GUY FAWKES´ NIGHT.

            
              "Remember, remember!
               the fifth of November!
               The Gunpowder treason and plot;
                I know of no reason
               Why the Gunpowder treason
               Should ever be forgot!" (English Folk Verse).

           

              Bonfire Night is also known as Fireworks' Night or Guy Fawkes' Night. It's a British tradition dating back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Catholic conspirator Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I.

              In 1605 King James I was on the throne. He was very unpopular with Roman Catholics. Some of them planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5th November of that year, when the King was going to open Parliament. Under the House of Lords they had stored 36 barrels of gun powder, which were to be exploded by a man called Guy Fawkes. He was discovered, arrested and later hanged.

             Since that day the British traditionally celebrate 5th November by burning a dummy on a bonfire, whilst at the same time letting off fireworks.This dummy is called a "guy" (like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen on the pavements before 5th November saying " Penny for the guy", then they buy some fireworks.

              

TEA DRINKING.

Anna Maria Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, is reputed to have originated the idea of afternoon tea in the early 1800s. She conceived the idea of having tea around four or five o´clock in the afternoon to ward off the hunger pangs between lunch and dinner. She found a light meal of tea (usually Darjeeling)and cakes or sandwiches was the perfect balance. Some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread. These habits soon became a good reason for social gatherings, and started a trend. Afternoon tea quickly became an established and convivial repast in many middle and upper class households.

As the popularity of tea spread, it also became an essential part of people´s entertainment outside the house. Tea gardens then opened all over the country, with tea served as the high point of the afternoon. Dancing was included as part of the day´s festivities so from the tea gardens came the idea of the tea dance which remained fashionable in Britain until World War II, when they lost popularity.

But rapid urban growth in the early 1800s led to the closure of the gardens and the only places left serving tea were the inns, taverns and hostelries. Tea now began to play an important role in the temperance movement´s battle against the very high levels of alcohol comsumption.

Between 1741 and 1820, industrialists, landowners and clerics tried to put a stop to the tea break, maintaining that tea drinking and rest made working people slothful. Nowadays. it is believed that regular tea breaks are a vital part of the day and help to maintain a positive balance and good health.

KING ARTHUR: FACT OR MITH

The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has been very popular in Europe for more than a thousand years. The Knights of England wanted to choose a new king. They found a huge stone with a sword in it. There was a golden writing on the sword which said: "the man who can pull the sword out of the stone will be the king". Young Arthur, who was a boy at the time, pulled out the sword Excalibur from the stone, which no one except the next king could do. Then he became king. Arthur lived in the castle of Camelot, the ideal court. It was famous for bravery, chivalry, romantic love and magic, which was practised by Merlin, the magician.

But England and Arthur began to lose power when Arthur learned about the love affair between his wife, Guinevere, and his best friend, Sir Lancelot. Then Arthur began the search for the Holy Grial (the wine cup used at Christ´s last meal) which Sir Galahad finally found and brought back.

Arthur grew strong again and he went into battle to save England from his evil cousin, Mordred, whom he liked. But Arthur himself was seriously wounded in the great battle. Before he died, he gave his magic sword, Excalibur, to his friend, Bedivere. He told Sir Bedivere to throw the sword into the lake. The hand of the Lady of the Lake came out of the water and caught the sword. Three beautiful queens took Arthur´s body away in a boat to the magic island of Avalon, his resting place.

Did Arthur really exist? It is said by some people that he may have been a Celtic leader of the 6th or 7th century. It is claimed by some that many stories of the Arthurian legend were invented by Geoffrey of Monmouth. But it is believed by others that Arthur really existed, and there are many places in Britain which claim to have connections with the story or to be the actual site of Camelot. The legend says that one day Arthur will return if England is ever in danger again. Perhaps we will never know, unless England is in trouble and Arthur reappears with his Knights to rescue it from danger.

AULD LANG SYNE

"Auld Lang Syne" is the most commonly sung song for English-speakers to bring in the New Year and say goodbye to the old year. It is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1797 edition of the book , "Scots Musical Museum". Burns transcribed it after he heard it sung by an old man from Scotland.

"Auld Lang Syne" literally translates as "old long since" and means "times goes by". The song asks whether old friends and times will be forgotten and promises to remember people of the past with fondness, "for auld lang syne, we´ll take a cup of kindness yet". In the song, two old friends who haven´t seen each other in a long time meet and share a drink together.



SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,
AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND?
SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,
AND DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE?

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR,
FOR AULD LANG SYNE,
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE.

AND HERE´S A HAND MY TRUSTY FRIENDS
AND HERE´S THE HAND OF THINE,
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR,
FOR AULD LANG SYNE
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE.


http://youtu.be/7C9YWK2MKs4

THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS

Long ago, many pagan festivals took place in the Winter. In Scandinavia, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with the festival of Yule. Also at Winter Solstice, the Druids celebrated the festival of Nolagh. The Romans held a festival called Saturnalia in December, in honour of their harvest god, Saturn. The Greeks and the Egyptians also had celebrations at this time of year.

- Today, Christmas is when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. It is the most joyful time of year for Christians, altough non-believers also look forward to Christmas.

- We do not know the exact date when Jesus was born, so early Christians did not celebrate the birth of Jesus on a special day. Later, the Church decided that an official date should be fixed, and chose 25th December.

- The word Christmas means Christ´s Mass, and it was first celebrated officially in AD 354.

Different countries have different Christmas customs and traditions.

In Holland and Germany, children receive sweets on 6th December, St. Nicholas´s Day. Their Christmas presents are brought by the Christkindl on Christmas Eve. St. Nicholas is the messenger of the Christkindl.
In Italy and Spain, most gifts are given on 6th January. In France, Father Christmas is known as Père Nöel, and children leave their shoes for him to fill with gifts on Christmas Eve.
Children in Mexico take part in a procession called "a posada", which means "inn".This commemorates the time when Joseph and Mary were seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Christmas Day itself is a quiet family day and presents are exchanged on 6th January.
America has many different Christmas customs because so many people have settled there from other countries. In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of summer, so Christmas Dinner is often served on the beach as a barbecue. Homes are decorated with palm leaves and special flowers.

IT´S TIME TO BE HAPPY. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!

ADVENT

Advent means "arrival" (from Latin "adventur"). It is the season just before Christmas and begins on 1st December. During Advent, Christians remember the long and tiring journey that Joseph and Mary made to Bethlehem.

· Advent Candle: Special candles are often lit in church during Advent. A white candle is lit on each of the Sundays of Advent, and burns throughout the day. A special Christmas candle is lit on 25th December.

· Advent Calendar: This idea originally came from German Lutherans. It is often a picture of a Christmas scene, on which 24 small "windows" have been marked. Behind each window, there is a picture of something to do with Christmas. One window is opened on each day of December until Christmas Eve.

· Christingle: Christingle means "Christ-light", and a Christingle consists of an orange (the world) with a candle pushed into it. The candle stands for Jesus, the light of the World. The orange is speared with four little sticks carrying fruit, representing the fruits of the Earth. A red ribbon (Christ´s blood) is tied round the orange. The original custom has been practised since Roman times, when fruit stuck with almonds, raisins, and olive sprigs from the sacred groves of the goddess Strenia, were given as goodwill gifts in December. The custom was brought to Britain by Roman soldiers. Much later, it spread to America and came back to Britain as a Christingle to express the message of Christmas.

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. In America, it is time of turkeys, stuffing and pumpkin pie. A time of Indian corn, holiday parades and giant ballons.

In the USA, in 1621 after a hard and devastating first year in the New World, the Pilgrim´s fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter. Their governor proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the native American Indians.

The custom of an annually celebrated Thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (1770´s), a day of national Thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted this day as an annual custom and by the middle of 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day.

The turkey has become the most well-known symbol of Thanksgiving Day. The American traditions of this day revolve around a huge meal, usually with turkey as the centrepiece. A special prayer of thanks precedes the meal and in many homes, family members will mention something they are very thankful for.

Thanksgiving is a time for families to create traditions and memories that last a lifetime. Nowadays in the United States they celebrate Thanksgiving Day with parades, football and the start of the Christmas shopping season.