Holidays
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Traditions Christmas Day is celebrated on the 25th of December. Christmas is a family holiday. People stay at home and spend the time with their families. They buy Christmas presents for their friends and relations. They send Christmas cards and wish each other “Merry Christmas” and a Happy New Year.
Decorations Every family tries to have a Christmas tree, which is decorated with colored lights. They also hang little toys, sweets on the tree and put presents under the tree. Traditional colors of Christmas are green and red as they are colors of a holly- an evergreen plant with sharp leaves and red berries. People use a holly to decorate their homes during dark cold winters.
Christmas Dinner Usually the whole family has a big dinner in the afternoon. They eat chicken, duck, turkey, goose and pudding, pies for sweet.
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Guy Fawkes Day People set off fireworks and watch a firework display 5th of November
They burn a figure of Guy Fawkes Remember, remember, The5th of November.
Shamrock is a national symbol of Ireland ?
St. Patrick’s Day
Everything is green on this day. People wear green clothes, hold and watch street parades. 17th March
They eat green food and drink green drinks
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? Easter Sunday in April or May People color eggs the week before Easter and give them to friends as a symbol of renewed life. Children like to get the Easter Bunny and the basket of sweets ?
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pie, corn and beans. They thank God for all good things in their life. Thanksgiving Day People have family dinner. They eat turkey, pumpkin pie, corn and beans. They thank God for all good things in their life. 4th Thursday in November
Thanksgiving Symbols Pilgrim Hat Horn of plenty Pumpkin Turkey Cranberry Corn
Valentine’s Day ?
Symbols Almost all valentines ask “Be my Valentine”. The greeting cards have pictures of hearts. Valentines often show a cupid with an arrow. Red roses are the symbols of love
Decorations All the decorations are bright red, and the most popular ones are heart shaped. Red is the color most often used in valentines because it is a symbol of warmth and feelings. White color is another traditional color of St. Valentine’s.
Gifts The day is a time to send little gifts to people you love. Flowers, jewelry and candy are favorite presents which sweethearts send each other. Valentine candy is packed in red heart-shaped boxes.
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Jack-o-lantern Trick or treat symbols treats, games
Symbols
Symbols Halloween is celebrated on 31 October and it’s connected with evil spirits. Witches flying on broomsticks with black cats, goblins, ghosts, vampires, pirates and skeletons are all symbols of Halloween. Black is one of the traditional Halloween colors, because Halloween festivals and traditions take place at night. In the weeks before October 31, Americans decorate windows of houses with silhouettes of witches and black cats.
Jack-o-lantern Pumpkins are also a symbol of Halloween and the orange is the other traditional Halloween color. A favorite Halloween tradition is to make a jack-o lantern out of the pumpkin. The children carve a pumpkin, they cut the eyes, nose and mouth. They light a candle inside the pumpkin to scare their friends and set jack-o- lantern in the window.
Trick or Treat Children put on masks and costumes, take baskets and go from house to house. They knock on the door or ring the bell and say “Trick or treat’. It means ‘Give us a treat or we’ll play a trick on you’. People give the children sweets, cookies and apples.
Games and Treats At Halloween parties children play traditional games. The most popular games are Bobbing for apples, Musical chairs, Pin the tail on the donkey, Drop the heart, Who stole my heart? Traditional treats are dried pumpkin seeds, popcorn balls, toffee apples and pumpkin pie.