DIFFERENT CELEBRATIONS

Thanksgiving: People in North America (the USA and Canada) celebrate Thanksgiving every year. In the USA, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Thursday of November. The festival is celebrated to honour the harvest season, and people usually feast on turkey and pumpkin pie. In 1620, a group referred to as ‘the pilgrims’ arrived in America on a ship called the Mayflower. They were originally from England but left their country as they opposed the church’s ideas. Their first winter in America was very harsh and more than half of them froze to death and struggled to find food. But the following year, they had a fruitful harvest and celebrated with a feast giving their gratitude together with the local native tribes who helped them survive. Thanksgiving became a national holiday, when President Lincoln decided the last Thursday in November would be a national day of Thanksgiving.

In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October and is usually a three or four-day weekend festival. Canadian Thanksgiving was begun by an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who decided to celebrate his settlement in Canada after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1578.

Hogmanay: Hogmanay is the name of the New Year in Scotland. It means being the first person to enter a house after midnight, usually carrying gifts of coal and whiskey to bring good luck. A tall, dark, handsome man is supposed to bring the most luck! It’s claimed by some people that in the past, a man with dark hair was welcome as people thought he was Scottish. At midnight, people sing Auld Lang Syne, a traditional poem rewritten by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. This is now sung in many countries. Hogmanay celebrations last for 4 days from December 29th to January 1st.

Bonfire Night: In 1605, Guy Fawkes and a small group of co-conspirators planned a plot to blow up the British Houses of Parliament to kill the King and a number of English Politicians. However, the King discovered the plot and sent his men to stop the assassination attempt. Guy Fawkes was arrested and executed on the 5th of November. After this, people lit bonfires to celebrate the safety of the crown, and the festival became known as Bonfire Night. It takes place every year in England with fireworks and bonfires. Children make a puppet called ‘guy’ to burn on the bonfire.