Among the ancient Celts, Halloween was the last evening of the year and was regarded as a propitious time for examining the portents of the future. The Celts also believed that the spirits of the dead revisited their earthly homes on that evening.
After the Romans conquered Britain, they added to Halloween features of the Roman harvest festival held on November 1 in honor of Pomona, goddess of the fruits of trees.
The Celtic tradition of lighting fires on Halloween survived until modern times in Scotland and Wales, and the concept of ghosts and witches is still common to all Halloween observances. Traces of the Roman harvest festival survive in the custom, prevalent in both the United States and Great Britain, of playing games involving fruit, such as ducking for apples in a tub of water. Of similar origin is the use of hollowed-out pumpkins carved to resemble grotesque faces and lit by candles placed inside.
St. Valentine’s Day.
St. Valentine's Day has roots in several different legends. One of the earliest popular symbols of the day is Cupid, the Roman god of Love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with a bow and arrow.
Three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14,Valentine was beheaded. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter signing it, "From Your Valentine".
Another legend tells us that this same Valentine, well-loved by ail, wrote notes from his jail cell to children and friends who missed him.
February 14 was also a Roman holiday, held in honour of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities.
St. Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love. Most people send "valentines", a greeting card named after the notes that St. Valentine wrote from jail. Valentines can be sentimental, romantic and heartfelt. They can be funny and friendly. If the sender is shy, valentines can be anonymous.
Americans of all ages love to send and receive valentines. Handmade valentines are created by cutting hearts out of coloured paper. Valentines can be heart-shaped, or have hearts, the symbol of love, on them. In elementary schools, children make valentines for their classmates and put them in a large decorated box, similar to a mailbox. On February 14, the teachers open the box and distribute the valentines to each student. After the students read their valentines, they have a small party with refreshments.
You can write a short rhyme inside the heart:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you!
Or you can buy valentines with messages in them. If you are shy, you can sign it, "Your Secret Admirer".
Christmas.
Every country has its own customs and traditions. English people are proud of their traditions and they keep them up. It is difficult to speak about England without speaking about its holidays. Christmas Day is among them.
All English people celebrate Christmas (or X-mas) on the 25th of December. What kind of holiday is it? It is the yearly celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It falls on December 25 by the Catholic Church and on the 7th of January by the Orthodox Church. This holiday means the beginning of the new year and the new life.
English people celebrate this holiday with the evergreen tree - Christmas tree. Children rut along sock, called a Christmas stocking at the end of their beds and Santa Claus conies down the chimney to bring them presents.
Christmas Day is the greatest holiday in England. It is interesting to visit the shops before this holiday. There are a lot of nice Christmas cards and presents there. English people like this holiday very much and prepare for it beforehand. They buy presents for each other, try to send Christmas cards for their relatives and friends.
It is interesting to visit London during this holiday. There is a Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. We can see many lights, toys and sweets all over this tree. Everywhere you can see slogans "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year".
[1] Н.И. Гез, М.В. Ляховицкий, А.А. Миролюбов, С.К. Фоломкина, С.Ф.Шатилов. Методика обучения иностранным языкам в средней школе. М., 2002