Revision Notes: Customs and Traditions in the UK

The Main Christian Festivals

•Christmas Day (25 December): Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Public holiday marked by gift-giving, special meals, and decorations.
•Boxing Day (26 December): The day after Christmas; a public holiday in the UK.
•Easter: Marks the death of Jesus on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Public holidays on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
•Lent: A 40-day period of reflection before Easter, often marked by fasting or giving up something.

•Diwali: Hindu and Sikh festival celebrated in October or November, known as the Festival of Lights, celebrating the victory of good over evil.
•Hannukah: Jewish festival in November or December, lasting eight days, commemorating religious freedom. A candle is lit each night of the festival.
•Eid al-Fitr: Celebrates the end of Ramadan for Muslims, thanking Allah for the strength to fast for a month.
•Eid ul-Adha: Commemorates the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, marked by the sacrifice of an animal.
•Vaisakhi (14 April): Sikh festival celebrating the founding of the Khalsa with parades, dancing, and singing.

•New Year (1 January): Public holiday with celebrations on New Year's Eve, called Hogmanay in Scotland.
•Valentine’s Day (14 February): Day for lovers to exchange gifts and cards, sometimes anonymously.
•April Fool’s Day (1 April): A day for jokes and pranks, often with hoaxes in media.
•Mothering Sunday: Celebrated three weeks before Easter, when children give cards and gifts to their mothers.
•Father’s Day: Celebrated on the third Sunday of June to honor fathers with gifts.
•Halloween (31 October): An ancient festival where people dress in costumes, carve pumpkins, and celebrate with ‘trick or treat’.
•Bonfire Night (5 November): Commemorates the failed plot by Guy Fawkes to kill the king in 1605, celebrated with fireworks.
•Remembrance Day (11 November): Honors those who died in war, especially during WWI, with a two-minute silence and poppies.

•Bank Holidays: Public holidays when banks and many businesses close. They occur in early May, late May or early June, August, and some special days in Northern Ireland.

•Christmas Day (25 December): Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Public holiday marked by gift-giving, special meals, and decorations.
•Boxing Day (26 December): The day after Christmas; a public holiday in the UK.
•Easter: Marks the death of Jesus on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Public holidays on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
•Lent: A 40-day period of reflection before Easter, often marked by fasting or giving up something.

•Diwali: Hindu and Sikh festival celebrated in October or November, known as the Festival of Lights, celebrating the victory of good over evil.
•Hannukah: Jewish festival in November or December, lasting eight days, commemorating religious freedom. A candle is lit each night of the festival.
•Eid al-Fitr: Celebrates the end of Ramadan for Muslims, thanking Allah for the strength to fast for a month.
•Eid ul-Adha: Commemorates the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, marked by the sacrifice of an animal.
•Vaisakhi (14 April): Sikh festival celebrating the founding of the Khalsa with parades, dancing, and singing.

•New Year (1 January): Public holiday with celebrations on New Year's Eve, called Hogmanay in Scotland.
•Valentine’s Day (14 February): Day for lovers to exchange gifts and cards, sometimes anonymously.
•April Fool’s Day (1 April): A day for jokes and pranks, often with hoaxes in media.
•Mothering Sunday: Celebrated three weeks before Easter, when children give cards and gifts to their mothers.
•Father’s Day: Celebrated on the third Sunday of June to honor fathers with gifts.
•Halloween (31 October): An ancient festival where people dress in costumes, carve pumpkins, and celebrate with ‘trick or treat’.
•Bonfire Night (5 November): Commemorates the failed plot by Guy Fawkes to kill the king in 1605, celebrated with fireworks.
•Remembrance Day (11 November): Honors those who died in war, especially during WWI, with a two-minute silence and poppies.

•Bank Holidays: Public holidays when banks and many businesses close. They occur in early May, late May or early June, August, and some special days in Northern Ireland.