Christmas and the New Year in Britain

There are lots of Christmas and New Year traditions in Britain. For example... London's Christmas decorations. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present t!s a "ig Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar #$%are. &lso in central London' (xford #treet and )egent #treet always have "ea%tif%l decorations at Christmas. Tho%sands of people come to loo* at them. Cards, trees and mistletoe. n +,-. the first Christmas cards "egan in Britain. That was five years after the first Christmas tree. /%een 0ictoria!s h%s"and' 1rince &l"ert' "ro%ght this 2erman tradition 3he was 2erman4 to Britain. 5e and the /%een had a Christmas tree at 6indsor Castle in +,-+. & few years after' nearly every ho%se in Britain had one. Traditionally people decorate their trees on Christmas Eve 7 that!s 8ecem"er 9-th. They ta*e down the decorations twelve days later' on Twelfth Night 3:an%ary ;th4. &n older tradition is Christmas mistletoe. 1eople p%t a piece of this green plant with its white "erries over a door. <istletoe "rings good l%c*' people say. &lso' at Christmas British people *iss their friends and family %nder the mistletoe. Carols. Before Christmas' gro%ps of singers go from ho%se to ho%se. They collect money and sing traditional Christmas songs or carols. There are a lot of very pop%lar British Christmas carols. Three famo%s ones are= >2ood ?ing 6enceslas>' >The 5olly and The vy> and >6e Three ?ings>. Christmas Eve. British children don!t open their presents on 8ecem"er 9-th. Father Christmas "rings their presents in the night. Then they open them on the morning of the 9;th. There!s another name for Father Christmas in Britain 7 #anta Cla%s. That comes from the E%ropean name for him 7 #aint Nicholas. n the traditional story he lives at the North 1ole. B%t now he lives in "ig shops in towns and cities all over Britain. 6ell' that!s where children see him in Novem"er and 8ecem"er. Then on Christmas Eve he visits every ho%se. 5e clim"s down the chimney and leaves lots of presents. #ome people leave something for him' too. & glass of wine and some "isc%its' for example. Christmas Day. n Britain the most important meal on 8ecem"er 9;th is Christmas dinner. Nearly all Christmas food is traditional' "%t a lot of the traditions are not very old. For example' there were no t%r*eys in Britain "efore +,@@. &nd even in the nineteenth cent%ry' goose was the traditional meat at Christmas. B%t not now. & twentieth7cent%ry British Christmas dinner is roast t%r*ey with carrots' potatoes' peas' Br%ssels spro%ts and gravy. There are sa%sages and "acon too. Then' after the t%r*ey' there!s Christmas p%dding. Yo% can read a"o%t that in the chapter on food. Crac*ers are also %s%al at Christmas dinner. These came to Britain from China in the nineteenth cent%ry. Two people p%ll a crac*er. As%ally there!s a small toy in the middle. (ften there!s a Bo*e on a piece of paper' too. <ost of the Bo*es in Christmas crac*ers are not very good. 5ere!s an example= CA#T(<E)= 6aiter' there!s a frog in my so%p. 6& TE)= Yes' sir' the fly!s on holiday.

Boxing Day. 8ecem"er 9.th is Boxing 8ay. Traditionally "oys from the shops in each town as*ed for money at Christmas. They went from ho%se to ho%se on 8ecem"er 9.th and too* "oxes made of wood with them. &t each ho%se people gave them money. This was a Christmas present. #o the name of 8ecem"er 9.th doesn!t come from the sport of "oxing 7 it comes from the "oys! wooden "oxes. Now' Boxing 8ay is an extra holiday after Christmas 8ay. First Footing. n #cotland the name for New Year!s Eve is 5ogmanay. &fter midnight people visit their friends. &nd they ta*e a present 7 a piece of coal. 6hyC Beca%se traditionally the first visitor of the year m%st carry coal into the ho%se. This is >first footing>. t "rings good l%c*. t also helps to ma*e a fire in the middle of winter. New Year Resol tions. 6hat are yo%r worst fa%ltsC 8o yo% want to change themC n Britain a lot of people ma*e New Year )esol%tions on the evening of 8ecem"er D+st. For example' > !ll get %p early every morning next year.> or !! !ll clean my shoes every day.!! B%t there!s a pro"lem. <ost people forget their New Year )esol%tions on :an%ary 9nd.

THE QUEEN'S CHRISTMAS SPEECH

Now here!s a modern royal c%stom. (n Christmas 8ay at D.@@ in the afternoon the /%een ma*es a speech on radio and T0. t!s ten min%tes long. n it she tal*s to the people of the Anited ?ingdom and the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is a large gro%p of co%ntries. n the past they were all in the British Empire. &%stralia' ndia' Canada and New Eealand are among the -F mem"ers. The B.B.C. 3the British Broadcasting Corporation4 sends the /%een!s speech to every Commonwealth co%ntry. n her speech the /%een tal*s a"o%t the past year. Traditionally in speeches' *ings or $%eens say GweH not G H. /%een EliIa"eth doesn!t do this. #he says G<y h%s"and and H or B%st ! !!. The /%een doesn!t ma*e her speech on Christmas 8ay. #he films it a few wee*s "efore. Then she spends Christmas with her family at 6indsor. 8oes she watch the speech on T0C No"ody *nows.

Jingle, bells!
& day or two ago tho%ght Jd have a ride &nd soon <rs. F%nny Bright 6as seated "y my side The horse was lean and lan* <isfort%ne seemed his lot 5e got into a drifted "an* &nd we' we got %p sotK

8ashing thro%gh the snow n a one horse open sleigh (ver the fields we go La%ghing all the way. Bells on "o"tail ring <a*ing spirits "right 6hat f%n it is to ride &nd sing a sleighing song tonight.

Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way! Oh, what fun it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh!