Ingliz tili fanidan

LESSON 15

THE THEME: Festivals and Holidays of Great Britain
1. Read and translate the text

Eisteddfod

The Shakespeare Festival

New Year




April Fool’sDay

The Veteran Car Run


The Shakespeare Festival
Stratford-on-A von, the birthplace of Shakespeare, became the site of the first Stratford jubilee in 1769. On the site of Shakespeare's own house ; wooden amphitheatre was built, and two wagon.' arrived with fireworks. The neighbouring villages and towns were crammed with visitors. Medals were issued in copper, silver or gold with Shakespeare'.¹ likeness on them. There was ringing of bells, firing of cannon at 5 in the morning, breakfast in the town hall, speeches and, of course, Shakespeare's plays on the stage. This continued for three days.
Every year, on April 23, representatives of all nations walk from the theatre to the poet's tomb in the church in Stratford-on-Avon.
Eisteddfod
The national Welsh Eisteddfod is devoted to music, literature and the arts. It is a competitive fes­tival and is held the first week of August. All the proceedings are in the Welsh language. Prizes are awarded for music and prose, for verse and drama, for painting and craftwork. Thousands of people attend.
Eisteddfod is not only an important cultural event but a great social, gathering, where hundreds of old friends meet to renew their friendships. Many fami­lies come for the day and bring their picnic baskets with them. The audience remains at the Eisteddfod from 11 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. Many of the present day Welsh singing stars started their careers at the Eisteddfod. Among the performers you can find children's choirs, women's choirs, mixed choirs and male choirs which attract thousands of people.
The festival includes a colorful ceremony of the Crowning of the Bard. In the pavilion there is a throne on a platform. Trumpets sound and the Arch-druid, the main leader of the festival, calls out the name of the winning poet. The poet is led to the platform and robed in purple and crowned with golden oak leaves. The winner receives a small cash award, but the homage given to the poet at his co­ronation is boundless.
New Year
The celebration of New Year's Eve is one of the oldest rites known to man. Julius Caesar set Janu­ary 1 as the starting date of the new year and that is what it
has been ever since. In Scotland, New Year's Eve has always been one of the most important annual events. One Scottish New Year custom is the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight. When the clock strikes 12, everybody stands in a circle crossing their arms and holding hands with thorn who are on either side, merrily singing Robert Burns' poem:
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And days of old Lang syne.
For auld Lang syne, my dear
For auld Lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld Lang syne.
And here's a hand, my trusty friend
And here's a hand o' thine,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld Lang syne.
The Scots also have a custom called first-footing. Young men wander from house to house after midnight, visiting with their neighbors. The first young man to enter a house is known as the first ­foot. He has the right to kiss the girl who answers the door.
In England, New Year has never been as popular a holiday as it is in Scotland and most other coun­tries.