Christmas

Christmas is a truly magical season, bringing families and friends together to share the much loved customs and traditions which have been around for centuries.

 Preparation

At the beginning of December, English people send some greeting cards to their friends and families. The cards that they receive are exposed on the walls or on the fireplace. They will be removed on the Twelfth Night, on January 6th.

English people begin very early to prepare the Christmas dinner. They decorate their houses in red and green, then their Christmas trees and they listen to Christmas Carols. They are English songs sung by choirs in the streets.

The dinner

It takes place on Christmas day, and not on Christmas Eve.Traditionally, the   Christmas dinner consists of a delicious soup of oysters as a starter. The main course is turkey stuffed with chestnuts  served with vegetables and stuffing. 

There's a Christmas cracker next to each plate on the table. When the crackers are pulled, out falls a paper party crown, a gift and a joke. The gift depends on the price you've paid for the cracker.The more you pay the more beautiful is the gift.

As a dessert, ther's the traditional  Christmas pudding . It is prepared several weeks before Christmas.

The presents

Once the meal is finished, the presents are opened: the children find their presents  in the red stockings, hung on the fireplace or under the Christmas tree.

 Christmas Day is children's favourite day. They wake up very early in the morning to see if their stockings have been filled.

 Most information was found on Woodlands Junior school site.

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk

You can visit their site: it's great!

St Patrick's Day

Who's Saint Patrick ?

Saint Partick is the patron and national apostle of Ireland. St Patrick is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. Most of is known about him comes from his two works; the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish christians.

Many folk ask the question ‘Why is the Shamrock the National Flower of Ireland ?’ The reason is that St. Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans. Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century.

There are several accounts of Saint Patrick’s death. One says that Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on March 17, 460 A.D. Another account says that St. Patrick ended his days at Glastonbury, England and was buried there.

The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey. Today, many Catholic places of worship all around the world are named after St. Patrick, including cathedrals in New York and Dublin city

St Patrick's day ?

Saint Patrick’s Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and

gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick’s Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is

the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins. In American cities with a large Irish population, St. Patrick’s

 Day is a very big deal. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades, “wearing of the green,” music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!

source: http://www.st-patricks-day.com/about-st-patrick/

Celebrate  Valentine’s Day

The History

Every February 14th, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?

You will know? Than read this…

The first legend

The legend began in Rome, when the Emperor Claudius II was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. “Claudius the Cruel” as he was called, was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. So, he prohibited all the weddings in Rome !

The good Saint Valentine, who was a priest in Rome, in the year 269 A.D., defied Claudius and continued to perform weddings for young lovers in secret.
When Valentine's actions were discovered, he was sentenced to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.
But while in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl, who may have been his jailor's daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death on the 14th day of February, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed.

“From your Valentine”

In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine.

Another legend says that Valentine's Day started...
In olden Rome, on February 14^th was a holiday to honor Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and wedding. Then, the following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.
In those days, the lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, on the eve of the festival of Lupercalia, the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800's and now you know the rest....

April fools day !

April Fools' Day is an old custom celebrated every year on the first day of April. Popular since medieval times, the day is not a national holiday in any country, but it is widely recognized throughout European cultures and celebrated asa day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other, both the jokes and their victims being known as "April fools".