St. Patrick was a Christian missionary who converted
Ireland from paganism. He lived from the late 4th century A.D. to the mid 5th
century A.D. The legend says that St. Patrick miraculously drove (snakes) from Ireland by banging a drum . The snakes may
represent paganism, driven out of Ireland. To explain the doctrine of the Trinity, St. Patrick
compared a (shamrock) (similar to
a three-leaf clover) with its three leaves to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
combined to make the holy Trinity. From that time the shamrock has been the
symbol of the land. Irishmen wear it in their hats on the saint's day. March 17th is the anniversary of the death of Saint
Patrick. In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is a holy, religious time with praying,
singing and dancing. Saint Patrick's Day has been celebrated in the United
States since the middle of the eighteenth century.
Ireland's nickname is "The Emerald Isle" because
the grass on the hills is so green. Everyone wears the colour green on St.
Patrick's Day to honour The Emerald Isle. Some of the biggest St. Patrick's Day
parades are in Chicago, Illinois, New York City, and Savannah, Georgia. The
city of Chicago celebrate by colouring their river green!
The (leprechan) is
Ireland's national fairy. Leprechauns are represented as shoemakers and are
often drunk. They are guardians of ancient treasures left by the Danes and keep
gold coins in pots that they hide at the end of a (rainbow). If you catch
a leprechaun, he will promise you (pots of gold) if you
let him go free. The (Blarney Stone) is a
stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of
Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of
persuasive eloquence. It is difficult because you must lie down on your back
and bend your head backwards and downwards
Let me
introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third
century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor
named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A
lot of people shared my feelings.
Claudius
wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just
did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and
families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius
furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not
married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow
any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it
was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!
Did I
mention that I was a priest? One of my favorite activities was to marry
couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing
marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting.
Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We
would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps
of soldiers.
One
night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was
marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I
used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was
death.
I
tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many
young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to
my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of
these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her
to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped
me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the
Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I
left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I
signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
I
believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's
Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on
this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and
friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried
to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love
can't be beaten!
Christmas is undoubtably the biggest celebration of
the calendar year in the UK. During the month of December many children have
advent calenders in which they open a door each day showing a Christmas scene
or providing them with a chocolate! Almost every British family has a real
Christmas tree in their house, and many people decorate their living rooms and
put up Christmas cards.
Christmas Eve is the name given to the 24th of
December. On this day, the final preparations are made for the Christmas lunch
on the 25th, and in the evening the children hang up their stockings (large,
long socks) in the hope that Father Christmas will fill them with all sorts of
presents.
Christmas Day is the 25th of December and is the most
important day of the Christmas period. All the family come together to enjoy a
Christmas meal at lunchtime - usually around 1 or 2 pm - which includes turkey,
roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy (a delicious warm meaty sauce to pour over
the food!) The Queen then appears at 3pm on television to give a 10 minute
speech to the nation and then the presents are opened and more food is
consumed!
Boxing Day is the name given to the 26th of December
and this is also a national holiday. Then it´s the countdown to the New Year,
with New Year´s Eve (31st of December) and New Year´s Day (1st of January).
However, the 6th of January is a normal day in the UK, there are no "Reyes
magos" and everyone is back at work or school.
Theeleventh hourof theeleventh dayof theeleventh monthmarks the
signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World
War One.
At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent
after more than four years continuous warfare.
What is Remembrance Day?
Remembrance Day is on11
November. It is a
special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed
during the two World Wars and other conflicts. At one time the day was known
asArmistice Dayand was
renamed Remembrance Dayafter theSecond World War.
Remembrance Sundayis held on the
second Sunday in November, which is usually the Sunday nearest to 11
November. Special services are held at war memorials and churches all over
Britain.
A war memorial in Sevenoaks Kent
A national ceremony takes place at theCenotaphinWhitehall, London. The
Queen lays the first wreath at the Cenotaph.
Wreathsare layed
beside war memorials by companies, clubs and societies. People also leavesmall wooden crossesby the memorials in
remembrance of a family member who died in war.
This is the
time of year when all the crops have been harvested.
What is a Harvest Festival?
Harvest
Festival is a celebration of the food grown on the land.
Thanksgiving
ceremonies and celebrations for a successful harvest are both worldwide and
very ancient. In Britain, we have given thanks for successful harvests since
pagan times. We celebrate this day by singing, praying and decorating our
churches with baskets of fruit and food in a festival known as 'Harvest
Festival', usually during the month ofSeptember.
Harvest
Festival reminds Christians of all the good things God gives them. This makes
them want to share with others who are not so fortunate. In schools and in
Churches, people bring food from home to a Harvest Festival Service. After
the service, the food that has been put on display is usually made into
parcels and given to people in need.
When is Harvest Festival?
Harvest
festivals are traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. Unlike
the USA and Canada, the UK does not have a national holiday for Harvest
Festival.
