sporting events
and the start of the post-Christmas sales.

23. Harvest Festival
A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a
given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can
be found at various times at different places.

24. Edinburgh Festival

25. Edinburgh Festival

26. Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest arts festival, which in 2017 spanned 25 days
and featured 53,232 performances of 3,398 shows in 300 venues. Established in 1947 as an
alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Edinburgh,
Scotland, in the month of August.

27. Eid Festival in Birmingham, 2017
Celebrate Eid, Europe’s biggest festival to mark the end of the holy month of
Ramadan, is hosted by the UK’s most Muslim city. Once the mass prayer was over,
families turned their attention to other activities on offer: fairground rides, clay pigeon
shooting, miniature golf and rodeo bull riding.

28. Eid Festival in Trafalgar Square, 2015
The Eid Festival has been annually held in Trafalgar Square in London to celebrate Eid
al-Fitr, bringing diverse communities, families and friends together. It features live
entertainment, stalls, exhibitions, and children's activities. Muslim communities in the
UK also organize their own festivities.

34. Knowing the fact that Chinese new
year, Moslem Eid Festival, and several
other celebrated festival in UK, what do
you think about the tolerance and
multiculturalism comparing the so-
called ‘multiculturalism’ in Indonesia?