British traditional western festivals

Brief introduction of western traditional festivals

Easter

Easter is a spring festival. In Christian countries, Easter is a religious festival to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But Easter celebrations have many customs and legends that originated from pagans and have nothing to do with Christianity.

Traditions related to this festival continue in Easter bunnies and eggs. Easter Bunny symbolizes fertility. Eggs were originally painted in bright colors to represent the spring sunshine, and were used in Easter egg rolling competitions or given as gifts.

Easter is a Spring Festival. In Christian countries, Easter is a religious festival to commemorate the resurrection of Christ Jesus. However, there are many customs and legends about Easter, and their origins are non-religious. They have nothing to do with Christianity. Some traditions closely related to festivals, such as the Easter Bunny, are symbols of reproduction and growth. And Easter eggs. It is first painted with bright colors to represent the spring sunshine. These eggs can also be used to play fuck-off games or as small gifts.

Thanksgiving Day (Thanksgiving Day)

The first American Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in 162 1 to commemorate the harvest of Plymouth Colony after a severe winter. That year, Governor William Bradford of Texas declared Thanksgiving as Thanksgiving. The colonists celebrated it as a traditional British harvest feast, and they invited the local Wampanoag Indians to participate.

After the autumn harvest, the whole colony celebrated Thanksgiving. However, it was not until1October 1777 that the thirteen colonies celebrated Thanksgiving at the same time. George Washington was the first president to declare this festival in 1789.

The first Thanksgiving celebrated by Americans was in 162 1 to commemorate the harvest of Plymouth colony after a barren winter. That year, Governor William Bradford of Texas declared this day Thanksgiving. The colonists celebrated it as a traditional English harvest festival. On that day, they also invited the local Wampanoag Indians. Thanksgiving lasted the whole autumn harvest season, but the other thirteen colonies didn't celebrate it until June. George Washington declared it a holiday on 1789, and he was also the first president to declare Thanksgiving.

Valentine's day

The history of Valentine's Day and its patron saint is shrouded in mystery. But we know that February has always been a romantic month. As we know today, Saint Valentim's Day contains traces of Christian and Roman traditions.

So, who is St. Valentine? How did he connect with this ancient ceremony? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints, Valentine or Valentinus, who were martyred. According to one legend, Valentine was a priest in Rome in the third century. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men were more suitable to be soldiers than men with wives and families, he declared the marriage of young men-his potential soldiers-illegal. Valentine realized the injustice of the law, disobeyed Claudius and continued to secretly marry young lovers. When Valentine's behavior was discovered, Claudius ordered him to be put to death. Other stories show that Valentine may have been killed because he tried to help Christians escape from prison, where Christians were often beaten and tortured.

According to a legend, Valentine actually sent the first "Valentine's Day" greeting himself. In prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl-she may be the daughter of his jailer-who visited him during his imprisonment. It is said that he wrote a letter to her before he died, signed it as "from your lover", an expression that is still used today. Although the truth behind Valentine's legend is still unclear, these stories undoubtedly emphasize his appeal as a compassionate, heroic and, above all, romantic figure. Not surprisingly, in the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

The history of Valentine's Day is full of mystery, but we know that February has always been a romantic month. Valentine's Day has traces of Christianity and Roman tradition. Valentine's Day is also called Saint Valentine's Day. There are many legends about Valentine's Day. One of them is that in the 3rd century, the Roman emperor Claudius II thought that single men were better at fighting than men with wives and families, so he declared marriage illegal, which also cut off the source of soldiers. Reverend Valentine realized the absurdity of this law, openly opposed it and secretly married young people. Claudius II found out and executed Valentine.

Father's Day

In 1900, Father's Day was established when Sonora Louis Smart Dodd wanted to express her deep gratitude to her father William Smart. William Smart became a widow after his wife died in childbirth. Mr smart raised his six children on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. When Mrs. Dodd grows up, she wants to express her gratitude to her father. Therefore, in 1909, she proposed to commemorate her father in June (the month when her father was born).

The first Father's Day appeared in Spokane, Washington. In 1924, President johncalvin coolidge expressed his support for making this festival a national holiday. However, it was not until 1966 that President lyndon johnson officially declared Father's Day a national holiday and celebrated it on the third Sunday in June.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Nassau Louis Dodd Jr. wanted to pay tribute to his father William Small, so Father's Day came into being. His father has been a widow since his wife died in childbirth. Mr. Small raised six children by himself on a farm in East Washington. When Ms. Dodd grew up, she felt obliged to pay tribute to her father. So, in 1909, she proposed to pay tribute to her father one day in June. Her father's birthday is in June. Washington celebrated the first Father's Day on June 19 10. In 1924, President johncalvin coolidge expressed his support and made it a national holiday. However, it was not until 1966 that President lyndon johnson officially declared the third Sunday in June as Father's Day, which was officially celebrated throughout the country.

Mother's Day

The earliest mother's day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations in ancient Greece to commemorate Rhea, the mother of the gods. In A.D. 1600, England celebrated a day called Mothering Day. Celebrate on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In the United States, Mother's Day was first proposed by Julia Ward Howe in 654 38+0872 to commemorate peace. Almost every state celebrates Mother's Day.

Although many countries in the world celebrate their Mother's Day at different times of the year, some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.

The earliest celebration of Mother's Day can be traced back to the spring celebration in ancient Greece to commemorate Youxi, the mother of the gods. In the 0/7th century, Britain celebrated a festival called "Mother's Sunday" on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In the United States, Mother's Day was first proposed by Julia Ward Howe in 1872. It is a festival related to peace. By 19 1 1, almost all states have celebrated Mother's Day.

Although Mother's Day is celebrated at different times around the world, many countries, such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium, celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.

(Note: In the New Testament, a devil tempted Jesus. It is said that the devil trapped Jesus in the wilderness and didn't give him anything to eat for 40 days. Although Jesus was hungry, he didn't accept the temptation of the devil. Later, in order to commemorate Jesus' fasting in the wilderness for these 40 days, believers regard the 40 days before Easter every year as a day of fasting and repentance, which is called Lent or Lent. It is said that the Goddess Festival in ancient Greece and Rome and bacchanalia are its predecessors. During these 40 days, people can't eat meat and have fun, so life is solemn and dreary, so one or half weeks before Lent begins, people will hold banquets, dance and indulge in fun. Later, this day gradually evolved into a religious festival, which was called "carnevale" in Latin, meaning "Farewell to meat". Carnival is translated as carnival in English. Nowadays, not many people adhere to the rules and regulations such as lent, but the traditional carnival activities have been preserved and become an important festival for people. )

Boxing Day (Gift Box Festival)

A long time ago in England ...

Servants are required to work at Christmas. They have the responsibility to let the rich landlords spend their holidays smoothly. They were allowed to take a vacation and visit their families on1February 26th. The employer gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses. In addition, around the 1980s, churches opened their alms boxes (boxes where people kept donations) and distributed the contents to the poor.

In Britain today ...

Few people have servants, but the custom of giving gifts or money to service providers continues. Visiting grandparents and shops is also very popular (discounts start after Christmas). Many people take a day off. Boxing Day is also celebrated in places where British people live, such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Our friends in Scotland told us that there was also a celebration there. Some places celebrate Boxing Day on1February 26th, and some places celebrate Boxing Day on the first working day after Christmas. Therefore, if Christmas falls on Friday or Saturday, Boxing Day will fall on the following Monday.

Now, the actual origin of this festival is controversial, and people have been arguing that one idea is more popular than another at a certain time.

Previously, because servants had to work at Christmas, they were allowed to take a holiday on the first day after the holiday. Employers usually prepare some gift boxes and give them to their servants before they go home. Nowadays, families with servants are very rare. However, the habit of giving gifts to people in the service industry continues.

All Saints'Day (Nov 1st)

Halloween is an annual celebration. The word "Halloween" itself actually originated from Catholicism. 1 1 month 1 day, "Halloween" (or "Halloween"), is a Catholic festival to commemorate saints. There is a story that on this day, the souls of those who died the year before will come back to look for the bodies of the living next year. This is considered to be their only hope in the afterlife. The Celts believed that all the laws of time and space were suspended during this period, allowing the spiritual world to be mixed with life.

Naturally, the living don't want to be possessed. So on the evening of1October 3 1 Sunday, villagers will put out the fires in their homes, making them cold and unpopular. Then, they will wear all kinds of terrible costumes and parade around noisily, destroying as much as possible to scare away the souls looking for the bodies.

Therefore, although some cults may have regarded Halloween as their favorite "festival", the day itself did not develop from evil practices. It originated from the Celtic New Year celebration ceremony and the European prayer ceremony in the Middle Ages. Today, even many churches hold Halloween parties or pumpkin carving activities for children.

The word Halloween itself comes from Catholicism. 1 65438+1October1day "Halloween" (or "Halloween") is called Halloween, and it is a day when Catholics hold ceremonies to respect saints. One of the sayings is that on that day, those souls who died before but are still floating will come back to find some living bodies to prepare for next year's resurrection. They think this is the only hope of reincarnation. Christians believe that all time and space are suspended during this period, so that the soul world can be mixed with our living space. Living people naturally don't want to be possessed, so on the evening of June 30th of 10, villagers will put out a fire in their homes, making them very cold, and no one wants to come. They also want to come. Therefore, although some believers may have accepted Halloween as their favorite festival, the day itself does not come from evil customs, but from the Celtic celebration of the New Year and the prayers of medieval Europeans. Today, even in many churches, Halloween parties are held or children are asked to carve pumpkin lanterns and knock on the door to play trick or treat.

April fool's day (April fool's day)

Unlike most other non-April Fool's Day, the history of April Fool's Day (sometimes called "April Fool's Day") is not completely clear. There is really no "first April Fool's Day" on the calendar. Some people think that it started from the first day of celebrating spring and evolved in several cultures at the same time.

The closest time to the beginning of this tradition is 1582 in France. Before that year, the New Year was celebrated on March 25th for eight days. The celebration reached its climax on April 1 day. With the calendar reform led by Charles IX, the Gregorian calendar was introduced and New Year's Day was moved to 1 month 1 day.

However, in an era when news is spread by foot, many people have not received news for several years. Others who are more stubborn refuse to accept the new calendar and continue to celebrate the New Year on April 1 day. These backward people are called "fools" by the public. They are laughed at and often sent to do "fool's errands" or become the object of other practical jokes.

In France before 1582, people began to celebrate the New Year on March 25th, and reached its climax on April 1. Later, the calendar was reformed, and the New Year moved to 65438+ 10/. However, in that era when information was very backward, the spread of news was very slow. In addition, some diehards refused the new calendar and still celebrated the New Year on April 1 day. Other ordinary people call those stubborn people "fools" and ask them to do stupid things to make fun of them.

(The following supplements are American festivals)

Vacation in America

There are three kinds of holidays in America: political holidays, traditional holidays and religious holidays. There are more political holidays than any other kind of holidays. The most important political festival is Independence Day on July 4th. On this day, we celebrate independence from Britain. Most people spend the day with family and friends. Picnics and barbecues are very popular. In addition, almost every town has a fireworks show at night. Another very important political holiday is Memorial Day, which is on the last weekend of May. On this festival, we commemorate all the soldiers who died for our country. Many towns and cities have parades. Some people go to cemeteries and put flowers or flags on soldiers' graves. The third important political festival is Labor Day, which we celebrate on the first Monday in September. This is a day for us to pay tribute to American workers. People watch parades, have picnics or go to the beach. For students, Labor Day is a bittersweet festival, because when it is over, they have to start school again. In addition to these three political festivals, we must also reopen school. In addition to these three political holidays, we also celebrate President's Day on the third Monday in February. On this day, we commemorate the birthdays of George Washington and abraham lincoln.