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СтрановедениеТрадиции и праздники.
Well dressing.
Well dressing-сезон украшения источников. Он продолжается с весны до осени. Каждый колодец во всех городках и деревнях Англии обязательно получит свой неповторимый наряд. Эта древняя традиция уходит корнями в дохристианское прошлое кельтских предков нынешних британцев, которые были язычниками, обожествлявшими колодцы, - источники жизни и благосостояния.
What is well dressing?
Well, it's nothing to do with dressing well for a start. In this case the well is a deep hole in the ground from which water can be collected, and well dressing is a custom practised in the Peak District of England, in which wells are decorated with designs created from thousands of flower petals.
The history of well dressing The origins of the tradition are alternatively said to lie in pagan tradition or in giving thanks for the purity of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death. It is often said to have originated in Tissington, Derbyshire. The custom almost died out, but during the twentieth century, it was revived and has spread to numerous villages and small towns in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, South Yorkshire, Cheshire, and even as far afield as Much Wenlock in Shropshire.
The dressing of the well Wooden frames are constructed and covered with clay, mixed with water and salt. A design is sketched on paper, often of a religious theme, and this is traced onto the clay. The picture is then filled in with natural materials, predominantly flower petals and mosses, but also beans, seeds and small cones.
Each group uses their own technique, with some areas mandating that only natural materials be used while others feel free to use modern materials to simplify production. You can still see these beautiful creations around the county when the villages dress their wells and springs from early May until September Swan upping. Перепись людей в Великобритании проводится каждые десять лет. Перепись же лебедей на Темзе происходит каждый год в июле. Это праздничное событие называется Swan upping. То есть, грубо говоря, увеличение поголовья лебедей.
The English love keeping up ancient traditions. Swan-upping which originated over 600 years is certainly one of these. Apart from its conservation element, swan-upping is a great opportunity to put on a colourful display of pageantry. To spend time watching the flotilla of boats passing by, manned by watermen in livery of red, white or blue, is well worthwhile.
Like many ancient English traditions its origins are based on protecting the rights of the rich and powerful. Centuries ago the swan was considered a culinary delight, but owning swans was a privilige initially restricted to the Crown who then extended ownership to two City Livery companies; The Company of Vintners and the Company of Dyers. At one time any unauthorised person found guilty of killing a swan could be sentenced to transportation for seven years and even up to 1895 could receive seven years hard labour. Thankfully the swan is no longer seen as a source of food and such punishment no longer applies. Instead we have the pleasure of watching an ancient ceremony. The Swan-upping ceremony developed as the means by which the Crown, the Vintners and the Dyers identified their particular swans. For centuries the Vintners marked their birds by putting a nick on each side of the beaks, the Dyers putting one nick only, whilst the Crown's birds went unmarked. This practice is no longer continued. Instead the birds are marked by an identifying ring around their legs. Swan-upping takes place along the Thames during the third week of July, starting on Monday at Sunbury and concluding at Abingdon on Friday. It is organised by the Royal Swan Keeper, a position that dates from 1295. The present holder is Mr David Barber.
Swan-upping commences with an assembly of boats, each flying an identifying flag. The boats of the livery companies are 25ft long double skiffs, each manned by two watermen handling a pair of sculls. The Queen's Swan Keeper sits at the stern of a randan propelled by one man with a pair of sculls and two others each working a single scull.They are accompanied by classic motorboats The search is then on to find all the year's new cygnets and their parents. The fun begins once a family has been spotted, the flotilla of rowing boats surrounds the swans and gradually nudges them towards the riverbank.Some of the watermen jump out of their boats into the shallows to catch each bird.Very gently its legs are tied together. This has a great calming effect on the swan. The swan is lifted onto dry land and examined to ensure that it is healthy. Each of the cygnets is marked with identifying tags on its legs.Then they are measured and weighed. Once every statistic has been recorded the family swans are given a final check-over then released. Boats reassemble and continue on their way upstream looking for the next family. During the week they will mark and check between 70 - 90 cygnets and will update records on the numbers and well-being of the swan population as a whole. So although this is a great spectacle to watch it has benefits for the long term future of the swans as well as being entertaining and fascinating for onlookers. The Queen's Swan Marker talks about the annual census of the swan population on a particular stretch of the river Thames. Trooping the Colour.
В Великобритании вынос знамени перед строем или, как его еще называют, Торжественный развод караулов с выносом знамени известен еще как Парад в честь Официального Дня рождения Королевы и проводится во вторую субботу июня каждого года.
The custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th. Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle and were therefore trooped in front of the soldiers every day to make sure that every man could recognise those of his own regiment. In London, the Foot Guards used to do this as part of their daily Guard Mounting on Horse Guards and the ceremonial of the modern Trooping the Colour parade is along similar lines. The first traceable mention of The Sovereign's Birthday being 'kept' by the Grenadier Guards is in 1748 and again, after George III became King in 1760, it was ordered that parades should mark the King's Birthday. From the accesssion of George IV they became, with a few exceptions and notably the two World Wars, an annual event.
This impressive display of pageantry is now held on the occasion of the Queen's Official Birthday. It takes place in June each year to celebrate the official Birthday of the Sovereign and is carried out by her personal troops, the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen herself attending and taking the salute.
Since 1987, The Queen has attended in a carriage rather than riding, which she did before that on 36 occasions, riding side-saddle and wearing the uniform of the regiment whose Colour was being trooped. The regiments take their turn for this honour in rotation as operational commitments permit.
Over 1400 officers and men are on parade, together with two hundred horses; over four hundred musicians from ten bands and corps of drums march and play as one. Some 113 words of command are given by the Officer in Command of the Parade. The parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and back again. Precisely as the clock on the Horse Guards Building strikes eleven, the Royal Procession arrives and The Queen takes the Royal Salute. The parade begins with the Inspection, The Queen driving slowly down the ranks of all eight Guards and then past the Household Cavalry. After the event, the Royal Family gathers on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch an RAF flypast.
The Queen's Official Birthday Parade took place on Saturday 11th June. Queen Elizabeth II actually turned 85 on 21st April and Prince Phillip had his 90th Birthday the previous day, 10th June. The Royal Family traveled from Buckingham Palace to Horseguards Parade. The Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and The Duke of York were in a horse-drawn carriage. The Queen was accompanied by Prince Phillip and followed behind by the honorary royal colonels. The Duke of Cambridge - Colonel of Irish Guards, Prince of Wales - Colonel of the Welsh Guards, The Princess Royal - Colonel of the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals and The Duke of Kent - Colonel of the Scots Guards. The regiment which trooped their colour before the Sovereign this year was the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. After inspecting the Troops, The Queen returns into Buckingham Palace and then leads the Royal Family out onto the balcony to watch the RAFs tribute to the Monarch with a flypast. May Day celebrations. Начало мая в Великобритании празднуется широко и разнообразно. Можно с полной уверенностью сказать, что этот месяц они очень любят.В первый понедельник мая отмечается May Day, знаменитый празник весны, который также ассоциируется с романтикой и влюбленностью.May Bank Holiday — официальный нерабочий день (bank holiday) в Великобритании.
The first day of the month of May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins and flowers and trees start to blossom. It is said to be a time of love and romance. It is when people celebrate the coming of summer with lots of different customs that are expressions of joy and hope after a long winter. copyright of protectbritain.com
Traditional English May Day celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen and dancing around a Maypole. Morris dancing
A traditional dance seen throughout the month of May is Morris Dancing. It is a traditional English form of folkdancing, performed by groups of men or women. Morris Dancing has been danced for hundreds of years, and passed down through the generations in the villages of rural England. The dances are usually performed at festivals such as May Day, Whitsun and Christmas. The Origins of Morris Dancing
There are several thoughts to the origins of Morris Dancing. The name may refer to the possibility of the form of dancing coming to England from the Moors of North Africa; or it may have been called 'Moor-ish' simply because the dancers sometimes painted their faces black, and people compared this to the dark-skinned Moors.
The Music The dancing is very lively and accompanied by an accordion player, a melodeon or fiddle player (Cotswolds) or a noisy band with a drum (Border Morris or North West sides)
Costumes Morris dancers wear different clothes depending on the part of the country in which they dance. They are often dressed in white with coloured baldrics (coloured belts) across their chests.
Border Morris Dancers generally wear 'tatter jackets' and black their faces - probably originating as a form of disguise. The Dances There are usually six or eight dancers arranged in two lines or in a circle facing each other. The dancers may carry white handkerchiefs that they shake, or short sticks that they bang against each other as they dance. Some dancers have bell-pads tied at their knees, which make a loud and cheerful rhythm as they dance.
Crowning a May Queen The May Queen is a girl (usually a teenage girl from a specific school year) who is selected to ride or walk at the front of a parade for May Day celebrations. She wears a white gown to symbolise purity and usually a tiara or crown. Her duty is to begin the May Day celebrations. She is generally crowned by flowers and makes a speech before the dancing begins. Certain age groups dance round a May pole celebrating youth and the spring time.
According to popular British folklore, the tradition once had a sinister twist, in that the May Queen was put to death once the festivities were over. The veracity of this belief is difficult to establish, but while in truth it might just be an example of anti-pagan propaganda, frequent associations between May Day rituals, the occult and human sacrifice are still to be found in popular culture today. The Wicker Man, a cult horror film starring Christopher Lee, is a prominent example of this.
Dancing around a Maypole On May Day, people used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer.
People danced around the tree poles in celebration of the end of winter and the start of the fine weather that would allow planting to begin. The end results would be either a beautiful plaited pattern of ribbons round the pole or a tangled cat's cradle, depending on how much rehearsing had been done. Maypoles are still a part of some village life and on May Day the villagers dance around it. Свадьба принца Уильяма и Кейт Миддлтон. В пятницу, 29 апреля 2011 года, в Англии произошло знаменательное событие: принц Уильям (prince William) и Кэтрин Миддлтон (Catherine Middleton) сказали друг другу "да" в Вестминстерском аббатстве. Кейт и Уильям стали мужем и женой, герцогом и герцогиней Кембриджскими.
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, second in the line of succession to Queen Elizabeth II, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, while both were studying at St. Andrews University. Their engagement on 20 October 2010 was announced on 16 November 2010.
The build-up to the wedding and the occasion itself attracted much media attention, with the service broadcast live around the world, and being compared and contrasted in many ways with the 1981 marriage of William's parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. It was watched by a global television audience of over two billion. Much of the attention focused on Middleton's status as a commoner (i.e., not of royal blood or a part of the aristocracy) marrying into royalty. Hours before the service, the Queen conferred the titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus upon William. Upon her marriage, Middleton therefore became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, but is not styled as 'Princess Catherine'. As William was not the heir-apparent to the throne, the wedding was not a full state occasion, with many details left to the couple themselves to decide, such as much of the the guest list of about 1,900. It was, however, a public holiday in the United Kingdom and featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry. It was attended by most of the Royal Family, as well as many foreign royals, diplomats, and the couple's chosen personal guests. Middleton wore a white dress with a 270-centimetre (110 in) train, by British designer Sarah Burton, as well as a tiara lent to her by the Queen. Prince William wore the uniform of his honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards. William's best man was his brother, Prince Harry, while the bride's sister, Pippa, acted as her maid of honour. The wedding ceremony began at 11:00 am BST (UTC+1). John Robert Hall, the Dean of Westminster, conducted the service, with Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, conducting the marriage ceremony itself and Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, giving the sermon. A reading was also given by the bride's brother, James. After the ceremony, the newly married couple travelled in procession to Buckingham Palace for the traditional appearance on the balcony and a flypast before crowds assembled in The Mall. Later the Prince drove his Duchess the short distance to Clarence House in his father's classic Aston Martin Volante, decorated by Prince Harry and James Middleton with a number plate "JU5T WED".
Following the wedding, the couple intend to continue residing on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, where Prince William is based as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot. Апрель 23 - День рождения У. Шекспира. Уильям Шекспир, пожалуй, один из немногих, кем гордятся все британцы без исключение. Ведь его бессмертные произведения прославили Великобританию на весь мир.
Shakespeare Day in United Kingdom
Many fans and enthusiasts of William Shakespeare, who was one of England’s greatest poets and dramatists, celebrate National Shakespeare Day, also known as Shakespeare Day, on April 23 each year. April 23 is also St George’s Day and the United Nations’ World Book and Copyright Day, which was a natural choice to pay a worldwide tribute to writers such as Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare's works are celebrated on Shakespeare Day. What do people do? Special pageants are held at Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, where Shakespeare was born and where thousands of tourists go each year to see his plays performed. The bells of Holy Trinity Church ring out and the Mayor of Stratford leads a procession there to lay flowers on Shakespeare’s’ grave. The procession includes bands, civic dignitaries, costumed actors and actresses, Morris dancers, and the staff and pupils of some local schools. In some schools, regular lessons are set aside for students to learn about the great playwright and poet, and his sonnets, narrative poems and plays. Enthusiasts and fans, including the British Shakespeare Company, have campaigned for Parliament in the United Kingdom to officially recognize national Shakespeare Day. Public life
Shakespeare’s Birthday is an observance and not a bank holiday in the United Kingdom. No one really knows the exact date of William Shakespeare’s birth, although he was baptized on April 26, 1564, and died on April 23, 1616. Some believe he was born on April 23, although birth dates were generally not recorded in his time. In his younger years Shakespeare attended the Christian Holy Trinity church, the now famous limestone cross-shaped cathedral on the banks of the Avon River in the United Kingdom.
At the age of 18 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children. Between 1585 and 1592 he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of the playing company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. It is believed that he retired in Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
This Bard of Avon has been referred to as a "literary genius” and "Britain’s greatest playwright and poet”. His work includes comedies, such as The Taming of the Shrew and a Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as tragedies such as King Lear, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Much of his work has been seen in modern-day theatre, the ballet and in modern films. His plays have been translated in many different languages across the world.
Shakespeare’s increasing popularity in modern times is reflected by National Shakespeare Day, which started as an idea from Robert J Williamson, the Artistic Director of the British Shakespeare Company. National Shakespeare Day is supported by many people in the United Kingdom, including government ministers. Symbols
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 but was later destroyed by fire. A second Globe Theatre was rebuilt on the same site in 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of the theatre, "Shakespeare’s Globe”, is currently located in London. It consists of: The Globe Theatre, with a professional theatre company incorporating international artists playing a summer season of plays; Globe Education, which works with students of all ages; and Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition, devoted to Shakespeare and his contemporaries in performance. Other symbols identified with Shakespeare include: an image of the poet on a postage stamp or on a portrait; and symbols from his plays, such as a rose (Romeo and Juliet), a human skull (Hamlet), and blood, ghosts and witches (Macbeth).
Пасха в Великобритании.
В Великобритании Пасха считается «королевой праздников». В Страстную пятницу церковные колокола замолкают и снова начинают перезвон только в пасхальное воскресенье. Современные традиции празднования Пасхи в Англии очень яркие, красочные и радостные.
Easter in the UK In the UK Easter is one of the major Christian festivals of the year. It is full of customs, folklore and traditional food. However, Easter in Britain has its beginnings long before the arrival of Christianity. Many theologians believe Easter itself is named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn and spring - Eostre. In Britain Easter occurs at a different time each year. It is observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that the festival can occur on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Not only is Easter the end of the winter it is also the end of Lent, traditionally a time of fasting in the Christian calendar. It is therefore often a time of fun and celebration.
The Friday before Easter Sunday and the Monday after are a bank holiday in the UK. Over Easter schools in the UK close for two weeks, just enough time to digest all the chocolate. Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. The word Maundy" comes from the French word, "Mande," meaning "command" or "mandate” and is taken from the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, "love one another as I have loved you.”
In Britain, the Queen takes part in the Ceremony of the Royal Maundy, which dates back to Edward 1. This involves the distribution of Maundy Money to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age), usually chosen for having done service to their community. They receive ceremonial red and white purses which contain coins made especially for the occasion. The white purse contains one coin for each year of the monarch's reign. The red purse contains money in place of other gifts that used to be given to the poor.
Good Friday On the Friday before Easter, Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is a day of mourning in church and special Good Friday services are held where Christians meditate on Jesus's suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith. Calling it 'Good Friday' may seem a bit bizarre, but some people think that it was once called God's Friday or Holy Friday.
Symbols of Easter Many of the symbols and traditions of Easter are connected with renewal, birth, good luck and fertility. The Cross Of course as it is a Christian festival one of the main symbols is a cross, often on a hill. When Jesus was crucified, the cross became a symbol of suffering. Then with the resurrection, Christians saw it as a symbol of victory over death. In A.D. 325, Constantine issued a decree at the Council of Nicaea, that the Cross would be the official symbol of Christianity. Palms The week of Easter begins on Palm Sunday. Why Palm Sunday? Well, in Roman times it was customary to welcome royalty by waving palm branches, a bit like a ticker-tape parade. So, when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on what is now known as Palm Sunday, people welcomed him with palm branches carpeting the streets and waving them. Today, on Palm Sunday, Christians carry palm branches in parades, and make them into crosses and garlands to decorate the Church. Easter Eggs Easter eggs are a very old tradition going to a time before Christianity. Eggs after all are a symbol of spring and new life. Exchanging and eating Easter eggs is a popular custom in many countries. In the UK before they were replaced by chocolate Easter eggs real eggs were used, in most cases, chicken eggs. The eggs were hard-boiled and dyed in various colors and patterns. The traditionally bright colours represented spring and light. Sadly, nowadays if you gave a child in Britain a hard-boiled egg on Easter Sunday, you would probably end up wearing it! An older more traditional game is one in which real eggs are rolled against one another or down a hill. The owner of the egg that stayed uncracked the longest won. Even today in the north of England, for example as at Preston in Lancashire, they still carry out the custom of egg rolling. Hard boiled eggs are rolled down slopes to see whose egg goes furthest. In other places another game is played. You hold an egg in the palm of the hand and bang against your opponent's egg. The loser is the one whose egg breaks first. Nowadays people give each other Easter eggs made of chocolate, usually hollow and filled with sweets. On TV you will see adverts for Cadbury's Creme Eggs, a very sweet confectionery. The catchphrase for the adverts is "How do you eat yours?" And Britain children hunt for (chocolate) Easter eggs hidden about the home or garden by the Easter bunny. The Easter Bunny Rabbits, due to their fecund nature, have always been a symbol of fertility.The Easter bunny (rabbit) however may actually be an Easter hare. The hare was allegedly a companion of the ancient Moon goddess and of Eostre. Strangely the bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have it's origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 16th Century.
The first edible Easter bunnies appeared in Germany during the early 1800s, they were made of pastry and sugar. In the UK children believe that if they are good the "Easter Bunny " will leave (chocolate) eggs for them. Sadly hare hunting (hare coursing) used to be a common pastime at Easter. But this might please some of the more fundamentalist Christians, who consider the fluffy fellow to be unchristian. Morris Dancing Morris dancing is a traditional English form of folk dance which is also performed in other English-speaking countries such as the USA and Australia.
The roots of morris dancing seem to be very old, probably dating back to the Middle Ages. In the dance men dress up in costumes with hats and ribbons and bells around their ankles. They dance through the streets and one man often carries an inflated pigs bladder on the end of a stick. He will run up to young women in the street and hit them over the head with the pigs bladder, this is supposed to be lucky (men)! Dressing Up For Easter Easter was once a traditional day for getting married, that may be why people often dress up for Easter. Women would make and wear special Easter bonnets - decorated with flowers and ribbons.
Even today in Battersea in London there is a special Easter Parade, where hand-made bonnets are shown off. Hot Cross Buns Hot cross buns, now eaten throughout the Easter season, were first baked in England to be served on Good Friday. These small, lightly sweet yeast buns contain raisins or currants and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the bun. After baking, a confectioners' sugar icing is used to fill the cross.
An old rhyme was often sung by children awaiting their sugary treat:
"Hot cross buns,
hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns. If you do not like them, give them to your sons, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns." День рождения Королевы Елизаветы II.
А интересно, как это — отмечать свой День рождения вот уже более 50-ти лет дважды в год? На этот вопрос сможет ответить Королева Елизавета II (Queen Elizabeth II), которая родилась 21 апреля 1926 года в Лондоне, и вот уже много лет день ее рождения празднуется всем Соединенным Королевством не только 21 апреля, но и в 3-ю субботу июня.
21 April Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
In London, on 29th April for exactness, there will be a big event, the wedding of the Royal House between William and Kate, and already' all the city' is preparing and organizing its streets for the great event. But 21th April signs another important yearly recurrence celebrated by the british people, is the birthday of Her Majesty The Queen. The Queen's Official Birthday, also known as the Queen's Birthday is the day on which the birthday of the monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms is officially celebrated rather than the actual day of the current monarch's birthday. The exact date of the celebration varies from country to country, and only marks the real birthday of the sovereign by coincidence (the current monarch, Elizabeth II, was born on 21 April 1926).
Most Commonwealth Realms release a Birthday Honours List at this time.
In the United Kingdom, the Queen's Official Birthday is now celebrated on the first, second, or third Saturday in June, although it is rarely the third. It is marked in London by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which is also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade. The Queen's Official Birthday does not coincide with when she was born. Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, and whose birthday was on 9 November, in autumn, moved the ceremony to summer in the hope of good weather. The Queen celebrates her actual birthday on 21 April.
The list of Birthday Honours is also announced at the time of the UK Official Birthday celebrations. In British diplomatic missions the day is treated as the National Day of the United Kingdom. Although it is not celebrated as a specific public holiday in the UK (as it is not a working day), civil servants are given a "privilege day" at this time of year, which is often merged with the Spring Bank Holiday (last Monday in May) to create a long weekend, which was partly created to celebrate the monarch's birthday.
The Queen usually spends her actual birthday privately, but the occasion is marked publicly by gun salutes in central London at midday: a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21 gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London. In 2006, Her Majesty celebrated her 80th Birthday in 2006 with a walkabout in the streets outside of Windsor Castle to meet well-wishers. On her official birthday, Her Majesty is joined by other members of the Royal Family at the spectacular Trooping the Colour parade which moves between Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Horseguards’ Parade. День Матери.
День Матери в Англии напоминает российский праздник 8 марта. В 2011 году он отмечается 3 апреля.
Mothering Sunday
The UK's version of Mother's Day - 3 April 2011 What is Mothering Sunday? Mothering Sunday in the UK is the equivalent of Mothers' Day in other countries. What happens on Mothering Sunday in the UK? Mothering Sunday is a time when children pay respect to their Mothers. Children often give their Mothers a gift and a card. Mothering Sunday church service Many churches give the children in the congregation a little bunch of spring flowers to give to their Mothers as a thank you for all their care and love throughout the year. When is Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day)? Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) is always the fourth Sunday of Lent. 2011 Mothering Sunday in UK in 2011 - 3 April (Mother's Day in US in 2011 - 8 May) Why is Mothering Sunday on different dates each year? Mothering Sunday is not a fixed day because it is always the middle Sunday in Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday). This means that Mother's Day in the UK will fall on different dates each year and sometimes even fall in different months. Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent since at least the 16th century. The History behind Mothering Sunday Mothering Sunday was also known as 'Refreshment Sunday', Pudding Pie Sunday (in Surrey, England) or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. It was a day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the 'Feeding of the Five Thousand', a story in the Christian Bible. Roman Spring Festival The more usual name was Mothering Sunday. No one is absolutely certain exactly how the name of Mothering Sunday began. However, one theory is that the celebration could have been adopted from a Roman Spring festival celebrating Cybele, their Mother Goddess. Mother Church As Christianity spread, this date was adopted by Christians. The epistle in the Book of Common Prayer for this Sunday refers to the heavenly Jerusalem as "the Mother of all us all", and this may have prompted the customs we still see today. It is known on this date, about four hundred years ago, people made a point of visiting their nearest big church (the Mother Church). The church in which each person was baptised. Cathedrals are the 'mother church' of all other churches in an area ('diocese'). Canterbury Cathedral is pictured below.
People who visited their mother church would say they had gone "a mothering." Girls in Service Young British girls and boys 'in service' (maids and servants) at the local Manor House or in a Mansion, were only allowed one day to visit their family each year. This was usually on Mothering Sunday. For some this could be a significant journey since their mother may have lived some distance away, indeed another town altogether from the Manor where they were put in to service. Often the housekeeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home for their mother. Sometimes a gift of eggs; or flowers from the garden (or hothouse) was allowed. "Maids were put in to service for the Landed Gentry and paid a small salary but boarded free of charge. They dealt with everything from cleaning,washing to cooking, so to have a day of rest and be able to visit their mother was quite a privelledge."
Simnel Cake Mothering Sunday is also sometimes know as Simnel Sunday because of the tradition of baking Simnel cakes. The most favoured cake was - as it still is in some families - was the 'simnel cake'. The Simnel cake is a fruit cake. A flat layer of marzipan (sugar almond paste) is placed on top of and decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas, who betrayed Christ. It was not eaten on Mothering Sunday because of the rules of Lent, instead it was saved until Easter. The word simnel probably derived from the latin word ‘simila’, meaning fine, wheaten flour from which the cakes were made.
A Simnel is still made in many parts of England today, although it is now more commonly made for and eaten on Easter Day . |