Traditions and Customs

Halloween — October 31

Halloween is both a British and an American holiday. In Britain it is celebrated in Scotland and Wales. In the United States it is celebrated in many towns and villages. It is a holiday for children and young people.

In the evening of October 31 boys and girls «dress up» in different old clothes and wear masks. As the night is usually quite dark they take with them a lantern made from a pumpkin. On an empty pumpkin they cut out slits for two eyes, a nose and a mouth and put a lighted candle inside. The pumpkin then looks like a jeering face with burning eyes. The children go from house to house and knock on the doors, calling «trick or treat». This means that they will play no tricks on you if you «treat» them — ask them in and give them sweets and fill their bags with fruit and cakes or anything else they like.

St. Valentine's Day — February 14

In England and in the United States February 14 is St. Valentine's Day. Boys and girls as well as grown-ups send valentines to their friends. A valentine is a little picture, very often a funny one with a little poem or some kind words on it:

I’ll be your sweetheart, if you will be mine, All of my life I'll be your Valentine.

Schoolchildren enjoy buying or making valentines for their friends and teachers; very often they write on the valentine «From guess who», and the person who receives it must guess the name of the sender. In schools boys and girls make a gaily decorated box with a slit on the top where they can «post» their valentines. Usually each classroom has such a box and at the end of the school day they open the box, take out the valentines and the boy or girl who gets more valentines than the other children feels very happy.

February the fourteenth day. It's Valentine they say. I choose you from among the rest, The reason is I love you best. Sure as the grapes grow on the vine, So sure you are my Valentine. The rose is red, the violet blue, Lilies are fair and so are you.

April Fool's Day — April 1

For very many centuries the first of April was a day of laughing and jokes. This day is kept in many countries not only in Britain and the USA. This is a day to play jokes and make people laugh. Nobody knows when was the beginning of this custom. Some people connect it with the end of winter and the return of spring which made people merry and ready to play jokes.

In Scotland young people were sent for hen's teeth or bird's milk and everybody laughed when they could not find such things. In the USA and Britain someone could place a sign on a person's back with the words «push me!». Children often tell a grown-up that his sock is torn or he had something black on his face, and then shout «April Fool!». There is also the old - purse trick. A purse is left lying in the street, but when someone wants to take it, it is quickly pulled back by a string which the hidden joker holds in his hand. Or the purse may be filled with stones. Sometimes invitations are sent to people asking them to come and visit somebody but when they come they see that nobody expected them. Some people like to telephone to the Zoo on that day and ask for Mr. Fish, Miss Fox or Mrs. Cat. All these jokes are very old but still they make people laugh.

In some places tricks are played only in the morning of April 1. Then, if anyone tries to fool someone later that day, or on the next, he is met with these words:

«April Fool is past,

           And you are the biggest

                                    fool at last»

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