2. Christmas Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on December
25. It traditionally celebrates Jesus Christ's birth but many
aspects of this holiday have pagan origins. Christmas is a time for
many people to give and receive gifts and prepare special festive
meals. 3. Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian
churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the
celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It starts on the
fourth Sunday before December 25, which is the Sunday between
November 27 and December 3. One of the most famous traditions
concerning Advent is "Advent wreath" - a wreath of fir branches, in
which are woven four candles. On the first Sunday one candle is
lit, on the second - two and so on, so it's every week become
brighter. These wreaths decorate churches and homes of the
believers.Advent 4. Christmas Eve The 24th of December is day
called Christmas Eve. Carol singing, midnight church services and
going out to the pub are some of the activities that many families
can enjoy on Christmas Eve. Night time on Christmas Eve though is a
very exciting time for young children. It is the time when Santa or
Father Christmas comes. They hang up their stockings and go to
sleep. On Christmas Eve Santa piles all of the toys onto his sleigh
and rides across the sky with his 9 reindeer (Dasher, Dancer,
Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course ...
Rudolf!). Traditionally on Christmas Eve mince pies and milk are
left out for Santa and nowadays carrots are left for his reindeer.
5. Boxing Day In England Boxing Day celebrated on December 26th, is
traditionally a time to give gifts to tradesmen, servants, and
friends. It originated in medieval times, when every priest was
supposed to empty the alms box of his church and distribute gifts
to the poor. It didn't become widely celebrated though until
Victorian England. In the UK Boxing Day is still a public holiday,
some shops and supermarkets open nowadays, but banks and most
offices remain closed. 6. The Queen's Message One Christmas ritual
not drawn from an ancient tradition is the British monarch's
broadcast on Christmas day. The tradition began in 1932 when King
George V read a special speech written by Rudyard Kipling. The
broadcast was an enormous success . It began, "I speak now from my
home and from my heart, to you all...". Queen Elizabeth II
continues the tradition to this day. Every year she broadcasts her
message on Christmas Day, and it is heard by millions of people all
over the world. In England most people watch or listen to it whilst
digesting their Christmas Dinner! 7. There are several
"traditional" meals you can have at Christmas. Here's a brief look
at what the British nosh on Christmas day. 8. Christmas dinner
Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom is usually eaten in the
afternoon on 25 December. The dinner usually consists of roast
turkey, sometimes with roast beef or ham or, to a lesser extent,
pork. 9. Christmas pudding The Christmas pudding is a brown pudding
with raisings, nuts and cherries. It is similar to a fruitcake,
except that pudding is steamed and fruitcake is baked.
Traditionally a silver coin (six pence) was hidden inside the
Cristmas pudding. Silver coin brought good fortune to whomever was
lucky enough to find it when the pudding was cut.
