Added: 01/06/2006 |
Christmas vacations and Christmas customsChristmas Day is observed on the 25th of December. In Britain this day was a festival long before the conversion to Christianity. Though religion in Britain has been loosing ground Christmas is still the most widely celebrated festival. It is the most colourful and merry holiday. It is the most popular holiday in Great America and United States of America.
Christmas is the holiday that appeals to the child in all of us, and it is the most exciting time for us. Christmas has three marvelous aspects - both the giving and receiving of presents, making beautiful decorations and preparing the most wonderful food. It is magic time. Both children and adult enjoy this holiday. Especially they enjoy Christmas vacations, when children do not go to school and adults don't work.
On Christmas Eve everything is in rush. Offices close at one o'clock but the shops stay open late. Most cities are decorate with coloured lights and enormous Christmas trees. In the homes people decorate Christmas trees and hang a bunch of mistletoe under which the boys kiss the girls. They also arrange Christmas cards on shelves, tables, mantelpieces. In England almost every family receives more than 60 Christmas cards. The housewife is busy cooking a turkey and banking Christmas cakes. Over the head of the bed people hang stockings. Children believe that Father Christmas will come down the chimney and fill the stockings with presents, toys and gifts. A carrot for the reindeer is usually left on the mantelpiece.
On Christmas Day many people go to church. On returning from church the family gather round the tree and open the parcels. Everyone gets something.
Christmas meal is really traditional - stuffed turkey, boiled ham, mashed potatoes to be followed by plum pudding, mince pies, tea or coffee and cakes. People make Christmas puddings before Christmas. All the family stir the pudding and make a wish. When the pudding is hot, they put 5-penny pieces in it and sometimes silver charms - a horseshoe a button or a ring. A 5 -penny piece means you are going to have money they next year, the horseshoe brings good luck, the ring means a wedding. The button means you aren't' going to get married.
If there are children in the family, people usually have Christmas crackers. When you pull them, they make a bang and inside there is usually a paper hat, a small toy or a piece of paper with a joke on it.
There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. People travel from all parts of the country to be at home for Christmas. Of course not everyone celebrates Christmas at home. If you want to make you Christmas vacations memorable you can go to on Christmas cruise. A cruise is a unique travel experience. Traveling in a cruise enriches the Christmas vacations value with. There are a big variety of cruises. On Christmas vacations you may travel abroad and stay in Christmas hotel and feel like at home.
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