Holidays, festivals and traditions

Holidays, festivals and traditions

People on the world celebrate many holidays and many festivals take place in various countries during year. These traditions, holidays and festivals have been formed during a long period of humanity’s existence up to now. There is a never-ending cycle. They tell us about customs of our ancestors. Some of them are tipical for one or two coutries but another holidays are celebrated in the majority of counties.

For example:

Christmas is typical holiday for every Catholics states. It is recollection for birth of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, in Betlehem. Christmas is magical season when families and friends get together to share the customs and traditions that have developed over the centuries. The tradition talk about the wise men who followed the star, which went ahead of them. It stoped over het place where the baby Jesus was born. They bowed down and gave him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. This was the first Christmas. Today all Christians go to midnight mass to the church to bowed down to Jesus. And people give each other gifts on Christmas, too. They remember the gifts that the wise men gave to the baby Jesus.

Christmas start on Christmas Eve. All families celebrate this day together. They have a christmas dinner. The typical meal is cabbage soup, opekance, fried carp, patato salad, sweets and fruits. After dinner they go to the tree and open their presents and listen to Christmas carols. At midnight, when baby Jesus was born, people go to Midnight Mass to the church. On next day they visit relatives and have a good time.

Easter is opposite holiday of Christmas. People commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. This is the greatest religious festival of the year. On Easter Sunday they commemorate his resurrection. Easter Sunday is the end of Lent. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and it takes 40 days before Easter. In our country on Easter Monday boys go from house to house and splash girls with water and whip them with willow canes, so that they will be healthy and strong all the year round. Girls give boys decorated or chocolate eggs as a reward. At present alcoholic drinks are also offered to boys and it is common to see drunk boys and men in the afternoon.

Between this two holidays people celebrate New Year´s day. This one is common for all counties on the world. All big cities welcome New Year with a noisy and beautiful fireworks. And people wish one another all the best in the New Year. 

Another important custom is All Saint´s Day celebrate on 1^st November. People go to cemeteries to commemorate their relatives and friends who died. They light candles and pray for their loved ones rest in peace. The cemeteries are beautiful that evening with hundreds of candles burning at night.