Extraordinary holidays of Great Britain

Contents

Inroduction..................................................................................................3

1. Extraordinary Holidays in Great Britain

          1.  Up-Helly-Aa.................................................................................4

          2.  Spring Day....................................................................................4

          3. Lefthanders Day.............................................................................5

          4. Boxing Day....................................................................................6

          5. King's/Queen's Official Birthday....................................................7

2. Extraordinary Gifts in Great Britain..................................................8
3. The Research of the Russian Students' Knowledge

          of the Extraordinary Holidays and Gifts in Great Britain..................9

Conclusion..................................................................................................11

Bibliography...............................................................................................12

Introduction

        The British people are well-known for their value of traditions, which is still seen in the perseverance of monarchy and respectful attitude towards their culture (art, architecture, literature etc.). One of the cultural aspects which also reveals the character of the people itself is celebration of traditional holidays.

        On the other hand, the British are very imaginative and creative people. Therefore, nothing can stop them from thinking of new things to celebrate and new ways of celebration.

        The fine-spun history of the British Isles has also been a perfect breeding ground for the appearance of different customs and holidays.

        Studying holidays of another country is always an interesting way of trying to learn the culture and the character of the people, because the holidays show what people like and respect. This topic has always caused much interest among different  investigators: from students to professors. Therefore, there is no meaning in learning and telling others about the holidays which they already know and probably celebrate in their own country (such as New Year, Christmas), because a lot has already been written on this subject. Thereby, the object of this report was to find and investigate extraordinary holidays of Great Britain, which are unknown or little-known for the Russian people. It can shed a light on some aspects of the British culture which has previously been little-noticed. There has also been an investigation of interesting gifts which have been given/received by the British.

I. Extraordinary Holidays in Great Britain

1. Up-Helly-Aa

        The Scots are cheerful people. They are very fond of holidays, and at the same time they respect traditions. Therefore it is twice pleasant, when a holiday becomes a tradition.

        In the IX century the Shetland Islands witnessed the landing of a people who changed the history of the Islands – the Vikings. In honor of it every year at the end of January in Lerwick (the capital) there is a holiday held, consisting of a solemn procession, a carnival and songs. This sight is impressive in its scale and brightness^[1].

        The main object of the carnival is a Vikings-time wooden boat which is made specifically for the holiday. The celebration always ends with the burning of a boat, however, before it happens the whole ritual is carried out. People put on Vikings suits: skins and horned helmets. The city is filled with a terrible roar of pipes. A noisy crowd proceeds through the city carrying the boat to the sea. Naturally, the burning is carried out in the evening.

        It is known that at the time of the Vikings burial was carried out through burning as it was considered that the spirit of a dead soldier rises together with a smoke from a fire to the place where it receives an award for worthy life and death. Therefore the burning of the ship represents a peculiar form of burial.

        During the holiday procession the ship is carried by forty “Vikings”, and other participants – more than nine hundred people – follow them, holding blazing torches. When the ship is delivered to the coast, they throw the torches in it. A huge fire flares ashore, and nobody goes away till it goes out. The show given at this time by participants of the procession is really impressive. It seems that the time of furious Vikings who couldn't imagine dying any other way but in a battle, suddenly comes back^[2].

        2. Spring Day

        Only the humorous English people, of course, could come up with the celebration of spring just right before summer begins (at the end of May)! But better late than never. On this day all the streets and houses are decorated with garlands of British spring flowers. In the morning the streets are filled with parades. People walk cheerfully, carrying flowers and branches of blooming trees. And in the afternoon and evening the celebration results in festivals^[3].

        The origins of Spring Day go back to the Middle Ages. At that time the celebration was accompanied by folk songs, dances, and archery. According to the legend, Robin Hood was captured at one of this events.

        Nowadays the holiday's lost some of its national roots, but it is still loved.

        Many pieces of arts are displayed after reconstruction and many exhibitions are held on this day.  On May, 26 2000, one of the largest monuments of the English architecture of the XVIII century - Somerset House - was opened after reconstruction. Its reconstruction cost 48 million pounds.  The building hosts a large exhibition center, and in the evenings one can go to an open-air movie, opera, theater, and see a singing fountain. Many local people and visitors go there for a holiday^[4].                                                                 3. Lefthanders Day

        International Lefthanders Day was for the first time celebrated on August 13, 1992 at the initiative of the British Club of Lefthanders, created in 1990. On this day the lefthanders of the whole world aspire to draw attention of goods producers to the need of taking into consideration their conveniences as well.  They arrange various actions and competitions. However the main concern of the Club of Lefthanders in Great Britain is that at many British schools lefthanded children are still made to use their right hand to write, which causes psychological stresses and lowers progress of pupils^[5].

        According to the statistics, about 10 percent of the world population are lefthanders. There are many well-known people who are/were lefthanders, such as the English Queen Elizabeth, Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Leonardo da Vinci, Aristotle, Isaac Newton, Mark Twain, Mikelanzhelo Buonaroti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Nicolo Paganini, Robert Schuman, Ludwig van Beethoven, Peter I, Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Jim Carrie, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Cruise, Bill Gates, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Mickey Rourke, Silvestre Stallone, Bruce Willis, Drew Barrymore, Whoopi Goldberg, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Lisa Kudrow, Demi Moore, Julian Moore, sisters Olsen, Sara Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Franz Kafka, James Cameron, David Bowie, Enrico Caruso, Curt Kobeyn, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Dzhorzh Michael, Sergey Rakhmaninov, George Bush the senior, Bill Clinton, queen Victoria, prince William and Nikolay Leskov,  who wrote in the 19th century a well-known story about the Lefthander that hacked a flea.

4. Boxing Day

        The day on which people receive their Christmas gifts is called Boxing day, which actually means rather «the day of the boxes». Boxing day is celebrated on December 26, that is, on the first day after the Western Christmas. It is a state holiday in the UK and the Commonwealth. If it happens to be on a Saturday or Sunday, people get an extra day off.

        In many European countries there is an analogue to Boxing Day, but it may be called differently - such as St. Stephen's Day. Traditionally various sporting events are held on this day. Originally Boxing day was devoted to fox hunting (recently banned), but today people increasingly prefer football, polo, horse racing and other outdoor activities. In Australia, for example, on December, 26 qualifying matches for croquet begin, and Sydney hosts the world famous annual regatta. Another nice aspect of the holiday is a sharp decline in the prices of Christmas items that have lost their topicality. However, the New Year is still ahead, and something might be useful.

         Boxing day has a tendency to grow into Boxing week, and at the end it becomes like Russian New Year holidays, during which it is possible to go on a visit to another city^[6].

        The biggest mystery of Boxing Day is linked to the origin of its name. There are different assumptions - from naive to funny folk-centric. Some think that it was so named because after Christmas every house is cluttered with packaging waste, which has not yet been carried to trashcans. Others believe that the notorious boxes in this context are boxes with all sorts of unwanted gifts that the recipients in the early morning rush back to the store (some vendors provide this capability). Still others associate it with the festival boxing thinking that drunken friends and relatives on this day tend to use each other as a punching bag. Let us say at once - none of the explanations above reflect the reality. In fact, things were as follows.

        Once upon a time there was a tradition among the upper to give presents to their servants on December, 26. The servants also got a day off on the 26th, since they had to work on Christmas day.  Interestingly, the owners didn't expect any gifts in return, it was a gratuitous act. The exchange of gifts was possible only among people of the same class. Another plausible version suggests that centuries ago merchants were in the habit of giving those those who worked for them (sellers, servants, clerks, etc.) boxes with delicious food. These gifts were a bit of a Christmas bonus for good work. Hence, there appeared the name “Boxing Day”. Finally, it is possible that the holiday owes its name to other practices: on December, 25 priests revealed boxes into which charitable-minded members of the church have been throwing coins for the whole year, and on December, 26  they handed out the money to the poor^[7].

                                5. King's / Queen's Official Birthday

The official celebration of the Birthday of an English monarch takes place on the second Saturday of June. To say more precisely, the Royal Birthday can be celebrated on the first, second or third (seldom) Saturday of June. For example, Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926, however, according to the tradition, the official celebration is carried out in the first summer month.

This tradition was established by the British king Edward VII (November 9, 1841 — May 6, 1910). He was born in late autumn, but he wanted to celebrate his birthday in summer, when the weather is good, and at a big gathering of people.

In honor of the Birthday of the monarch national flags are hung out on all governmental buildings.

A ceremonial parade is held on this special day in the residence of the British kings in Whitehall. The main event at the ceremony is carrying out of a banner or as it is still called, the solemn Changing of the Guard. A guards regiment which serves its duty in Buckingham palace brings a banner to the monarch^[8].

II. Extraordinary Gifts in Great Britain

        The actual birthday of Queen Elizabeth II is April, 21st. On this day she receives birthday cards and gifts from her subjects and fans from around the world. But what can one give to the monarch who has everything?

        Gifts within the royal family show fine modesty. For example, most favorite gifts, which the Queen has received from her sons and daughters are a waterproof apron for washing dishes and tableware that can be used in the oven. Prince Charles gave his sister Anna a doormat.

        Of course, a holiday can't be imagined without flowers. Bouquets given to the Queen are later sent to hospitals and nursing homes, which has long been a tradition^[9].

        The Queen receives many gifts when she travels to other countries. Some of them are truly royal. For example, recently she got a miniature model of the Indian royal palace, made of silver. During her last year's trip to Australia, the Queen received many gifts from the public. These were  silk neckscarves, boxes of chocolates and biscuits, a variety of "indigenous crafts" figurines, a protective screen for the Royal PC and even an emu egg! The Queen is very fond of dogs and horses, but she believes that giving animals as presents is not a good idea. Still members of the royal family got such gifts as a hippopotamus, a grizzly bear and a baby crocodile. In 1995 the Queen herself received a white bull from the Zulu king and four Arabian horses from the Moroccan king.  The list may be continued with   turtles, otters, and an elephant named Jumbo. Animals were subsequently sent to the London zoo.

        Like all ordinary people, the Queen does not only get, but also gives gifts. Respecting the rules of courtly etiquette, Elizabeth II became an expert in the field of gift giving, which she always chooses herself. However, some embarassing situations still happen. On one occasion she gave the king of Nepal the latest stereosystem, quite unaware of the fact that at that time there was no electricity in the country. In general, when choosing a gift becomes a major difficulty it is necessary to try and avoid "inflation gifts" in order not to incur the "financial headache," as other monarchs in the world start competing in giving more and more expensive gifts.

        Some Britons once in a lifetime receive their most important birthday card. The only condition for this is to celebrate one's centenary. In this case Queen Elizabeth II will personally write you a letter. In 2000, the Queen Mother Elizabeth celebrated her centenary and traditionally a postman delivered to her a card with congratulations from her daughter^[10].

3. The Research on the Russian Students' Knowledge of the Extraordinary British Holidays

        In order to prove the fact that the holidays in question are really extraordinary and unknown for Russians, we decided to conduct a study among Russian students. On the whole, 70 students from  5-11th grade took part in the experiment (10 people from every age group). We asked them to fill in a questionnaire concerning the topic of the research. There were following questions there:

1. Please, mark the holidays that you've never heard of before (variants of answers: Christmas, Boxing Day, Up-Helly-Aa, New Year, King's /Queen's Official Birthday, Spring Day, Mother's Day, Easter, Lefthanders' Day, Fool's Day).
2. Please describe the most extraordinary gift that you've ever received, given or heard of
3. Do you know what presents the Queen of England has got?
4. Did you know that she receives presents not only from the members of her family, but other people as well?
5. Did you know that on Spring Day people decorate their houses with flowers?
6. Did you know that many famous people are lefthanded?
7. Did you know that on Boxing Day people give charity to those who are poor?

The answers showed that chosen for research holidays are really interesting

and extraordinary, specifically British holidays. None of the respondents have ever heard about Up-Helly-Aa, only one student knew about the King's / Queen's Official Birthday celebration, only 2 persons were familiar with the existence of the Lefthanders' Day, and 5 people knew about Boxing Day. As for the Spring Day, 39 students (more than 50 % of the respondents) have also never heard about it.

         This questionnaire also served as a way to expand students worldview. For example, 41 respondents have never thought that many famous people in the world are lefthanded, and now they know about it. More than half of the students (38) now know that on Boxing Day people give out charity. Also about half of the respondents (29) said they didn't know that the British people decorate their houses with flowers on Spring Day, and now they do. This survey may also prompt them to try to find out about the holidays in Britain that they've never heard of before. That will certainly expand their cultural horizon.  

        They also shared some gifts that they considered to be interesting. Among those that they listed we found these extraordinary ones: a chocolate room, a parachute flight, and an aerostat. Therefore, in Russia there are also very creative and generous people.

Conclusion

        Holiday traditions reflect the national character. The paper has shown that the British people respect their history, value their royal traditions, are concerned about the poor and about people which are different from the majority (such as lefthanders). At the same time they love having fun and trying to find new creative ways of bringing joy into their lives.

        The British people are also very creative in their gift-giving, which we've seen in the Queen's example.  

        The research among Russian students has shown that the described holidays and gift-giving traditions in Great Britain are little-known by the Russian people. Therefore, this report is one of the ways of filling in this niche with knowledge and shedding a new light on the topic which may have long been considered throughly studied.  

Bibliography

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2. Большая иллюстрированная энциклопедия интеллекта “Хочу всё знать”. М.: Эксмо, 2008.  
3. Ведюшкин В.А., Бурин С.Н. Всеобщая история. 4-е изд-е. Изд-во: Дрофа,“ВЕДИ-принт”, 2004.
4. Прохов А.М. Советский энциклопедический словарь. 3-е издание. М, 1985.  
5.  Шереметьева Т.Л.  Стереоэнциклопедия: 1001 вопрос и ответ обо всём на свете. Минск: Харвест, 2007.
6. http://www.promoroz.ru/raznoe/traditsii17.php
7. http://www.acapod.ru1351.html?printable=Y 
8. http://www.przd.ru/ 
9. znayuvse.ru…kultura…prazdniki/apkhelio-prazdnik… 
10. http://www.calend.ru/holidays