You will learn about public holidays in Britain (New Year's, St. Patrick's Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday, May Day Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, Orangemen's Day, St. Andrew's Day, Christmas)

1. Public Holidays in the UK

2. • In Great Britain there are public holidays that are called “bank
holidays”. The term “bank holiday” dates back to the 19th century. At
that time all the banks were closed on these days. Now this term is no
longer referred (относится) only to banks. Many other firms and offices
are closed too.
• There are 8 bank holidays a year in England and Wales, 9 in Scotland and
10 in Northern Ireland. There are 7 bank holidays common to all the 4
countries: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, the early May bank holiday, the
Spring bank holiday, the Summer bank holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing
Day.
• Easter Monday is a bank holiday in both England and Wales and
Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, St Patrick's
Day and Orangemen's Day are also bank holidays. In Scotland, 2 January
and St Andrew's Day are bank holidays.

3. • New Year's Day: 1 January.
• St Patrick’s Day: 17 March (Northern Ireland only)
• Good Friday: March or April
• Easter Monday: March or April (Wales, England and Northern Ireland
only)
• Early May Bank Holiday: first Monday in May
• Spring Bank Holiday: last Monday in May
• Orangeman’s Day: 12 July (Northern Ireland only)
• Summer Bank Holiday: last Monday in August ( first Monday in
August in Scotland)
• St Andrew’s Day: 30 November (Scotland only)
• Christmas Day: 25 December
• Boxing Day: 26 December

4. New Year’s Day
• New Year’s Eve (December 31st) is more special
for Scottish people, who celebrate it with their
families. They sit the Old Year out and the New
Year in. At midnight Scottish people hold their
hands in a large circle and sing the song “Auld
lang syne” by Robert Burns. That is how they
celebrate the coming of a new year. New Year in
Scotland is called Hogmanay.
• But it does not mean that New Year’s Eve is not so
popular throughout the country. People decorate
their houses with bouquets of mistletoe on this
day. They also go to parties.

5. St. Patrick’s Day
• St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on the 17-th оf March with parades, music
and songs, Irish food and drink and wearing green clothes (decorated
with shamrocks).
• On this day people also go to church services.
• Saint Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland who brought Christianity to
Ireland.

6. Good Friday and Easter Monday
• Friday before Easter is called “Good Friday”. People usually make
special buns ( булочки) which are marked with a cross on top. On
this day the Church marks Jesus Christ’s death.
• Easter Monday is the first Monday after Easter Day.

7. Early May Day Holiday
• May Day Bank Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday after May
Day (May 1st). People celebrate the coming of spring. They also
select the most beautiful girl on this day, who becomes May Queen.
Sometimes May poles ( шесты) are constructed ( сооружаются)
with long coloured ribbons ( ленты) and children dance around
these poles holding the ends of these ribbons.

8. Spring and Summer Bank Holidays
• Spring Bank Holiday is marked on the last Monday in May.
• August Bank Holiday is the last Monday in August. British people
usually go on picnics on spring and summer bank holidays.

9. Orangemen’s Day
• Irish Protestants celebrate Orangemen’s
Day — also known as The Twelfth or
Glorious Twelfth — on the July 12th of
July every year. The day commemorates
(чтит память) Protestant king William of
Orange’s victory over Catholic king James
II at the Battle of the Boyne.
• Irish protestants celebrate Orangemen's
day with big bonfires.
• On this day marching bands can be seen
parading the streets, playing traditional
music on traditional instruments—most
famously the Lambeg drum.

10. St. Andrew’s Day
• St. Andrew's day is celebrated on the 30th November. It is
connected with the name of St. Andrew, the patron saint of
Scotland.
• St. Andrew's Day is an official flag day in Scotland. The Flag of
Scotland (the Saltire or Saint Andrew's Cross) flies on all the
buildings.
• This day is marked with a celebration of Scottish culture, and with
traditional Scottish food and music. It is also seen as the start of a
season of Scottish winter festivals (Saint Andrew's
Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night).
• St. Andrew 's Day marks the opening of Christmas Markets.

11. Christmas and Boxing day
• The most popular bank holiday is Christmas Day. It is
celebrated on December 25th. Christmas symbolizes the
birth of Jesus Christ. On this day many people go to
Churches, get Christmas presents and make a traditional
Christmas dinner (roast turkey and pudding).
• On this day children wait for a special person who will
come down the chimney during the night and will bring
them presents. It is Father Christmas. However, Santa
Claus is used synonymously with Father Christmas.
Children usually hang long socks or stocks on their beds
and hope that Father Christmas will put his presents into
them. Christmas trees are set in the living-rooms and are
decorated with toys by children.
• Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26th. It comes
straight away after Christmas Day. This is an old tradition,
when in old times rich people used to give their servants
money or “Christmas boxes”. Now it is the day when
people simply have rest or visit their friends.