Christmas+Traditions+in+the+UK

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 * London **** at Christmas Time - LNE **

Christmas traditions in the UK.

In the UK there are a lot of and exciting traditions.The most important tradition is the Nativity Play .The Nativity play are school plays were all the students take part in.Students play Jesus ,Mary And other characters .Other traditions like minces pie and Christmas pudding are just important. On christmas morning every one goes to church.Christmas afternoon lots of families get together and have a christmas feast ,open Christmas crackers and give each other presents.Another tradition is that people place mistletoe under the doorway so if anyone goes inside they have to kiss the person that is greating them.
 * Adam.Baliakas **



The sugar mice are a traditional treat. These mice came from England in a most unusual way. The woman who decorated the museum tree found herself on a talk show in London and made an appeal for donated sugar mice and to her surprise she received over 100 mice that are on the museum tree. The Christmas tree did not come to England until 1841 when Prince Albert had a Christmas Tree brought in and decorated in Windsor Castle for his wife Queen Victoria and their children. The tradition caught on. Throughout the United Kingdom, December 26th Boxing Day or St. Stephen's day signals the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas. On December 26th the alms or poor boxes were traditionally opened and the funds were distributed to the poor. It is also the day that servants are given off to celebrate Christmas with their families. Also on this day working people would open up their tip boxes. For the next twelve days there are parties, pantomime shows (children's plays-musicals about well-know fairy tales. Audience participation is greatly encouraged) and other types of entertainment which ends on January 6th.The first known Christmas card was mailed in the 1840's in England. Most of the Christmas traditions we practice today actually had their roots in nineteenth century Victorian England. Charles Dickens might be considered responsible for planting these ideals in America through his writings-especially A Christmas Carol.I n England Santa is called Father Christmas. Father Christmas is a descendant of an ancient pagan spirit (Hern) who appeared in the mummer's plays. He has long, white hair and beard and he dresses in a long green or red robe that is decorated with Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe. On his head he wears a wreath made of the same plants. Legend states that Father Christmas originally dropped coins down the chimneys and that the coins would be lost if there were no stockings hung up on the mantle or at the edge of the bed. Children send letters to Father Christmas by burning them up in the fireplace. It is thought that the requests are carried to Father Christmas in the smoke. On Christmas Eve it is traditional to leave a carrot out for the reindeer and mince pies, brandy or other warming drinks for Father Christmas. On Christmas morning, the children will open gifts from their stockings and later the presents under the tree are open.On the Christmas dinner table are noisemakers called crackers. Tom Smith invented these traditional favors in 1850, as a way of selling more of his confections. Crackers are wrapped in fancy paper at each end there are pull-tabs. When the tabs are pulled a loud noise or crack with some sparks is produced. Inside the cracker there may be a paper hat, a toy and some candy. In most English homes when the crackers are open, you must put on the hat and enjoy the contents of the cracker.

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Every year in December we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. That is why we call this time of year '**Christmas**' - we celebrate the '**Mass**', or church service, for **Christ**. The word Christmas (or Christ's Mass) comes from the Old English name **'Cristes Maesse'** - **Christ's Mass** - and is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The first recorded observance occurred in Rome in AD360, but it wasn't until AD440 that the Christian Church fixed a celebration date of 25 December. **__How is Christmas Celebrated in Britain?__** Christmas is a truly magical season, bringing families and friends together to share the much loved customs and traditions which have been around for centuries. Most people are on holiday in the UK and stay at home with their family on Christmas day, the main day for Christmas celebrations in Britain. Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December, with a [|Christmas dinner] at midday for the whole family. During the weeks before [|Christmas Day], we send cards, watch [|nativity plays] and go to carol services. We put up [|Christmas decorations] in our homes and churches. You can read more about our Christmas customs and traditions by selecting a link on the left of this page. Many of our Christmas customs began long before Jesus was born. They came from earlier festivals which had nothing to do with the Christian church. Long time ago people had mid-winter festivals when the days were shortest and the sunlight weakest. They believed that their ceremonies would give the sun back its power. The Romans, for example, held the festival of Saturnalia around 25 December. They decorated their homes with evergreens to remind them of Saturn, their harvest god, to return the following spring. Some of these customs and traditions were adopted by early Christians as part of their celebrations of Jesus' birthday. In Victorian times some new ideas such as Father Christmas, Christmas cards and crackers were added to the celebrations. Click here to read the Christmas Story (The story of Jesus' birth) El.Eni
 * __Why do we celebrate Christmas?__**
 * __Where does the word Christmas come from?__**
 * __What day is the main Christmas celebration in Britain?__**
 * __How do the British prepare for Christmas?__**
 * __History of British Christmas Customs and Traditions__**



=__ DECORATING THE CHRISTMAS TREE!__=

The traditional Christmas tree is a fir but nowadays more people buy artificial trees in order to 'save the earth'.The decorating of the tree is a family occasion with everyone helping!



=__CHRISTMAS TABLE!__=

__PUDDING!__


The Christmas Pudding is a brown pudding with raisins,nuts and cherries.It is similar to fruitcake, but the only difference is that this is steamed and fruitcake is baked.Traditionally,a silver coin(six pence) was hidden inside the pudding.The silver coin brought good fortune to the person who was lucky to find it when the pudding was cut.

__CHRISTMAS TEA!__


This isn't a special tea but is a Christmas table that welcomes friends and relatives.Eating begins at around 6 pm.People eat many things like snowmen cup cakes,christmas cake and mince pies and many other delicious things.

=__THE FATHER CHRISTMAS STORY!!__=

Father Christmas is our version of Santa Claus.He is an old man with moustache,beard,white hair and dressed in a red* suit outlined in white.(*The red coat is new.Images of Father Christmas prior to about 1880 showed him with a green coat.The red became the most popular colour after the US introduction by Coca Cola during the 1930s.We owe much about what we know about Santa to the Americans of the 19th century.In 1822,Clement Clarke Moore described what he imagines Santa to look like in a poem.In 1866,Thomas Nast made a montage entitled:<> and for the first time established Santa as the maker of toys.

=__ CHRISTMAS JOKES! __=

1)What goes red white red white red white? Answer:Father Christmas rolling down a hill!

**Answer:He waits until it gets warmer! **
JESSINA T.

__Advent __ Two traditions that have caught on in England are the Advent calendar and the Advent candle. The Advent Calendar originated in the 19th Century from the protestant area of Germany. Protestant Christian families made a chalk line for every day in December until Christmas Eve. Before long, commercial entrepreneurs started replacing the ephemeral chalk lines with printed calendars. The first known Advent Calendar is for the advent of 1851. Nowadays it is usually a thin rectangular card with 24 or 25 doors. The doors are numbered 1-24/25 Christmas Day

The origins of the now traditional Christmas Celebration, distinct from earlier pagan winter holidays, date to sixth century England. By the middle ages, it was a well established important holiday, with traditional pageantry, customs, music and feasting all its own. Customs from pre Christian days were incorporated into the Celebrations, and many still remain.

Christmas Dinner

In the past some very strange things were eaten around Christmas. At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served "endored". The flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter and the birds were Barbara.A

** Big Ben Bang: Video of London 2011 New Year fireworks over Thames **

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The clock's movement is famous for its reliability. The designers were the lawyer and amateur horologist Edmund Beckett Denison, and [|George Airy], the [|Astronomer Royal]. Construction was entrusted to clockmaker [|Edward John Dent]; after his death in 1853 his stepson Frederick Dent completed the work, in 1854.[|[][|14][|]] As the Tower was not complete until 1859, Denison had time to experiment: Instead of using the [|deadbeat escapement] and [|remontoire] as originally designed, Denison invented the double three-legged [|gravity escapement]. This [|escapement] provides the best separation between [|pendulum] and clock mechanism. The pendulum is installed within an enclosed windproof box sunk beneath the clockroom. It is 3.9m long, weighs 300 kg and beats every 2 seconds. The clockwork mechanism in a room below weighs 5 tons. On top of the pendulum is a small stack of old [|penny coins]; these are to adjust the time of the clock. Adding a coin has the effect of minutely lifting the position of the pendulum's [|centre of mass], reducing the effective length of the pendulum rod and hence increasing the rate at which the pendulum swings. Adding or removing a penny will change the clock's speed by 0.4 seconds per day.[|[][|6][|]]

On 10 May 1941, a German bombing raid damaged two of the clock's dials and sections of the tower's stepped roof and destroyed the [|House of Commons] chamber. Architect [|Sir Giles Gilbert Scott] designed a new five-floor block. Two floors are occupied by the current chamber which was used for the first time on 26 October 1950. Despite the heavy bombing the clock ran accurately and chimed throughout [|the Blitz]. Nektaria Danasi.