Christmas (December 25) is a public holiday in the United Kingdom. Christmas is celebrated in the family, gifts are given to each other, and people gather around the festive table. There are few people on the streets.
The British help maintain the Christmas Spirit by maintaining established traditions. These include special advent calendars (Latin advent – coming) of anticipation of Christmas, including the dates from December 1 to 25. A Christmas tree is a mandatory decoration for the home, as well as greenery: ivy, holly, mistletoe. There is also a tradition of sending each other Christmas cards, but they have less religious meaning and more mischief.
The house also acquires a festive look from the outside due to the many garlands. And a wreath of fir branches is hung on the front door – a symbol of peace and life. Multi-colored lights illuminate the streets of cities. The grandiose splendor of Christmas lights is concentrated on Oxford Street in London. And in rural houses, Christmas candles burn in the windows. They are beautifully decorated, women hold a competition on the eve of the holiday for the best Advent candle.
At Christmas, it is customary to sing Christmas carols praising Christ. They sound solemn and melodic. Groups of singers (often from charitable organizations) go from house to house singing carols and collect small donations.
British children write their wishes in letters to Santa Claus and burn them in the fireplace, hoping that Santa will be able to read everything in the smoke coming out of the chimney. Children expect gifts on Christmas. Large packages are usually placed under the tree, and for small ones, a Christmas stocking or sock is used, which is usually hung on the fireplace.
If a child has behaved badly during the year, he risks getting lumps of coal. Santa is given a treat at night – a saucer of milk, and his nine reindeer are given carrots. A funny English game is associated with Christmas crackers, which are placed on the table for each guest before dinner. When everyone sits with their arms crossed, holding one hand on their neighbour’s cracker, the other on their own, and then pulls them at the same time, the crackers explode with souvenirs, paper crowns, jokes written on paper.
Christmas dinner on December 25, which begins with lunch (at 2pm), is the main British meal. The central dish of the Christmas menu is roast turkey, the traditional dessert is custard pudding, in which you can find a coin for good luck. For dessert, there is also Christmas Cake (Christmas cake), baked on a fruit base, with marzipan and Christmas-themed decoration. At 3pm, the Royal Christmas Speech is broadcast.