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C h r i s t m a s ( Е ) |
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1. Christmas is the time when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. 2. In Great Britain and in the USA this holiday is celebrated on December 25 (помним, что читается дата - on the twenty fifth of December) 3. Xmas is one of the most popular holiday in England. 4. It is celebrated not only for one day. 5. Many offices, but not shops, close for all days from Christmas to New Year. 6. Xmas time is the season of good will. 7. It's the most beautiful time of the year - the time of love, joy and hopes. 8. Christmas Day is a family holiday. 9. All the people look forward to it and expect something special. 10. It is the time when all the family gets together round the Christmas tree. 11. Christmas tree is decorated with toys and sweets. 12. Little children believe that when they are asleep Santa Claus comes with a big bag of toys. 13. They often hang up large stockings for the presents. 14. All families have Christmas dinners. 15. They eat traditional dishes - turkey, duck, pudding. 16. It is a day of special gifts and greetings. 17. People usually wish "A merry Christmas to you", and the reply is "The same to you". 18. Christmas customs and traditions are Christmas tree, Christmas stockings, Christmas carols (рождественские колядки), crackers, Christmas pantomimes, Xmas decorations and postcards, Christmas songs, novels, cartoons and movies and other. 19. All these things create that special Christmas atmosphere that very much people like like. 20. One of the most popular and faviourite Chrismas traditions is Father Christmas. 21. Father Christmas is called different names around the world. 22. The most popular name now-a-days is the American "Santa Claus". 23. But in different countries Father Chrismas can have other names and different appearance 24. The next day, on the 26th of December, Boxing Day is celebrated in Great Britain. 25. Now Boxing Day is a leisure day, a day for relaxing and visiting friends. 26. Christmas Day and Boxing Day are two from so called Bank Holidays - the most important holidays in Great Britain. 27. The other Bank Holidays are New Year'sDay, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Labour Day (May 1). 28. Public holidays are called Bank Holidays, because onthese days banks, most of the shops and offices are closed. 29. The BankHolidays were appointed by the Act of Parliament in 1871. 30. But it is one interesting fact: the most popular holiday in Scotland, one of the forth parts of Great Britain is not Xmas. 31. In Scotland New Year is of bigger importance that Christmas. 32. Christmas is a great english national holyday and in Scotland it is not kept at all except by clerks in banks,all the shops and factories are working. 33. American Christmas is very similar to English Xmas: with Xmas tree, Xmas postcards, Xmas decorations, movie, pantomimes etc. 34. The main differences are the absence of Boxing Day (typical English tradition), the American name of Father Christmas - Santa Claus - and, maybe the highest commercialization of this holiday in the world from postcards to Xmas movies and cartoons. |