Throughout out the year there are festivals of art, music and culture, such as the Notting Hill Carnival in west London and the Edinburgh Festival. Customs and traditions from various religions such as Eid ul-Fitr (Muslims), Diwali (Hindu) and Hanukkah (Jewish) are widely recognised in the UK. Children learn about these at school. The main Christian festivals are Christmas and Easter. There are also celebrations of non-religious festivals such as New Year.
25 December, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a public holiday. Many Christians go to church on Christmas Eve (24 December) or on Christmas Day itself. Christmas is also usually celebrated by people who are not Christian. People usually spend the day at home and eat a special meal, which often includes turkey. They give gifts, send each other cards and decorate their houses. Many people decorate a tree. Christmas is a special time for children. Very young children believe that an old man, Father Christmas (or Santa Claus), brings them presents during the night. He is always shown in pictures with a long white beard, dressed in red. Boxing Day, 26 December, is the day after Christmas. It is a public holiday.
1 January is a public holiday. People usually celebrate on the night of 31 December. In Scotland, 31 December is called Hogmany and 2 January is also a public holiday. In Scotland Hogmany is a bigger holiday for some people than Christmas.
14 February is when lovers exchange cards and gifts. Sometimes people send anonymous cards to someone they secretly admire.
1 April is a day when people jokes on each other until midday. Often TV and newspapers carry stories intended to deceive credulous viewers and readers.
The Sunday three weeks before Easter is a day when children send cards or buy gifts for their mothers. Easter is also an important Christian festival.
31 October is a very ancient festival. Young people will often dress up in frightening costumes to go play 'trick or treat'. Giving them sweets or chocolates might stop them playing a trick on you. Sometimes people carry lanterns made out of pumpkins with a candle inside.
5 November is an occasion when people in Great Britain set off fireworks at home or in special displays. The origin of this celebration was an event in 1605 when a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament.
11 November commemorates those who died fighting in World War 1, World War 2, and other wars. Many people wear poppies (a red flower) in memory of those who died. At 11 a.m. there is a two-minute silence.
Sport of all kind plays a major part in many people's lives. Football, tennis, rugby, and cricket are very popular sports in the UK. There are no United Kingdom teams for football and rugby. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own teams. Important sporting events include the Grand National horse race, the Football Association (FA) cup final ( and equivalents in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the Open golf championship and the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
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This material is based on the "Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship" handbook and is produced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationary Office (HMSO) copyright unit. No part of this material may be copied or reproduced without the permission of HMSO copyright unit. Reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use Licence.