Christmas traditions in uk
In the UK (or Great Britain), families often celebrate Christmas
together, so they can watch each other open Holly, Ivy and
Mistletoe. Sometimes they used to decorate homes or other most
villages, towns and cities with Christmas lights over .Often a
famous person switches them on .The most famous Christmas
lights in the UK are in Oxford Street in London. Every year they
get bigger and better. Thousands of people go to watch the big
“switch on” around the beginning of November.
SANTA CLAUS
Children believe that Father Christmas or Santa Claus leaves
presents in stockings or pillow-case .These are normally hung up
by the fire or by the children’s beds or Christmas Eve. Children
sometimes leave out mince pies and brandy for Santa Claus to
eat and drink when he visits them.
Children write letters to Santa Claus, listing their requests, but
sometimes instead of putting them in the post, the letters are
tossed into the fire place.
TRADITIONAL FOOD
The main Christmas Meal is usually eaten at lunchtime on early
afternoon on Christmas Day. It’s normally roast turkey, roast
vegetables and ‘’ all the trimmings’’ wich means vegetables like
carrots and peas, stuffing and sometimes bacon and sausages.
It’s often served with cranberry sauce bread sauce. Traditionally,
turkey was served with roast beef or goose was the main
Christmas meal. One vegetable that is often at Christmas in the
UK are brussel sprouts.
Dessert is often Christmas pudding. Mince pies and lots of
chocolates are often eaten as well.The dinner table is decorated
with a Christmas Cracker for each person and sometimes flowers
and candles. In the U.K., a lavish Christmas dinner served on
December 25 is the most important family mealtime of the year.
This year, due to social distancing restrictions, many folks won't
be able to enjoy it with their loved ones as they normally would.
Brits typically tuck into roast turkey or a nut roast with vegetables,
stuffing, and pigs in blankets, followed by a portion of Christmas
pudding with custard. Families who enjoy a bit of flamboyance will
douse the pudding with brandy.
These sweet mince pies are enjoyed as a teatime treat in the
U.K. all through the holidays; you'll see them on British
supermarket shelves from November onward. Though they're
filled with something called "mincemeat," they don't contain any
actual meat (and haven't since Victorian times), only a sticky mix
of dried fruits and spices. They're often eaten cold but if you want
to warm them up and drizzle with custard, no one will object.
In North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire some very special carol
singing called ‘’The Sheffield Carols’’ happens in some pubs
during the weeks leading up to Christmas. The pubs are often
rural and out in the hills in that part of England The carols are
often very local ones and the same carol often varies form pub to
pub. Not all carols are about the Christmas story.
A Christmas carol is simply a Christian festive song celebrating
the birth of Jesus Christ . You don't need to be particularly
religious to enjoy them, though, and in many British villages
groups of "carol singers" will go from street to street delivering
ditties in exchange for small charitable donations. It's just one way
in which Brits like to spread a little festive cheer!
Since being invented by London baker Tom Smith in 1847,
Christmas crackers have become a U.K. holiday staple. They're
basically a fun festive table decoration which Brits enjoy after
eating the main course of their Christmas dinner. One person
grabs one side of the cracker; a second grips the other; then they
both pull firmly. As the cracker tears apart, it makes a loud
snapping sound and a small gift falls out – perhaps a key ring or a
bottle opener. Often crackers also contain a party hat and a joke
so terrible that only your dad will laugh.
The Christmas Tree is an evergreen tree, usually a pine or
a fir decorated with lights and ornaments as a part of
Christmas festivities. Christmas trees can be fresh-cut, potted, or
artificial and are used as both indoor and outdoor decorations.
While the trees are traditionally associated with Christian
symbolism, their modern use is largely secular. Many families
place presents around an indoor Christmas tree to be opened on
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
