In England, New Year is a less significant holiday compared to Christmas. How do locals celebrate New Year in England? There are many traditions of celebrating the holiday in Foggy Albion.

Holidays in the UK

In the countries of Great Britain, as well as throughout the world, Christmas and New Year are celebrated in one time.

Read also in when and how New Year and Christmas are celebrated in France.

When is New Year and what date is Christmas?

Celebrate the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar at midnight 31th of December. But most important holiday In the Catholic world, Christmas is considered to be December 25 according to the Julian calendar, the so-called “old style.”

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The main celebrations are held in Trafalgar Square; back in 1841, Queen Victoria signed a decree allowing staging here main tree.

After World War II, the Christmas tree was delivered annually from Norway. This is how Norwegians express their Gratitude for the help of the British during the liberation of Norway from the fascist invaders.

Christmas in England has been celebrated since 597 with the arrival of Augustine of Canterbury in Kent, thanks to whom many people converted to Christianity.

Holiday traditions and rituals - photos

Like any country, England has its own traditions, thanks to which the holidays are enveloped in a magical atmosphere.

New Year and Christmas symbols

Christmas symbols- This:

• angels;
• stars;
• bells;
• candles;
• gingerbread Man;
• candy canes.

Candy canes only appeared in the 17th century, they were distributed before Christmas mass to naughty and overly active children to keep them occupied during the service.

Traditional for children hanging stockings and socks on Christmas Eve near the fireplace. Red-cheeked Santa Claus descends through the chimney and leaves desired gifts for the kids.

English Santa Claus

The prototype of Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas. This kind grandfather is dressed in red and white clothes:

1. sheepskin coat;
2. trousers;
3. hat.

He has a large bag, inside of which there are various gifts for the children. In Trafalgar Square you can always meet Santa Claus at the Christmas tree. If a good-natured person sits a child on his lap, the baby will be able to whisper his wish in his ear, and he will get what he wants in New Year's Eve. There is a belief that Santa Claus travels on a reindeer sleigh.

Decorations

In preparation for the holidays, not only Christmas trees are decorated, but also candles. Decorations for the latter are made with your own hands from foil, colored paper, and all kinds of ribbons.

They hang above the entrance to the home evergreens– mistletoe, ivy and holly.

What gifts do they give?

Santa Claus brings gifts to children for the holiday, to inform grandfather about his wishes, children traditionally write to him letters. A letter with the child’s requests is burned in the fireplace, and all the written words will be carried to the addressee by the smoke.

The British love giving gifts even more than receiving them. During the winter holidays, they stop being practical and forget about saving. To please their family and friends, people decorate Christmas loans in banks, because often your own savings are not enough to buy a dream gift.

Features of table setting: what is cooked and eaten?

At Christmas in England they bake bread according to a special recipe. On top it is decorated with ritual patterns and sprinkled with greenery. Not only all household members and guests should try the bread, but also the beggars, to whom half is given, and it is also necessary that birds and pets taste the delicacy. They put beans, a ring or a button into the dough, and then tell fortunes.

If you get a piece of a product with a ring, it’s for an imminent wedding, if you get a button, then it’s bad luck - poverty is coming, and beans - for happiness and success.

It is impossible to imagine a holiday table without traditional baked turkeys and a winter drink called Snowball, which is made from Advocaat liqueur, lime juice and lemonade. At the table with a neighbor, the English break crackers and put a paper crown on their heads. During the meal it reigns celebration atmosphere.

The scope of the festivities

Celebrate Christmas in family circle, and the New Year can be celebrated in any company if desired.

How are celebrations celebrated in Foggy Albion?

At the end in the UK are held New Year's sales, all kinds of festivals and fairs. Tourists from all over the world flock here to take advantage of the opportunity to make profitable purchases with an attractive 95% discount.

Many Christians keep fast before Christmas and begin preparing for the holiday a month or 40 days before it. The celebration continues for 12 days, Christmas time is a wonderful reason to have fun.

In London, couples kiss under the mistletoe as Big Ben strikes. In the capital you can take part in New Year's parade. Festivities in honor are held in Trafalgar and Piccadilly Squares. You can buy masks from street vendors, Balloons, toys and whistles.

How are celebrations held in Scotland?

The Scots love New Year very much, considering it the main holiday of winter. People thoroughly clean their homes, throwing away unnecessary things, along with which they get rid of negative emotions. It is important to complete everything current before the New Year.

At 12 am the head of the family must open the door to release the Old Year and welcome the New Year. The main dish on the table is haggis, and the traditional dessert is shortbread cake with nuts and almonds.

Look in this video How winter holidays are celebrated in England:

UK combines modern civilization And centuries-old history. When mentioning such a holiday as New Year, most people have an association with family traditions England. And although most of the British people usually celebrate the New Year in a narrow family circle, celebrations on the occasion of the New Year are nationwide.

A week before the holiday, houses are thoroughly cleaned and windows are wiped until they shine. Outside, harvested Christmas trees can be seen in the windows. People decorate their houses and Christmas tree with toys, tinsel and garlands, and put a star or an angel on the top of the tree. Although decorating the Christmas tree was originally a German tradition, it has become popular in England since 1841, when Prince Albert decorated the Christmas tree with candles and installed it at Windsor Castle for his wife Queen Victoria and their children.
On the door of each house there is a green wreath of mistletoe, and above the door there are multi-colored light bulbs. (If you don’t have your own home, you can decorate the door of your apartment or room with a wreath).

The place where the main celebrations dedicated to the New Year take place is Trafalgar Square. A huge Christmas tree is installed there (it is traditionally brought from Norway as a sign of gratitude for the help provided to the Norwegians in liberation from the German occupiers during the Second World War). Every day thousands of people gather in the square. The London New Year's parade solemnly marches through Trafalgar Square. Musicians, dancers, acrobats, clowns and simply mummers take part in it.

Great Britain is a country of traditions. So, Happy New Year, there are a great many of them, but we want to tell you only about a few of them.

In England, for example, as soon as 12 blows are heard, the English run to open the back door of the house ( old year leaves) and open the front door so that they can enter and bring joy for the whole year - New Year.

In Scotland, New Year's Day is called Hogmanay. On New Year's Eve, townspeople roll burning barrels through the streets, burning away the old year and making way for the new one. Local residents are also very kind to the first guest on January 1st. Usually, the first guest, upon entering the house, silently goes to the fireplace - the heart of the house - and throws a coal there, and only then congratulations and wishes are heard. The first guest is required to be treated. For the New Year, the Scots bake a cake - shortbread, round, richly decorated with sweets, almonds and candied fruits. In Wales, local farmers invite all those who worked and worked diligently during the harvest to the New Year's table.

All over the UK, people hear the arrival of the New Year by the ringing of the bells on the famous Big Ben. A little before 2 o'clock the bell begins to ring slowly, and then louder, because the cover is removed from it. For battle

On the chimes, all lovers kiss under the branches of mistletoe, which serves as a magical symbol of England, and its wreaths are hung throughout the house. It is believed that there will be happiness in the New Year if you kiss the person standing in the center of the room under the mistletoe.

New Year's masquerade is an integral part of holiday celebrations. One very interesting custom in Britain is associated with the organization of masquerades - for the 12 days of Christmastide, a festival manager was chosen in each palace or castle, who in England was called the “Lord of Disorder”, and in Scotland - the “Imaginary Abbot”. Their retinue usually included popular characters from British folklore and folk tales - the March Hare, Humpty Dumpty, Punch and others. In Scotland, the retinue of the Imaginary Abbot also included such a character, characteristic of folk processions of mummers, as a guy depicting a horse.

As for New Year's gifts, in Britain it is considered unacceptable to give for the New Year expensive gifts. Traditionally, people give key rings, beer mugs, cute souvenir dolls and tea spoons.

On Christmas Eve, children hang socks over the fireplace or on the edge of the bed so that Santa Claus, when he comes to their house at night, will fill the socks with gifts, of course, if they have been good all year! Children also send letters to Santa Claus. According to legend, if you throw a letter into the fireplace, the smoke will reach Santa Claus through the chimney.

And now, guys, we invite you to take part in a little quiz, and we ask you to send your answers to English language.

So let's get started:

2. Give it a name New Year's Eve in Scotland.

3. Which plant is considered a magical symbol of England?

4. What is the name in English for the “Lord of Disorder”, “The Imaginary Abbot” and the Horse Man?

5. Who is included in the retinue of the “Lord of Disorder” and the “Mock Abbot”?

6. What is the name of the traditional Scottish New Year's dish?

The New Year in the world has always been compared with the English one, since it was in England that new traditions always arose, which were later used by many European countries.

Let us note that for modern Englishmen, it is not the holiday itself that is of particular value, but the New Year’s sales, which begin at the end of the outgoing year, around December 27th. The goods are sold at 95% discounts, and here you need to have time to buy everything you need.

Center New Year celebrations is Trafalgar Square. Thousands of people always gather there to celebrate the New Year, and a Christmas tree is erected. Back in 1841, in England, Queen Victoria issued a decree allowing the installation of the main Christmas tree. Recent decades christmas tree delivered from Norway as a token of Norwegian gratitude for British assistance in liberating Norway from Nazi occupiers during World War II. Every year passes through Trafalgar Square London New Year's Parade, which is considered the world's largest New Year's folk procession. More than ten thousand people take part in this parade. Among them are many musicians, dancers, clowns and acrobats. Also during the New Year, a Chinese parade takes place in London, in which many musicians and dancers also participate. And in Chinatown, large, spectacular fireworks displays are launched, attracting hundreds of local residents.

In England they call Father Christmas Santa Claus. On New Year's Day, theaters give performances based on old English fairy tales for children. Lord Disorder leads a noisy carnival procession in which fairy-tale heroes: Hobby Horse, March Hare, Humpty Dumpty, Punch and others.

Before going to bed, little Englishmen put a plate on the table for the gifts that Santa Claus will bring them on New Year's Eve, and put hay in their shoes - this is a treat for the donkey.

All New Year's Eve, toys are sold on the street: whistles, squeakers, masks, balloons. It was in England that the tradition of exchanging for the New Year arose greeting cards. First New Year card was made in London in 1843.

In English houses for New Year's festive table Turkey is served with chestnuts and fried potatoes with gravy, as well as stewed Brussels sprouts with meat pies, followed by pudding, sweets, and fruit.

In this country, the arrival of the New Year is heralded by bell of the famous Big Ben. True, he begins to beat a little earlier than 12 o'clock and does it quietly at first, because he is covered with a blanket, and this robe prevents him from showing all his power. But exactly at midnight the bells are undressed and they begin to ring loudly, announcing to the people the coming of the New Year. By the way, according to tradition, before the bell rings, the British open the back doors of their houses, and then open the front doors to let in New Year. As the bell chimes, lovers, in order not to separate next year, traditionally kiss under a branch of mistletoe, which is a magical tree for the English. In addition to the traditional Christmas tree, English houses are decorated with it. Bouquets of mistletoe are everywhere - on lamps, chandeliers and on the table. It is considered “lucky” to kiss a person standing in the middle of the room under the mistletoe.

The most famous New Year's tradition in this country is first guest tradition. The year will be successful if, after the clock strikes midnight and announces the beginning of the New Year, the first guest in the house is a young man with dark hair. In England, the guest must bring bread, coal, and a pinch of salt, which symbolize food, warmth, and prosperity. According to custom, the first guest, upon entering the house, silently walks to the fireplace and throws a coal there, and only then everyone congratulates each other. The first guest must be fed.

The British consider it unacceptable to give expensive gifts for the New Year. In England, it is not customary to choose some expensive exclusive souvenir or jewelry. Their traditional gifts are inexpensive trinkets: key chains, beer mugs, scented candles, cute souvenir dolls and intricate tea spoons. New Year's gifts in the English family circle are distributed according to old tradition- by lot.

I must say that this holiday is more loved in Scotland than in England. Main winter holiday In England it is Christmas, and New Year is a continuation of the festive Christmas days.

Celebration in the UK New Year(English New Year) takes place on the night of December 31 to January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar. New Year is considered a less important holiday than Christmas and is therefore celebrated without gifts. However, in Scotland the opposite is true.

New Year, unlike Christmas, is celebrated not only at home with family.

The favorite New Year's delicacies of the British include: apple pie, round oatcakes with a hole in the middle, pudding, kebben cheese, and hot dishes - roast goose, steaks. In Scotland, they also bake an unusual shortbread cake with almonds, nuts, marzipan figures and national symbols made of sugar. Housewives also cook turkey with chestnuts and potatoes, stewed Brussels sprouts and meat pies. The traditional English New Year's drink is punch.

Usually everything new Year decoration remain in the house since Christmas - these include sprigs of holly, mistletoe and ivy, which are hung above the door, on chandeliers and table lamps. Of course, the central place is occupied by an elegantly decorated spruce.

In the UK it is not customary to give expensive and large gifts. new Year gifts, since the holiday is considered only a continuation of Christmas. However, close people exchange useful little things and souvenirs like key chains, candles or beautiful teaspoons. Gifts are distributed by lot. They also give small cards and Christmas tree decorations.

At the end of December, festive processions take place through the streets of London - the London New Year's Parade, in which more than ten thousand people participate, including musicians, magicians and mummers; Chinese parade with dancing, singing and fireworks; many other street carnivals with the participation of Santa Claus and fairy tale heroes - the March Hare, Punch, Humpty Dumpty.

There are many ancient rituals and observations associated with the New Year in Britain.

• It is customary when the clock begins to strike midnight to open the back door of the house and let out the Old Year, and with the last stroke let the New Year in at the front door.
• · If after the twelfth blow a young man enters the house with dark hair(first guest), then the coming year will be successful. The first guest should bring bread, coal and a pinch of salt. After he burns the coal in the fireplace, everyone congratulates each other, and the guest who brought good luck is always fed.
• · Lovers kiss under the mistletoe at the sight of Big Ben - it is believed that this will provide them strong relationships in the new year. Kissing someone standing under the mistletoe in the center of the room is believed to bring good luck and happiness for the whole coming year.
• · On the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, it is customary to set fire to a tar barrel and thereby “get rid” of everything old, including the past year.

· Great Britain

· The end of December attracts tourists to the UK with its New Year sales in boutiques, as well as Christmas festivals and fairs. The New Year is almost not celebrated, and gifts are not accepted on this day. The real holiday is the preceding Christmas; the New Year passes almost unnoticed as a continuation of the Christmas festivities. So if you are going to the UK for the New Year holidays, it is better to arrive early to catch Christmas. But in Scotland everything happens the other way around, as in many other countries, including ours. Also, unlike Christmas, New Year in the UK can be celebrated outside the family circle, this can be done with friends, in a club, and so on. Tourists come to local clubs from other European countries, the fact is that no one can have as much fun on New Year's Eve as in London clubs.

· If valuable gifts and are not accepted for the New Year, then it is impossible to come to visit without sweets or champagne; another popular treat on the festive night is apple pie, pudding, kebben cheese, oatcakes, steaks and roast goose. Although instead of champagne, a drink such as punch is often used.

· Festive processions last throughout the end of December, for example serious festivities are held every year in London. New Year's parade with the participation of musicians, mummers, magicians with fireworks. Carnival nights are also organized with the participation of a Chinese or oriental parade.

· Many customs and traditions are associated with the New Year in Great Britain, for example, it is believed that when the clock strikes twelve times you need to open the back door of the house and let out the Old Year, and with the last strike you have time to let the New Year in at the front door, this is possible, of course, if there is availability there is the required number of doors. The first guest to enter the house after the New Year must certainly be a dark-haired young man with bread, coal and salt. He needs to burn the coal in the fireplace, after which the guest must be treated to food from the table.

· Traditionally, young people in love kiss while Big Ben plays under the mistletoe (oak berries are an evergreen shrub).

· If you find yourself in Edinburgh on New Year's Eve, then know that it is customary here to set fire to a barrel of tar on New Year's Eve, thus getting rid of all the failures of the outgoing year.

Christmas is one of the UK's favorite holidays at home. But New Year for the British is something special! Bright fireworks take off, illuminating the already vibrant cities. The streets are filled with people having fun. London clubs are good at any time of the year - some of them are so famous that European youth travel there from Paris and Amsterdam to party! For the New Year's holiday, clubs and restaurants always prepare something special that will capture the imagination of everyone who stops by! In addition to club life, tourists will be able to enjoy music Christmas festivals (until December 23) and seasonal sales in London's largest department stores.

At Christmas, all the windows of rural houses in Great Britain are lit with candles, so among locals the night before Christmas is called “the night of candles.” In England today, on Christmas Eve, instead of the traditional Yule log, a thick Christmas candle is lit. In Wales, lit candles decorated not only private homes in rural areas, but also rural churches and chapels during the Christmas holiday. Candles to decorate the church were made and given to the priest by the residents of the parish. In many villages, shortly before the holiday, women organized competitions in best decoration Christmas candles. These decorations were made from strips of colored paper, foil, gold and silver threads, bright ribbons, etc. In some areas of Wales, with the same decorations and lit candles in their hands, parish residents went to morning mass, which previously began at 2-3 am. Many similar candles were lit that night in private homes.

Since the Middle Ages, the church began to use old rituals of dressing up in order to give people more vivid impressions of biblical stories. Thus arose “mysteries” - dramatic representations of such religious scenes as the Annunciation, the visit of the infant Christ by the three wise men of the East, etc. Participants in dramatic versions of biblical stories were usually masked or with their faces covered with a scarf, like the performers of ancient pagan rituals. Of the performances of this kind, the dramatic pantomime game about St. was especially widespread among the British. George and the Dragon, widely known in many other countries.

In Scotland in the Middle Ages, a very ancient game was performed at Christmas - pantomime, called goloshan. There are references to this game in old written Scottish sources. A pantomime game similar to Golochan was previously common in those areas of England where Celtic traditions were strong - in Cornwall and the southwestern counties. The play is apparently based on the myth of the resurrection of nature after a long death, since the essence of the play is that main character She, called Galgacus, Goloshan or Galatian, is killed in battle by the Macedonian king Falkirk or in other versions by the Black Knight and brought back to life by Doctor Beelzebal or simply Doctor Brown.

The magical significance of the Christmas rituals of mummering was forgotten long ago; now mummering is still preserved throughout England as entertainment; Such rituals are performed in most cases by teenagers. Traces of these ancient magical rituals can be seen in various pantomimes and masquerades organized in England in the past and now. There is information about masquerades and pantomimes at Christmas dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Thus, one of the sources reports that in 1377 a Christmas pantomime was organized at the Scottish royal court for the amusement of little Prince Richard. In the treasury registers of Scotland in the 15th century. The funds spent on organizing court masquerades for Christmas are often listed.

Another interesting custom in Britain was associated with the organization of masquerades: on the 12 days of Christmastide, in each palace or castle, the manager of the entire festival was chosen, called in England the “Lord of Misrule”, and in Scotland - the “Abbot of Mock). The Lord of Disorder was the one who could joke well, organize various entertainments, and carnivals. He himself selected his retinue, whose members were dressed in bright dress, decorated with ribbons and bells. In Scotland, the retinue of the “imaginary abbot” included characters typical of folk processions of mummers, such as Hobbie-horse - a guy portraying a horse. Such a noisy company and especially its leader were allowed to do whatever they wanted - break into any houses to play some kind of joke on their inhabitants, organize games, dances and other entertainment. This custom was banned by Henry VIII.

All these old traditional customs were attacked with great force by the new Protestant Church in the 17th century. The Christmas holiday was especially persecuted in Puritan Scotland. Every pagan rite and custom, even the most innocent, was mercilessly cursed by the church. Thus, according to the records of a church session in 1574, several people were accused of playing, dancing and singing Christmas songs on this holiday. Even baking Christmas bread was considered a crime by the clergy of the Protestant Church. In December 1583, Glasgow bakers were asked to name those for whom they baked Christmas bread. In 1605, five people were summoned to court in Aberdeen for walking around the city wearing masks and dancing at Christmas. Finally, in 1644, the celebration of Christmas was prohibited throughout England by a special act of parliament. In many villages in Scotland, on Christmas Day, men and young men, led by bagpipers and accompanied by many people, went outside the village and played football on some lawn, balls, organized various sports competitions: running, hammer throwing exercises, etc. The winner of all games received a beret decorated with feathers and ribbons; After the competition, the youth sang and danced, and in the evening, led by the winner, returned to the village. In the evening, the winner of the competition presided over the ball.

After such persecution in Scotland, the celebration of Christmas never again reached its former popularity; only a few rituals were preserved, most of them began to coincide with the New Year. And currently, December 24-25 are working days there, and the New Year is considered a holiday - January 1-2. In England, already at the end of the 17th century. Christmas began to be celebrated again, but throughout the 19th century the rituals that accompanied it changed, and by the beginning of the 20th century. from a great social event for the entire community, Christmas became pure family holiday, only some of its old customs have survived to this day.

For example, the custom of exchanging gifts on Christmas Day is observed everywhere among the English. With the introduction of Christianity, this custom was associated with the bringing of gifts to the baby Jesus by three magicians of the East. In memory of this, gifts are given primarily to children. Gifts are delivered to children by the kind old gentleman Santa Claus, red-cheeked, with a long white beard, dressed in a red fur coat and a tall red hat. Its origin is not entirely clear, but the name Santa Claus itself is a corruption of the name of St. Nicholas and, apparently, came to Britain from southern countries. Some identify Santa Claus with the creatures of the underworld - gnomes, which, in their opinion, confirms his appearance. Usually, not only children, but also adults receive gifts at Christmas; before dinner, they are presented to everyone by the youngest member of the family.

Since the 19th century It has become a custom to exchange greeting cards - instead of the once obligatory personal congratulations on the holiday. In 1843, the first Christmas card was printed in the printing house, and soon their production became a special branch of printing production. In the design of postcards, motifs from old traditional Christmas customs are often found: the robin, which has been around since the 18th century. often replaces the wren in rituals, branches of eternal greenery - holly, ivy, mistletoe, and on Scottish postcards an image of a sprig of heather intertwined with tartan ribbons is the national symbol of Scotland. Such postcards in large quantities are sent to Scottish emigrants in all parts of the world at Christmas as a reminder of the homeland they left behind.

Christmas dinner still includes the following: traditional dishes, like stuffed turkey (in the English) or roast goose (in Wales, Ireland) and the indispensable plum pudding.

The old custom of decorating the house for Christmas with branches of eternal greenery - ivy, holly, etc. is still preserved. As before, a sprig of mistletoe is strengthened above the door. According to custom, a branch of mistletoe gives the right to kiss everyone who enters the door over which it hangs.

Apparently, a late transformation of the custom of decorating houses with eternal greenery was the Christmas tree as a symbol of undying nature. The custom of decorating spruce appeared in England relatively recently, in the middle of the 19th century, and was brought here from Germany. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had their first Christmas tree for their children in Windsor, and the fashion quickly spread. Nowadays, in almost every English home, a Christmas tree is decorated with colorful shiny toys and sweets; a Christmas fairy or a large silver star is usually attached to the top. During the Second World War, a huge spruce tree was first smuggled from occupied Norway to England, where the Norwegian king and government were located at that time, and installed in Trafalgar Square. Since then, such a spruce has been presented every year by the city of Oslo to the British capital, and it is installed on the same square. She is decorated Christmas decorations, multi-colored light bulbs.

Finally, from the once widespread processions of mummers and dramatic performances, Christmas pantomimes and masquerade balls, organized in all theaters and concert halls on Christmastide, originate. Second day of Christmas in church calendar dedicated to Saint Stephen. In England this day is called Boxing Day. This name comes from the custom of installing special piggy banks in churches before Christmas, where offerings for the poor were placed. On St. Stephen, the pastor distributed the collected money among his parishioners. Later, the boxes were no longer installed in the church, but the poor people of the parish gathered in groups on St. Stefan with a piggy bank went around houses, receiving small coins. Such groups consisted of apprentices, apprentices, messengers, etc. And now there is still a tradition of giving small sums of money to letter carriers, messengers and servants on this day.

In the Middle Ages in rural areas of England on St. Stefan's pets were bled. They believed that such a remedy had a good effect on the health of animals and preserved their strength during heavy work. Previously, some old people bled themselves on this day in order to maintain health for the whole year. The same practice of primitive medicine can probably explain another cruel custom of this day, which survived until the end of the 19th century. In some areas of Wales, on this day, men used large bundles of prickly holly to whip the naked arms and legs of women until blood appeared. In Montgomershire, the person who stood up last that day was beaten with bundles of holly.

The first day of the new year is a clear boundary between the recent past and the mysterious future that awaits a person in the coming year. It was with this day that many signs and beliefs were associated, various kinds of fortune-telling, with the help of which people sought to predict the future, tried to protect themselves and their property from the action of evil forces, from various misfortunes.

Farmers noted the weather of the first 12 days of January, because they believed that whatever the day, such would be the weather in the month corresponding to it in order. Rain on New Year's morning foreshadows a bad, lean year. They also tried to determine what the harvest would be like by the outline of the clouds. On New Year's Eve, the Scots also wondered about the fate of the family. To do this, in the evening before going to bed, they covered the burning peat with ash, and in the morning they tried to see a sign on it that resembled a human footprint: if the toe next to the footprint is turned towards the door, then the number of family members this year will decrease, if it is away from the door, it will increase. There is no imprint on the ash, there will be no change.

The custom of “Letting in the New Year” is widespread in the British Isles. In Herdfordshire the custom of letting in the New Year is that when the clock begins to strike 12, the back door of the house is opened to let out the Old Year, and at the last stroke of the clock the front door is opened to let in the New Year. In Scotland, before midnight on farms, a bright fire is lit in the fireplace and the whole family sits around it, waiting for the clock to strike. When the clock hands approach 12, the owner of the house gets up and silently opens the door. He keeps it open until the clock strikes the last stroke. So he lets out the old year and lets in the new one.

And now in the UK they still prepare special traditional dishes for the New Year. For breakfast they usually serve oatcakes, pudding, a special type of cheese - Kebben, for lunch - roast goose or steak, pie, apples baked in dough. New Year's oatcakes among the Celtic peoples had a special shape - round with a hole in the middle. We tried not to break them during baking, as this would be a bad omen.

Currently in Scotland they bake for New Year's table a large round sand cake, with tucks around the edges, decorated with almonds, nuts, sweets, sugar and marzipan figures boiled in sugar. Every year, a huge number of such cakes are sent to all corners of the globe to Scots in exile. They are usually decorated with national emblems - heather, Scottish cross, arms crossed over the sea, mountains, etc.

In Edinburgh, on New Year's Eve there are especially many people on Princes' Street. New Year's services are going on in churches. Fruit and confectionery shops are open all night. The arrival of the New Year is heralded by the ringing of bells, horns and sirens from factories. After 12 o'clock everyone congratulates each other and goes home to the festive tables.

Christmas is celebrated with great solemnity in Sweden in the regions of Småland and Skåne. Preparations for the holiday begin a month before it. One of the family, according to the old custom, must take care in advance of new clothes and shoes for Christmas. On one of the days, two weeks before the holiday, the fattened Christmas piglets are slaughtered, which usually happens between two and three o'clock in the morning. The day before, the housewife prepares a well-cleaned or new cauldron of flour, into which the blood of the animals should flow. When the pigs are slaughtered, someone stands near the cauldron and stirs the blood and flour until the mixture becomes thick and baked. This was most often performed by a woman over 50 years of age who was not pregnant, since it was believed that a pregnant woman in this case could give birth to a sick child (with falling sickness or with a physical disability). Young women or girls with a groom were strictly forbidden to take any part in the slaughter of livestock.

New Year's holidays (and especially the New Year) in England are celebrated on a grand scale. After Catholic Christmas, which is usually celebrated at home with family, the British prefer to have fun and celebrate the coming New Year, usually in a noisy company.

New Year in England is a kind of final part of the holidays of the outgoing year. After all, at first one of the main religious holidays Christmas is celebrated, and only then the New Year, which is of a fun nature. Thousands of tourists come to London to see with their own eyes the unprecedented scope of the holiday and the beauty of the decorated city.

Favorite places on New Year's Eve

Every Englishman has the right to choose the place where he would like to meet this night. The most popular places are:

— At home with loved ones . Despite the fact that the Christmas tradition is home gatherings, on New Year's Eve in England many also prefer to be with their families in a quiet home environment and watch the live broadcast of the New Year's Eve on TV. But, oddly enough, English television usually broadcasts the Scottish New Year's celebration.

— Pubs, cafes and restaurants . These places will appeal to lovers of interesting entertainment programs, noisy companies and dancing until the morning. You definitely won’t be bored here! People start gathering here around 6 pm, and such events end well after midnight. For one person, the party and celebration will cost about 100 pounds.

— Ice skating near the Natural History Museum . Many lovers gather here and combine active recreation with a romantic New Year's evening.

- Night clubs . A very popular meeting place for the coming year among young people in England. Usually young people gather in a large and noisy group and have fun. Often on New Year's Eve, clubs organize performances by famous performers, so here you can book a table and watch your favorite artists, as well as dance to popular music. This pleasure will cost just over 80 pounds per person.

— Journey along the Thames at night . This unforgettable cruise will be remembered for a long time by lovers of romance and all those who want to celebrate the holiday under the magnificent night landscapes of London. This New Year's Eve excursion also includes a royal dinner and costs approximately £200 per person.

- Trafalgar Square . The most popular mass celebrations in honor of the New Year are organized here. Thousands of tourists come to London to see the beauty with their own eyes New Year's city and celebrate the coming year with the chimes of the chimes together with thousands of Englishmen. Every year the city authorities organize costumed processions in Trafalgar Square. An unprecedented pre-New Year trade takes place here, where anyone can buy souvenirs for family and friends. A few minutes before the New Year, everyone begins to congratulate each other to the clink of glasses of champagne. Thousands of clowns, dancers and acrobats take part in this New Year's parade, which is called the Great London Parade. The Christmas tree for the parade is being transported on a special flight from Norway. This is how Norwegians thank their neighbors every year for their help in the last war of 1939-1945.

New Year's traditions, signs and customs of the British

England is a country where at one time many traditions arose that became widespread in other countries. European countries. As for the New Year, this is where the tradition of congratulating each other came from New Year's cards. Send your family and friends a postcard with Best wishes in the coming year - an unchanged custom for many years among the British.

Another custom among the people of England is what they do to each other on New Year’s Day. inexpensive gifts. Most often these are souvenirs and crafts. At Christmas, for example, it is customary to give expensive and meaningful gifts. It’s interesting, but first they cast lots, with the help of which New Year’s gifts are distributed among relatives.

The British decorate their houses with an elegant Christmas tree, which is usually placed in the center of the home. Sprigs of ivy, mistletoe and holly are also hung above the front door, table lamps and chandelier. The custom of kissing under a sprig of mistletoe is very popular, because it is believed that this particular tree will bring strength and longevity to lovers in their relationship.

At midnight, when the chimes signal the arrival of the New Year, it is customary to open the back and front doors in houses. This custom symbolizes letting go of the outgoing year and welcoming the coming one.

A very good omen among the British is the omen of the “first guest” in the New Year. Financial well-being and good luck are promised to all family members if a dark-haired young man comes to visit first. He is hospitably greeted and treated to festive dishes. And if he brings with him a piece of coal and some water, then this is a doubly good sign, promising happiness and prosperity to the household.

For children in England, the New Year is a long-awaited and interesting holiday, full of wonders and fun activities. Motives from ancient English fairy tales underlie children's theatrical New Year's performances. Also new year holidays- this is a time of miracles for English children, because they believe in Santa Claus and look forward to meeting him all year long. You can’t invite him home, but on New Year’s Eve, children leave a plate on the table for gifts from him, and put a little hay in their shoe for Santa Claus’s donkey, which he rides around on.

British New Year's treats

English women traditionally roast turkey on New Year's Day, which is served with a side dish of potatoes and chestnuts. . They also stew cabbage and bake pies from meat and separately from apples. Favorite dishes on New Year's Eve are also steaks, goose, and oatmeal cakes. Pudding and cheese are a must. The preferred drink is punch, which usually consists of five ingredients: lemon, tea, alcohol, sugar and spices.

New Year in England is an unforgettable pastime surrounded by traditions, fun and hospitality of the British.