Traditions and customs from Scotland to Cornwall

Halloween

In Great Britain everyone wants to welcome the friendly spirits so special soul-cakes for them. When children in costumes called upon their neighbors' homes on Hallowe'en they would be given soul-cakes too!

In some parts of Britain Hallowe'en in the past was known as Mischief Night. It was a night for mischief making. People would take the doors off their hinges on this night. The doors were also often thrown into ponds, or taken a long way away.

In England it is said that elves road on the backs of the villagers' cats. The cats had fun but the villagers did not and would lock their cats up so that the elves could not catch them.

Children were told not to sit in the circles of yellow and white flowers were fairies have danced as they may be stolen by the fairies. It was also bad to sit under the hawthorn tree because the fairies loved to dance on them and if they saw them their tempers would be prickled.

In England the black cat was considered to be good luck were as a white cat was considered to be bad luck.

In England children make "punkies " out of large beets. They cut out a design of their choice into the beet. Then they carry them through the streets and sing the Punkie Night Song. They knock on doors and ask for money.

In some parts of England turnip Lanterns are place on gateposts to protect homes from the spirits.

In England Halloween was nicknamed, Nutcracker Night or Snap Apple Night. Families would sit before a great fire in the hearth, roasting nuts and eating apples. They told stories and played holiday games. It was an evening of great fun and merriment.

In England they continued to practice their deep-rooted, ancient pagan rites well after the arrival of Christianity in the middle of the sixth century. The Church fathers had become concerned that the popularity of non-Christian festivals was growing at the expense of Christian holy days.

Pope Gregory I, in 601 issued a decree to his missionaries about the faith and customs of the people whom he wanted to convert to Christianity. Gregory knew that it would be impossible to eradicate the beliefs of the natives totally and so suggested to his priests that they "convert" them whenever possible.

If the native people worshipped at a well, or sacred grove, Gregory informed his missionaries to enshrine them to Christ and let the worship continue.

Gregory's successor Pope Boniface IV in 609, declared May 13 All Saints' Day. Unfortunately, while pagans were happy to add All Saints' Day to their calendar, they were unwilling to give up their existing festival of the dead and continued to celebrate Samhain.

Intent on eliminating the ongoing power of the pagan beliefs, Pope Gregory III followed in the footsteps of the earlier Christian leaders and intentionally united the Christian All Saints' Day to the festival of Samhain. He then moved All Saints' Day to November 1, which became more commonly known as All Hallows. Because Samhain had traditionally fallen the night before All Hallows, it eventually became known as All Hallows' Even' or Hallowe'en.

Previous church leaders to Gregory III discouraged the Samhain tradition of wearing frightening costumes, but Gregory decided instead to allow people to dress up in honor of the saints. Other traditions, such as begging for food and kindling, were made legal by the Church, providing that any food that was given to the beggars would be given to the poor, rather than to appease the spirits.

The Church also added a second day to the festival, this fell on November 2 and was called All Souls' Day and was dedicated to the souls of those who are still left in purgatory. These souls had to endure the punishment of purgatory for their sins. It was believed that the lighting of candles and the saying of prayers for the dead would shorten the time they were to suffer in purgatory before they would rise to heaven.

The Tradition of begging for food soon was replaced with souling or Soul Caking. The idea was for children to go from door to door asking for money to give to the poor and a soul cake to have for themselves. Every cake they would receive, the children would say a prayer for the souls of the dead.

Soul cakes were called many different names throughout England such as Saumas or soul mass cakes which were dark fruitcakes, another cake was covered in caraway seeds and made into a bun.

In the North of England the tradition of lighting bonfires was central to the Halloween celebration. Superstition was still strong as a result of the aftermath of the witch-hunts; witches were believed to take to the air to harass everyone at Halloween.

Halloween was called Tan Day for the township of Lancashire. Tan day was so named as it was the Celtic tein, or fire and pitchforks full of burning hay were flung into the air to scare the witches. Another reason was the heat and the smoke of the bonfires would also drive away any airborne witches.

Children in different countries sometimes have fun in different ways. Hallowen is a children`s festival in many countries. Hallowen is in Great Britain too. It is celebrated on October 31st. According to an ancient belief on this day the spirits of the dead arise from their graves. In the Halloween children go door to door. So in the evening you may hear a knock on the door. Outside children in scary costumes shout: Ttrick or treat!” if you don`t give them candy cookies, fruit or money they will do sometimes bad to you, they will play some trick. For example: They may put some soap on your window. Children dress themselves up as witches and ghosts holding a bag. They wear make-up and masks. But sometimes children dress up as skeletons, popular TV, movie and story book characters. Most children make their costumes themselves. Others buy them. Homes, shops and chassrooms are decorated in the traditional Halloween colors-orange and brick. The decorations are, of course, scary-witches, black cats, ghosts, skeletons and jack-o-lantern. Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a bank and public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Jamaica and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a many Christian population. In south Africa this public holiday is now as the day of coodwil. Though it is not an official holiday in the United States. Boxing day is celebrated on December 26th. It is a statytory holiday in the federal jurisdiction and in Ontario. If it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday the working day immediately proceeding or following. Boxing day also known as the feast of St. Stephen originated in Rngland in the middle of the nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, and/or money to trades people and servants.The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts usually given in boxes, give the holiday its name “Boxing day” . Also related to the origin of Boxing dayis the tradition of opening the alms (charity boxes) placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents of thes boxes were distributed amongst the poor by the clergy, the day after Christmas. Easter. The celebration of Easter in England began well before the arrival of Christianity. In the Pre- Christian Era, the festival was observed in honor of the Anglo Saxon Goddess - Eostre. Today, in England, the festivities of Easter begin with Lent, which falls on Ash Wednesday, and lasts for 40 days. Easter celebration in England is a low-key affair, as people prefer religious observations as compared to joyous merriment. Easter is an occasion for sober worship and quiet family gatherings sans the extravagance that accompanies festivals like Christmas. Nevertheless, springtime celebrations are gleefully observed in rural hinterland of the country. Easter eggs, games, feasting and fun activities all are part of the festivities, even though the main celebrations are seen in churches of the country. If you are keen on learning about the traditions and celebrations of Easter in England, then go through the following lines. Easter in England is celebrated by exchange of Easter Eggs and other gifts like clothes, chocolates or holidays packages. Easter bonnets or baskets are also made which have things like daffodils in them. Easter bonnet competitions are held and children go to these competitions to

? see whose bonnet is the best. As a part of the tradition the winner gets an Easter egg. Easter bunnies are made and sold in large numbers and are an integral part of Easter celebrations in England. All the gift shops are filled with thousands of these bunnies, which people buy to give to each other. Then, there is another interesting part associated with Easter bunnies. These bunnies hide Easter eggs in the houses and children search to find these sweet treats. Mother`s Day. The tradition of celebrating Mothers Day began much earlier in England than it started in USA. In fact England was the first country in the world to dedicate a day for mothers as early as 1600s. They called this day for mothers as 'Mothering Sunday”. The festival has its roots in the practice wherein poor people in England send their little children to work as domestic servants or apprentice with the rich. At that time it was considered important by the people that these children, staying away from their families be allowed to visit their homes once in a year. The time decided for the annual visit to home was middle Sunday of the fasting period of Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter). For this reason, the day was called 'Refreshment Sunday' or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. In England the day dedicated for mothers was more commonly called Mothering Sunday as people, mainly children visited their 'Mother Church' or the church of their home and not the 'Daughter Church', the closest church in the vicinity. After paying a visit to church, children met their mothers and presented them flowers, which they gathered from bushes along the way. Girls baked special cakes called 'Simnel Cakes' for their mothers. The tradition of Mothering Sunday stopped with the advent of Industrial Revolution in England when the working conditions and life pattern changed. Over the period of time one Sunday - 4th Sunday in Lent (3 weeks before Easter) was reserved in the honor of mothers. In the present time, original meaning of Mothering Sunday has been lost and has taken the form and name of Mothers Day in US. Mother's Day Celebration in England Mothers Day is celebrated in a big way in England. Children pay tribute to their mothers and thank them for all their love and support. An atmosphere of excitement prevail on the day and marketers make all efforts to make big profits out of the euphoria. Flowers record their maximum sale as people in England love to express their gratitude for their mothers by gifting them flowers more than anything else. Most popular flowers on Mothers Day in Great Britain are roses followed by carnations and chrysanthemums. In UK, there is also a tradition of making a rich almond cake for mothers called 'Mothering Cake' or 'Simnel Cake' on Mothers Day St. Patrick`s Day. St. Patrick`s Day is a yearly holiday celebrated on 17 march. It is named after Saint Patrick, the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland. It began as a purely Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 1600s. However, it has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Ireland`s culture. St. Patrck`s Day is celebrated by the Irish and Irish at heart in big cities and small towns alike with parades, “wearing of the green, “ music and songs. Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. It's a time for fun. Some communities even go so far as to dry rivers or streams green! It`s a public holiday on the island of Ireland and widely celebrated by Irish diaspora in places such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia.

April Fools' Day is celebrated on April 1st of every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1st is not a legal holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day which tolerates practical joke and general foolishness. The day is marked by the commission of good humoured or funny jokes hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, work associates, etc.

Traditionally, in some countries, such as New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool".It is for this reason that newspapers in the U.K. that run a front page April fool only do so on the first (morning) edition. Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day. The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in Chaucers Canterb bour Tales (1392). Many writers suggest that the restoration of January 1 as New Year's Day in the 16th century was responsible for the creation of the holiday, but this theory does not explain earlier references. Hallowen.

Memorial Day. (May 31) Rest Haven Cemetery in Edinburgh, Indiana is the final resting place of many war veterans. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day to remember those who have died in our nation's service. After the Civil war many people in the North and South decorated graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. In the Spring of 1866, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, suggested that the patriots who had died in the Civil War should be honored by decorating their graves. General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk, embraced the idea and a committee was formed to plan a day devoted to honoring the dead. Townspeople made wreaths, crosses and bouquets for each veteran's grave. The village was decorated with flags at half must. On May 5 of that year, a processional was held to the town's cemeteries, led by veterans. The town observed this day of remembrance on May 5 of the following year as well. Decoration Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed officially on May 30, 1868. The South did not observe Decoration Day, preferring to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I. In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day, and soldiers who had died in other wars were also honored. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the

last Monday in May. Today, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season in the British. It is still a time to remember those who have passed on, whether in war or otherwise. It also is a time for families to get together for picnics, ball games, and other early summer activities.

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