Christmas is celebrated all over the world, but each country has its own customs and traditions associated with it. The spirit of this holiday in England is already felt in October. Most Britons make Christmas lists at this time. Shop windows and city streets are decorated with Christmas posters, tinsel, ribbons, lights and tartan.
Instructions
Step 1
Book a hotel room or house 2-3 months before Christmas, otherwise you risk being left without an overnight stay. Arrive the day before, otherwise, be prepared for the fact that English airports will be filled to capacity not only with arrivals, but also those leaving. You will have to wait for a taxi for a long time, and don't rely on the bus at all.
Step 2
Consider a cultural program for Christmas Eve. Book tickets to theaters, for example, via the Internet, it is both safer and cheaper.
Step 3
Go shopping and stalls. On Christmas Eve, they become truly magical! London is definitely the center of all the Christmas bustle, fun. In shops, Christmas sales, on the streets of the city, artists, singers, clowns perform. On Christmas Eve, the British gather at the main Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, where charities hold hymn-singing performances for children and adults. All restaurants have a special Christmas menu. Treat yourself and your children to traditional English souvenirs and sweets.
Step 4
Get into the spirit of the holiday. Look around: welcoming Scandinavian lights sparkle from the windows of the houses, and wreaths of mistletoe and holly are already hanging over the door. Holly symbolizes wealth, mistletoe symbolizes hospitality and fertility. Each couple passing under these branches must kiss.
Step 5
Christmas in England is a family holiday. The night before Christmas is called "night of candles" because on Christmas Eve a thick Christmas candle is lit. Children hang a stocking by the fireplace on Christmas Eve for Santa to fill it with gifts at night. This tradition is associated with the legend of St. Nicholas (the prototype of Santa). Saint Nicholas gave 3 poor girls a purse with gold coins, secretly putting them in stockings, which the girls hung in the evening on the grate of the fireplace to dry. On Christmas Eve, children only go to bed after reading Christmas stories and praying. Beforehand, the kids leave milk and meat pie to Father Christmas, a carrot Rudolph (a Christmas fairytale hero).
Step 6
Be sure to visit at Christmas - it is considered a family holiday and should not be celebrated alone. On Christmas, all the children gather at the festive table in the parental home, give gifts to each other, and look through family photos, eat, drink. All TV channels in England broadcast congratulations from Queen Elizabeth, and then there is a festive program. The British play charades and board games on this holiday. A traditional dish on the English table is turkey with sauce and pudding, and tea or brandy from drinks. A special dish is a festive cake made according to an old custom. It has a special filling, in each piece is baked some object that predicts the fate of the next year to the one in whose piece it will be. If a ring means that a wedding is coming soon, a coin means wealth, a horseshoe means good luck in the new year.
Step 7
For the British, Christmas is more important than celebrating the New Year. On this day, the correct and prim Englishmen do not hesitate to express their feelings.
