Svátky v ČR, Velké Británii a Americe

HOLIDAYS, FESTIVALS, CELEBRATIONS
THE CZECH REPUBLIC
– In the Czech Republic we have three different kinds of celebrations
• religious holidays
• public holidays
• family celebrations
– the most polupar holidays are Christmas and Easter

Christmas
– we celebrate Christmas on the 24 December in honour of the birth of Jesus
– we start to prepare for Christmas four weeks before Christmas Eve – this period we
called Advent. People make or buy an Advent wreath with four candles and every
Sunday during Advent a new candle is lit. In this time women are very busy cleaning
the house, cooking and baking Christmas cookies and cakes
– it´s tradition to have a Christmas tree, people decorate the tree with chocolate candies,
gingerbread, candles and Christmas ornaments
– on Christmas dinner we usually have fish soup, deep fried carp with potato salad and
for desert we have apples (as a symbol of health), chocolate and cookies
– after dinner comes the best part of the day – opening the presents
– family comes together by the Christmas tree where we give each other presents,
people listen or sing some carols and they are talking
– some people have tradition of going to church later in the evening for midnight mass
– during the holidays we meet our friends and relatives
St. Nicholas Day
– it´s another celebration during this same time of the year
– it´s on the 6 December
– Nicholas is the name of a Greek bishop who was very popular because he always
helped people in need and gave presents to them
– in some towns or villages angels, devils and St Nicholas walk from house to house in
the evening before St Nicholas Day and give presents to the children who have
behaved well
Easter
– it´s the second most celebrated religious holiday
– we celebrate it early in spring
– on Easter Monday men and boys go from house to house and whig the women and girl
with a stick made from wilows, the women, in return, give the men decorated eggs and
ribbons
– Easter eggs are symbols of new life and spring
In our republic we celebrate many public holidays.
New Year´s Eve
– we celebrate the beginning of the new year with our families or friends
– we usually go to a party or we spend this time in the mountains
– at midnight people drink champagne and toasts for happiness and prosperity in the
new year
1 January
– it´s called the New Year´s Day
1 May
– political parties on the left celebate a holiday of working – May Day
8 May
– the end of the World War II.
– the day of the liberation
2 nd Sunday in May
– Mother´s Day – honours all mothers
5 July
– the day of St Cyril and St Method who came from Byzantia to teach the people of
Great Moravia how to read and write
6 July
– Master Jan Hus was burnt to death at the stake as a heretic in 1415
28 October
– the day of the rise an independent Czechoslovakia in 1918
2 November
– this day is for our ancestors
– this day is dedicated to honouring deceased family members
– we go to the cemetery to place flowers, wreaths and candles on their gravis
Family celebrations
Some of the most popular family celebrations are:
– birthdays
– name days
– baptisms
– weddings
– anniversaries
Special celebrations
14 February
– day of St Valentine
– people in love exchange the presents
1 April
– people make jokes and tricks
THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN
IRELAND
– British are conservative
– they drive on the left, students wear taditional school uniforms
– it´s the oldest democracy in the world
– they are famous for their dry humour
– they drink tea at any time of the day
1 January
– New Year´s Day
14 February
– St. Valentine´s Day – it´s the day of lovers
– young people send Valentine cards to a person of the opposite sex and exchange gifts
1 March
– St, David´s Day (the patron saint of Wales)
17 March
– St. Patrik´s Day (the patron saint of Ireland)
– it´s public holiday in Ireland
– people wear shamrocks and something green on that day
1 April
– All Fools´ Day – people make jokes
Easter
– In March or April
– on Good Friday people commemorates Jesus´ crucifixion and on Easter Sunday the
Resurrection of Jesus
– on Sunday they decorated Easter eggs which are given as presents (symbol of new
life)
23 April
– St. George´s Day (the patron saint of England)
1 May
– May Day
– political parties on the left hold processions and public meetings
2 nd Sunday in May
– Mother´s Day – honours all mothers
Spring Bank Holiday
– last Monday in May – bank and shops are closed
– public holidays in England
The Queen´ Official Birthday
– in June (Saturday after 9 June)
– there are ceremonies such as the Horse Guards Parade in London
3 rd Sunday in June
– Father´s Day – honours all fathers
Summer Bank Holiday
– last Monday in August
31 October
– Halloween
– among the old Celts it was the last day of the year and the beginning of winter
– the day of witches and ghosts
– people celebrate it only in the north of England and in Scotland, but it´s generally
celebrated in the USA and Canada
– children wear costumes with masks over thein faces
– they go to visit their friends and neighbours and give them fruits, sweets or money
– they sometimes have parties on Halloween
5 November
– Guy Fawkes Day – the anniversary of the Gunpowder plot in 1605 – bonfires,
fireworks
11 November
– Remenbrance Day – two minutes silence honours those killed in the two world Wars
30 November
– St. Andrew´s Day (the patron saint of Scotland)
Christmas
– 24 December –no traditional celebration on Christmas Eve, it a day for office parties
– 25 December –the most festive Day of Christmas is this Christmas Day – in the
morning children enjoy unwrapping presents and at midday Christmas dinner is great
occasion, they eat roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, roast potatoes and Christmas
pudding (it´s made of dried fruit, eggs and very little flour)
– 26 December – is called Boxing Day – people give postmen, milkmen, dustmen small
sums of money into their Christmas boxes, for children it´s beginning of the
pantomime season (end at Easter). It´s a theatre show, in the evening people visit
parties
– for English it´s the most important holiday
31 December
– on New Year´s Eve people stay up till midnight to see the old year out
– in London some people meet in Trafalgar Square and celebrate this evening with
singing and dancing
– Hogmanay – it is the Scottish name for New Year´s Eve which is more celebrated than
Christmas
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
– there are no national holidays in the USA because each state has the right to decide
about its own holidays, there are many ethnic groups
– there are some the most important holidays
3 rd Monday in January
– it´s Martin Luther King´s Day
14 February
– St. Valentine´s Day
3 rd Monday in February
– The President´s Day – all presidents of the USA are honoured
Easter
– is not a national holiday
– most Americans spend Easter Sunday with the family
– in some families they organize an egg hunt – children look for eggs which the adults
hid somewhere in the house or in the garden
– there is a traditional Easter Egg Roll in front of the White House
2 nd Sunday in May
– Mother´s Day
4 th Monday in May
– it honours Americans killed in the past wars
4 July
– Independence Day – each city has its own ceremony, band concerts and fireworks
1 st Monday in September
– Labour Day – honour all working people
12 October
– it is anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492
31 October
– Halloween
4 th Thursday in November
– Thanksgiving Day – national holiday in the USA and Canada (October)
– the first time they celebrated it in 1621 on their first harvest
– now it is occasion for the whole family to be together, they have special dinner – the
roast turkey
Christmas
– it isn ´t national holiday in the USA
– Christian – shops are closed and people have a rest day on Christmas Day and New
Year´s Day
– it isn´t a family holiday, families invite friends and often have parties
– on Boxing Day – most shops are open, but people have a day off
– Americans decorate the Christmas tree, their houses with wreaths and electric
coloured lights inside and outside the house or on trees in their garden

Vocabulary
celebration – oslava
public holidays – státní svátky
religious holidays – církevní svátky
family celebrations – rodinné oslavy
honour – pocta, čest, uctění
birth of Jesus – narození Krista
advent wreath – adventní věnec
a new candle is lit – jedna svíčka je zapálena
gingerbread – perník
Christmas ornaments – vánoční ozdoby
fish soup – rybí polévka
deep fried carp – obalovaný smažený kapr
desert – zákusek
carols – koledy
midnight mass – půlnoční mše
relatives – příbuzní
Greek bishop – řecký biskup
Nicholas – Mikuláš
devils – čerti
who behaved well – které se dobře chovaly (děti)
whip – mrskat ( na pomlázce)
stick – pomlázka
willows – proutí
ribbons – stuhy
New Year´s Eve – Silvestr
toast – připít
was burned (burnt) to death – upálen k smrti
stake – hranice
heretic – kacíř
rise – vznik
independent – nezávislý
ancestors – předci
dedicated to honouring deceased- věnován památce zesnulých
cemetery – hřbitov
graves – hroby
name day – svátek
baptism – křtiny
wedding – svatba
shamrock – čtyřlístek
commemorates – připomíná
Jesus´crucifixion – Ježíšovo ukřižování
Ressurrection – zmrtvýchvstání
anniversary – výročí
fireworks – ohňostroje
bonfires – vatry, ohně
remembrance – příměří
silence – ticho
unwrapping presents – rozbalování dárků
chestnut stuffing – kaštanová nádivka
ethnic groups – etnické skupiny
hunt – lov
adults – dospělí
discovery – objevení
Thanksgiving Day – Den díkuvzdání
the first harvest – první sklizeň
occasion – příležitost
a day off – den volna