Category: Celebrations & Holidays

Celebrations & Holidays

April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day is on 1st April each year and in Britain it lasts until 12 noon. It is a morning when, […]

April Fools’ Day is on 1st April each year and in Britain it lasts until 12 noon. It is a morning when, if you play a practical joke on someone, you can declare them to be an “April Fool!” and laugh at their shame. If you dare to play your prank after midday, however, then it is YOU who is the Fool.

In 1957, the BBC decided to play an April Fool on the nation, with this story about spaghetti growing on trees:

This was so successful that it encouraged other organisations, newspapers, advertisers and celebrities to broadcast their own April Fool hoaxes ever since. These appeal to people’s satisfaction of being ‘in on the joke’ and mocking those who are not, until it is pointed out to them, and then everyone can join in.

The best April Fool jokes are ones that the victim finds funny, too. Hurtful or nasty pranks are not in the spirit of the day.

(Top image: Marco Verch Professional at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

09/11/2018
3 min
7 years
169 words

Harvest Festival

Harvest Festival is a traditional celebration of finishing the gathering-in of the farmers’ harvests ~ a time to give thanks for the […]

Harvest Festival is a traditional celebration of finishing the gathering-in of the farmers’ harvests ~ a time to give thanks for the crops and the food that we eat. It is not a public holiday but it is recognised in most churches and schools in the UK. The date is calculated to be at the time of the so-called ‘harvest moon’, which is the full moon that occurs closest to the Autumn Equinox (usually 22nd/23rd September).

Schools, particularly primary schools, will sometimes arrange for their pupils to go to the local church during the weeks before or after the specified Sunday for Harvest Festival, or the vicar will visit the school. The children may be asked to bring in a small donation of food, e.g. canned tomatoes, a tray of apples, a bottle of sauce, etc., to add to a festive display. After the thanksgiving service, this collection will be distributed to people ‘in need’, such as a homeless shelter or an old people’s home.

(image: Michael Halling at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

25/10/2018
3 min
7 years
176 words

Celebrations & Holidays

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is on the third Sunday of June, so, unlike Christmas Day for example, it is not on the same date […]

Father’s Day is on the third Sunday of June, so, unlike Christmas Day for example, it is not on the same date every year. It is not a public holiday and as it is on a Sunday, people do not take time off work to celebrate it.

*Image: kgroovy at Flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0*

It is a day to honour your father or step-father, perhaps with a thoughtful treat, outing or visit. Handmade Father’s Day gifts are often made by children in schools and nurseries, or in voluntary clubs such as the Girlguiding and Scouting movements. On the day, families may make a special effort to go out to restaurants or to family leisure attractions.

(Top image: pxhere.com)

23/10/2018
2 min
7 years
121 words

Basic principles / Celebrations & Holidays

Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day in the UK is a day for thanking and paying respect to organisations such as the British Army, the […]

Armed Forces Day in the UK is a day for thanking and paying respect to organisations such as the British Army, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines for what they do. It takes place on the last Saturday of June. Until 2009 it was known as Veterans’ Day, which was established in 2006.

There is a main event at a different venue each year, as well as local events throughout the UK. These consist of parades, fly-pasts, displays, performances, demonstrations and information tents. Some types of supervised activity whereby children can handle weapons, albeit safely, have been criticised by anti-war groups. Nevertheless, the aim of the Day is to promote an appreciation of the service and, in some cases, sacrifice provided to our country.

The website gives details of planned events.

(Image: Defence Imagery at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC 2.0)

17/10/2018
2 min
7 years
142 words

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Quoting Neil Oliver...

I love Britain more than anywhere else in the world. With all my heart I declare that those of us born here, or who have made a home here by choice, are the luckiest, most blessed of all people. I am British. I will always be British.