Winter festival in Britain

As temperature keep falling, sometimes accompanied by strong wind and shower rain, British has been preparing for winter festive since the beginning of December.

The biggest event is Christmas, an annual festival on 25th December to celebrate the birth of Jesus (Isa al Masih, a.s). The Christian have celebrated Christmas since 4th century and has incorporated Pagan customs such as, decorating homes with evergreens like holly (for a symbol of continuity of life), kissing under the mistletoe (for fertility), Yule logs was considered lucky if keep alight for 12 days and wassail (to drink alcohol as a celebration).
Christmas tree was introduced by the German Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, to Britain in 1841. The British custom of Santa Claus coming down the chimney to deliver presents to all the children on Christmas Eve (24th December) comes from Dutch St Nikolass Day on 6th December. The red suit that Santa Claus wears come from a 1930's coca-cola advertisement.


Boxing Day is the popular term applied to 26th December in Britain and the commonwealth countries. Traditionally, this day the gentry would give presents in boxes, generally money, to their servants, trades-people and others of humble life. Nowadays, it's a biggest sale time!!

New Year's Day was observed on 25th March in the Middle Ages in most of European countries. This time also being the equinox (when day has same hours as night) and the beginning of spring. When Gregorian calender was introduced in 1582, Roman Catholic countries began to celebrate New Year's Day on 1st January, possibly because the Pagans would celebrate the start of longer days as part of their winter solstice (the shortest day in the northern hemisphere) celebration at that time of year.

Guy Fawkes and The Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes was born in 1570 in York in the north of England. He was born a Protestant but became Roman Catholic after his father died and his mother re-married. When he was twenty-three, he enlisted in the Spanish army in Flanders (north-east France and Belgium) and in 1596 participated in the capture of the French city of Calais by the Spanish in their war with Henry IV of France.

Around 1605, James I, king of England, applied oppressive anti-Catholic laws, so The Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy to kill the King, the Lords and the Commons at the opening of Parliament (an annual event) on 5th November 1605.

The originator of the plot was Robert Catesby, a country gentleman, who took his cousin and two friends into his confidence, along with Guy Fawkes, a soldier of fortune. They in turn drew other Roman Catholic gentlemen into the plot.
The conspirator discovered a vault directly beneath the House of Lords (a division of Parliament) and rented it to store thirty-six barrels of gunpowder.

In the final arrangement, Guy Fawkes was set fire to the gunpowder in the cellar on 5th November and then flee to Flanders.
However, one of the conspirators wrote a letter of warning to a friend, who was one of the member of Parliament, and the plot was exposed.
Guy Fawkes was arrested as he emerged from cellar. He was tortured by the rack, until he confessed his own guilt and finally revealed the names of his associates, nearly all of whom were killed when captured or hanged along with Fawkes on 31st January 1606.

The Gunpowder Plot is still commemorated annually in Great Britain on 5th November. Effigies of Guy Fawkes are made by children and "Penny for the Guy" is usually asked for charity (though nowadays it's a lot more and who knows where it goes!). The effigies are placed on top of a bonfire and fireworks are set off to represent the gunpowder.

Source: Intermediate English Class on 08/11/2012, material by Sarah_SWC.