Traditions of the New Year and Christmas in England. Table setting features: what is cooked and eaten? Auld Lang Syne - traditional New Year's song

The New Year in the world has always been compared with English, since it was in England that new traditions were always born, which were subsequently used by many European countries.

Note that for modern Englishmen, it is not the holiday itself that is of particular value, but New Year's sales, which begin at the end of the outgoing year, approximately from December 27th. The goods are sold with discounts of 95%, and here you need to have time to buy everything you need.

The center of New Year's celebrations is Trafalgar Square. Thousands of people always gather on it to celebrate the New Year, a Christmas tree is set up. Back in 1841 in England, Queen Victoria issued a decree authorizing the establishment of the main Christmas tree. In recent decades, the Christmas tree has been delivered from Norway as a token of gratitude to the Norwegians for the help of the British in the liberation of Norway from the Nazi occupiers during the Second World War. Passing through Trafalgar Square every year London New Year's Parade, which is considered the world's largest New Year's folk procession. More than ten thousand people participate in this parade. Among them are many musicians, dancers, clowns and acrobats. Also during the New Year in London, there is a Chinese parade, in which many musicians and dancers also participate. And in Chinatown, big, spectacular fireworks are set off, attracting hundreds of locals.

In England, Santa Claus is called Santa Claus. On New Year's days for children in theaters they give performances on the plots of old English fairy tales. Lord Chaos leads a noisy carnival procession, in which fairy-tale heroes take part: Hobby Horse, March Hare, Humpty Dumpty, Punch and others.

Before going to bed, little Englishmen put a plate on the table for gifts that Santa Claus will bring them on New Year's Eve, and put hay in their shoes for the donkey.

All New Year's Eve, toys are sold on the street: whistles, squeakers, masks, balloons. It was in England that a tradition arose to exchange greeting cards for the New Year. First New Year's card was made in London in 1843.

In English houses, a turkey with chestnuts and fried potatoes with sauce, as well as stewed Brussels sprouts with meat pies, are served for the New Year's festive table, followed by pudding, sweets, fruits.

In this country, the coming of the New Year announces famous Big Ben bell. True, he begins to beat a little earlier than 12 o’clock and does it at first quietly, because he is covered with a blanket, and this attire prevents him from showing all his power. But exactly at midnight, the bells are undressed, and they begin to beat loudly, announcing the New Year to the people. By the way, according to tradition, before the ringing of the bell, the British open the back doors of the houses, and then open the front doors to let in the new year. With the ringing of the bell, lovers, in order not to part next year, according to custom, kiss under the mistletoe branch, which is a magic tree for the British. She, in addition to the traditional Christmas tree, is decorated with English houses. Bouquets of mistletoe are everywhere - on lamps, chandeliers and on the table. It is considered "for luck" to kiss a person standing in the middle of the room under the mistletoe.

The most famous New Year tradition in this country is first guest tradition. The year will be successful if, after the clock strikes midnight and announces the beginning of the New Year, the first guest in the house is a young man with dark hair. In England, a guest must bring bread, coal, a pinch of salt with him, which symbolize food, warmth, and prosperity. According to custom, the first guest, upon entering the house, silently goes to the fireplace and throws a coal there, and only then everyone congratulates each other. The first guest must be fed.

The British consider it unacceptable to give expensive gifts for the New Year. In England, it is not customary to choose some expensive exclusive souvenir or jewelry as a gift for the New Year holiday. Their traditional gifts are inexpensive trinkets: key rings, beer mugs, scented candles, cute souvenir dolls and intricate tea spoons. New Year's gifts in the family circle of the British are distributed according to the old tradition - by lot.

I must say that this holiday is more loved in Scotland than in England. The main winter holiday in England is Christmas, and the New Year is a continuation of the festive Christmas days.

The New Year in England is preceded by a wide celebration of Christmas, when Christmas services are held in all the churches of the country, holiday fairs unfold and Christmas sales are in full swing. The meeting of the New Year is perceived by the British only as a new milestone in the annual cycle of time, but, nevertheless, crowds of Londoners and guests of the city gather to listen to the Big Ben belfry, who congratulate each other on the New Year with the last bells.

Traditions and New Year's events of the British

A huge Christmas tree is set up on Trafalgar Square in London, which is delivered annually from Norway. The Christmas tree is smartly decorated and under it sits the English Santa Claus - Santa Claus with a bag of gifts intended for children. Children carry wooden shoes filled with hay to Santa Claus. It is believed that Santa Claus arrives in England on a donkey, so the children carry hay, for which they receive gifts from Santa Claus.

New Year's fireworks

Around the Christmas tree, a festive parade is seething throughout the square, which amazes with the mass character of the participants. These are musicians, singers, dancers and acrobats. A grandiose carnival is taking place with the obligatory participation of characters from English fairy tales: the March Hare, Humpty Dumpty and Punch (English Parsley). A Chinese parade with noisy firecrackers and fireworks moves in a separate column.

Symbols of the New Year among the British

mistletoe branch

Every Englishman's house is decorated with New Year's decorations, with the obligatory sprig of mistletoe above the front door.

Goose in chestnuts

On the festive table is a traditional New Year's dish - roasted goose with chestnuts and broccoli. Round oatmeal cakes with a hole in the middle are served with kebben cheese and, of course, an Englishman's New Year's table is inconceivable without plum pudding and apple pie.

Waiting for Santa

Children, in anticipation of gifts from Santa Claus, leave a plate by the bed for the night in order to see the hidden New Year's gift in the morning.

The British are very conservative by nature and adhere to age-old traditions, including those mandatory for the New Year.

open doors

In every house, with the final chime of the bell, the back door of the house opens to let out the old year and the front door swings open to let in the New Year.

It is believed that a person with dark hair will bring happiness to the house, who will be the first to enter the house after the last toll of the bell. In the hands of a brunette, there must be a slice of bread, a pinch of salt and a piece of coal. After the coal burns in the firebox or stove, the guest is seated at the festive table.

Advice

Another tradition is burning a barrel of tar. This tradition is strictly adhered to by the people of Edinburgh when this barrel is burned on the Royal Mile. This is done in order to get rid of everything old that prevents you from moving forward. Maybe you should adopt this tradition and try to stick to it.

Where can you go during the New Year holidays?

During the New Year holidays, the famous Alton Tower Leisure Park is opened, where the most famous attractions, a water park, golf courses and tennis courts operate. A separate area for children is equipped with cars and trams, there is a McDonald farm where children can communicate with pets kept in enclosures. There are all kinds of cafes and restaurants, including those designed for feeding children.

Having met the New Year in England, tourists will completely change their attitude towards the British. The stereotype of a stiff, reserved person will be defeated. The British, it turns out, are open, friendly hosts who know how, openly and ordered to celebrate the New Year.

Conclusion:

Of course, an Englishman will not invite an unfamiliar person, especially a foreigner, to his house, but friendly gatherings in a restaurant or pub are always welcome by the British. In general, New Year's Eve in England will not be boring. It will be interesting and fun.

Do you think that on New Year's holidays the British enjoy oatmeal and raise a cup of tea to the queen's boring speeches? Stiffness is their hallmark, but not in the winter!

Christmas in the UK

It's no secret that the whole of Catholic Europe and America celebrates and celebrates Christmas much more than the New Year. The difference lies not only in a different date, but also in a completely different approach to the holiday.

Christmas is a religious holiday, not a secular one, so believing Britons prefer a church service that starts at midnight, rather than a culinary fuss.

Little Brits don't expect gifts from Santa, but from Father Christmas. That is what they originally called a kind bearded wizard in green robes, carrying gifts. Father Christmas owes a change in costume, image and popularization of another name to the Coca-Cola company, which dressed up its Santa in red attire. Children toss letters with wishes into the fireplace (so that they will surely reach Santa) and wait for gold coins and gifts in special Christmas socks and stockings.

While the younger generation is languishing in anticipation of a miracle, adults are puzzled by many questions in advance. For a month, they choose the most beautiful spruce wreath, symbolizing prosperity, decorate it with five candles and believe that such a creation can bless food. Also, the house is decorated with wreaths of mistletoe and holly plants, decorating them with ribbons, sparkles, cones, berries. A Christmas tree with an angel and a Christmas star at the top is an essential attribute of the holiday.

British cuisine can surprise even on a holiday: Christmas bread (Christ's Bread), baked pig's head, English pudding (Christmas Pudding), in the preparation of which all members of the seven take part, and a pie (Christmas Pie) with predictions. According to an old tradition, a prudent hostess puts a coin, a ring, a bean or a button into the pie dough. Each item has its own meaning: marriage, happiness, wealth or poverty (that's someone lucky, so lucky).

The patience of the British is enough to unpack gifts only on the morning of December 25th. It should be noted that they do not compete in the ability to impress with the price of gifts - it is customary to give each other gifts of approximately the same value agreed upon. This is followed by a "fireworks" in the form of crackers (Christmas Cracker) with confetti and surprises and ... again a festive table. December 25 is a kind of "Groundhog Day", when it's time for a long sleep, family TV watching and board games. It is important not to oversleep at three o'clock in the afternoon the queen's address to her subjects.

On most streets of Christmas London, you can hear the traditional song “Jingle Bells”, but in the shopping districts, “I will survive” is not a wonder. What other entertainment the entertainers come up with to create a holiday and attract tourists to stores with huge discounts will be shown in a video based on real events, during the shooting of which not a single Londoner was harmed:

Are you tired of a bowl of Olivier, sandwiches with caviar and photos on the background of the Christmas tree every year? Then try to celebrate the New Year in the English style. How? Now let's open a military secret.

New Year's Eve in the UK

Dishes familiar to the eye and stomach can be replaced with roasted turkey with chestnuts, fragrant potatoes with gravy and herbs, stewed cabbage, sweet pies, nuts, fruits and other delicacies are sure to be present at the gala dinner on December 31st. You can capture yourself in the picture with your loved one against the background of mistletoe sprigs. And you can and should celebrate the New Year noisily and cheerfully with friends and acquaintances, unlike Christmas. If you are a lonely brunette who has no one to meet the coming year with, go to any house - you will be invariably welcome, since the visit of a dark-haired man first promises good luck for all 12 months.

Another nice moment: leave expensive gifts for Christmas, for the New Year it is customary to exchange greeting cards bought in a store or made by hand. Yes, yes, in the UK, where the convenience of using Skype is known no worse, they continue to use traditional mail and do not forget to put warm words in the postcard!

You can celebrate the New Year ... At home, according to the principle, it doesn’t matter where, it’s important with whom. In a cafe or restaurant where a costume party, mass fun and dancing until the morning are guaranteed (so for 100 pounds). In the club, which is preferred by British youth, where you can dance yourself and watch the performances of artists, having paid about 80 pounds for pleasure in the Ministry of Sound club in the capital. The most active and lovers of a healthy lifestyle are invited to celebrate the year at the skating rink at the Natural History Museum (Natural History Museum). Incorrigible romantics should invite their soul mates on a cruise on the Thames - The Symphony. The £200 treat includes gorgeous views of festive London and a royal dinner.

On the city squares of Piccadilly or Trafalgar, you can merge with the merry crowd, hear the clinking of tens of thousands of glasses and millions of various New Year's greetings, see costumed performances and fireworks, and absolutely free of charge. On New Year's Eve, miracles are the place, and the rule of free cheese in a mousetrap is canceled. If you go to London on New Year's Eve, the chimes at midnight can't be avoided. Of course, not the Kremlin, but Big Ben :)

It is better to see once than to hear 100 times. So far - video, and next year see for yourself. Don't believe? In vain! That is why there is a time of magic, to make people believe in the most incredible and allow it to happen in the coming year!

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Winter holidays in the UK

As in most European countries, The main winter holiday in England is Christmas, which is celebrated on the night of 24 to 25 December according to the Gregorian calendar. Residents of foggy Albion prefer to gather with the whole family on Christmas Eve at the family table, where the main classic dish is the roasted turkey. On Christmas, it is customary to sing songs, hymns to the glory of the Savior and give gifts to relatives and friends. Christmas is celebrated throughout the week, so the New Year for the British is considered a continuation of the winter holidays.
All over the United Kingdom With The Scots have the greatest reverence for the celebration of the New Year; for all other residents, New Year's Eve is a great occasion to meet friends and have a great time. In the evening from December 31 to January 1, thousands of Londoners, tourists and guests of the city flock to the famous Piccadilly and Trafalgar Squares to celebrate the holiday to the sounds of Big Ben.

How do the British celebrate the New Year?

Unlike Christmas, which is usually celebrated with relatives at home, on New Year's Eve, the British prefer public places. Pubs, cafes and restaurants are popular on this night. where noisy companies gather and visitors become one big family. After midnight, young people tend to get into discos and other events that continue until the morning.
Another entertainment for the British is carnival processions and folk festivals during which balloons or Chinese lanterns are launched. England's central fir tree is set up in Trafalgar Square. From year to year, the authorities try to decorate the coniferous tree, traditionally brought from Norway, in the most elegant and original way possible.
The central event of New Year's Eve - London Parade, whose participants annually become more than 10,000 dancers, magicians, acrobats, musicians, actors, mummers, clowns and other people of art. In Europe, it is difficult to imagine a larger-scale New Year's event, the parade starts at the main Christmas tree and passes through the central streets of the country's capital, the procession ends with fireworks.

Symbols of England for the New Year

New Year for children

New Year is the most long-awaited children's holiday, which kids perceive as an opportunity to get a toy and communicate with winter wizards. On the street you can meet Santa Claus with a huge bag full of gifts for children. Another Santa keeps his watch at the central English Christmas tree, and each child can sit on his knees to voice his cherished desire, which must come true on New Year's Eve.
It is customary for families to prepare sweet treats and treats for Santa and his "vehicle" - a small charming donkey. Children put sweets and hay in wooden shoes and leave them next to the plate intended for gifts. Favorite fairy-tale characters of the British - Humpty Dumpty and the March Hare often accompany Santa on his journey around the country. According to legend, Santa enters the house through the chimney and so that his offerings do not fall to the floor, large socks are hung on the fireplace, in which the children find gifts.

New Year's Eve

Before celebrating the New Year, the British see off the old one. No one knows when this custom appeared, but exactly at midnight, the British first open the back doors so that the previous year leaves the house, making room for the coming one, then they open the front doors, letting a happy future into their lives. Historians consider such a rite a transition from the old life to the new. The first day of the new year is of particular importance, during this period they made important decisions, shared their plans and made promises to fulfill their plans.
An English sign says that for good luck and happiness in the family, a dark-haired man should be the first to cross the threshold of the house in the new year. It is best if he brings with him three things - salt, coal and bread - symbols of wealth, warmth and plentiful food. According to the rules, the guest should silently approach the fireplace and put a piece of coal in the hearth, and only after that, the person is invited to the table and congratulated on the New Year. According to the weather, which will be on January 1, the British determine the yield for the next season. Rain speaks of agricultural difficulties and problems, the sun reads a successful harvest to the grain growers. The shape and appearance of the clouds will help determine how good the year will be for harvesting.