Календарь

   Municipal educational institution

 ” Secondary school № 82 of Saratov”

     SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE

Unusual holidays

             of

  Great Britain and USA.

                                                                                    Performed by:

                                                                                        Sofia Merkulova,

                                                                                         6th grade student

                                                                                                 Supervisor:

                                                                                         O.N. Morozova,

                                                                                          English teacher

Saratov 2024

Content

Introduction……………………………………………………………………3

Tasks and objectives…………………………………………………………….3

Basic part………………………………………………………………….....4-9

Chapter 1. General information about holidays…………………………………4

Chapter 2. Types of holidays and their classification…………………………4-5

Chapter 3. Unusual holidays in the USA………………….………………….6-7

Chapter 4. Unusual holidays in the UK..……………………………………..7-8

Conclusion………………………………………………………………….….9

List of literature………………………………………………………….…..10

Introduction

Objectives: The purpose of this work is to introduce unusual holidays of England and USA, to study origin of them.

Tasks:

• To study how, where and for what are they held?
• To study the peculiarities of the holidays.
• To study the origin of the holidays.

With the help of this project, I want to tell you about unusual holidays of UK and USA, the meaning of them. This topic is devoted to the amazing celebrations. Today we are going to learn about unique festivals and holidays in the United States and England, which you have hardly heard of.

Basic part.

Chapter 1. General information about Holidays.

What the word “Holiday” mean? The word “Holiday” comes from the word “Idle”, that is, “free from work”. This is a day of celebration, established in honour of some particularly important event. Significant holidays for the whole country are marked in the calendar.

Holidays unite people, give them the opportunity to relax from everyday labour and worries. Holidays decorate our lives, give vivid impressions and are remembered for a long time.

Chapter 2. Types of holidays and their classification.

Not many of us have thought about a variety of holidays, rather because they are united for us. These are fun and joyful events. But still they are divided into several categories. Holidays can be:

• Religious
• International
• Public
• Official
• Unofficial
• Personal

Public holidays-are those that are also called red days. Such days at the government level are appointed as days off, and the working people have additional rest.

Religious holiday-is a time of special importance, celebrated by adherents of religion.

International holidays-are of global importance, as they are celebrated all over the world, regardless of citizenship and nationality.

Official holidays- expressing social ideals, democratic, revolutionary or folk traditions of the State.

Unofficial holidays-are holidays that are not celebrated at the state level, but are celebrated among the people.

Personal holidays-include birthdays, wedding dates, dates of certain events.

Number of holidays in the UK and USA. Table.

In the UK there are officially 38 holidays: 5 of them are official public holidays, 12 of them are festivals, memorable dates etc., which are great importance for the country, but they aren’t holidays in a literal sense of the word, 21 are holidays celebrated on the territory of the country, but don’t have official days off. We can also celebrate religious holidays, there are only 7 of them.

There are a total of 54 holidays in USA: 7 are official public holidays, 13 – festivals, memorable dates, etc., which are of great importance to the country, but are not holidays in the literal sense of the word, 34 – holidays celebrated in the country, but do not have official days off. You can also celebrate religious holidays, there are only 6 of them.

Chapter 3. Unusual holidays in the USA.

The people of USA love all kinds of celebrations, sometimes extremely ridiculous. Is it interesting? Then let's find out what events and dates are considered solemn in this amazing country with a centuries-old history.

Top 4 most interesting and unusual holidays and traditions for me:

The fourth place is occupied by Don't cry over spilled milk.

Don't cry over spilled milk, the origin of this holiday is associated with an English-language idiom. It means being sad about something that can't be fixed. The idiom was first documented in James Howell's collection of sayings in 1659. At the time, it sounded like "no weeping for shed milk". The holiday reminds us that nothing good ever comes out of regrets. Just as spilled milk cannot be poured back into a glass, there is very little point in trying to undo what has already been done. In the USA, this holiday is celebrated annually on February 11.

The third place is occupied by Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day, the origin of this holiday goes back to ancient times. Second of February was an important mark for the pagan peoples of Europe: the Celts celebrated Imbolc on this day — the holiday of the beginning of spring, and the Romans celebrated the Day of the hedgehog, according to whose behavior they made a forecast for spring. Early in the morning, smartly dressed people gather at the foot of the Turkey Hill, and the chosen one takes the groundhog out of the hole and brings it closer to his ear. Phil allegedly whispers a six-week forecast to the lucky guy, then the prediction is announced publicly.

The second place is occupied by Speak Like a Pirate.

Speak Like a Pirate, is a parody holiday established in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers from Albany, Oregon. The idea of the holiday is connected with an injury sustained during a racquetball game on June 6, 1995. One of the friends reacted to his injury by shouting "Aaarrr!", which led to further altercations related to the pirates until the end of the game. Friends decided to postpone the holiday to September 19th, as it is the birthday of Summers' ex-wife, and therefore it is easy to remember.

The first place is occupied by National Backward Day.

National Backward Day, the origin of this holiday is associated with two American women, Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott, who came up with the idea in 1961. According to legend, they were on a farm milking cows when they came up with the idea to do the opposite. Then they developed the rules and created a holiday, initially on January 29, and then moved it to January 31. They chose January 31st as the day to celebrate, because that date is 1/31, which, if you turn it back, will also be 1/31.

Chapter 4. Unusual holidays in the UK.

If it seems to you that now you are certainly aware of the strangest festivals and holidays, wait - you have not yet read a selection of almost unknown, but very interesting and no less strange holidays that are held in the UK.

Top 4 most interesting and unusual holidays and traditions for me:

The fourth place is occupied by Egremont Crab Fair

Egremont Crab Fair the antics festival in the English town of Egremont Crab Fair occurred because of sour apples. In 1267, apples were distributed at the city fair, some of which turned out to be very sour. The residents began to grimace, and this resulted in a contest for the funniest facial expression.

The third place is occupied by Worm fishing.

Worm fishing is a tradition that is usually held in June.People gather together, each is given a 3x3 meter section and the start signal is given. The winner is the one who catches the maximum number of worms in the time specified in the game protocol: usually it is 30 minutes. The tradition appeared thanks to Tom Shufflebotham, who in 1980 managed to catch 511 worms in half an hour.

The second place is occupied by Swimming in a swamp

Swimming in a swamp the restless Gordon Green wanted to glorify his town so much that he invented a strange sport. In the early 1980s, he invited the residents of Lanurted Wells to drop their complexes and splash around in the mud. I liked the idea, the participants of the swim dive into the swamp in special underwater goggles, flippers and a mask with a snorkel, covering a distance of about 36 meters in the swamp mud. The Bog Diving Championship has become an annual event that attracts enthusiasts from Europe, the USA and even Australia.

The first place is occupied by Nettle Eating.

Nettle Eating is an endurance competition that takes place annually in Marshwood, United Kingdom. The idea appeared in the 80s of the XX century, when two farmers argued who would grow the tallest nettle.Participants are seated at one long table, after which a bouquet of nettle twigs measuring 60 centimeters is placed in front of each of them. One hour is allocated for all participants. To determine the winner, the jury measures the length of all the twigs that are left without leaves.

Conclusion.

With the help of this project, I studied the history of these holidays and learned a little more about the culture of United States and Great Britain. For many centuries, they managed to survive, as well remain relevant in the modern world of high technologies. These customs and traditions still exist and attract many people interested in studying the history and culture of England and USA. The study of the holidays of these countries allows us to better understand study the living conditions of people, their social status, the historical past of the country as a whole and its individual regions.

List of literature.

1. https://md.sputniknews.ru/20190202/den-surka-istoriya-prazdnika-i-svyazannye-s-nim-obychai-24471947.html

2. https://dzen.ru/a/XvRlrabFsTOEGeVD

3. https://multiurok.ru/files/proekt-prazdniki-velikobritanii.html

4.  https://dzen.ru/a/Zh90ElkOZEHjuM_-

5. https://skyeng.ru/articles/prazdniki-i-traditsii-prazdniki-v-ssha/

6. https://puzzle-english.com/puzzle-blog/strange-holidays-usa-uk

7. https://nsportal.ru/nachalnaya-shkola/vospitatelnaya-rabota/2022/05/31/angliyskie-i-amerikanskie-prazdniki-english-and