Saint Andrew's Day

Hi everyone! Today we are here to present you another entry on our blog. This is coming to the end... but we hope you enjoy this entry as much as the first! To those who did not know about this, yesterday was 30th November, a highly important day in one part of England, concretely Scotland. This is why it was celebrated St Andrew's day, the patron of the country. So, are you ready to know more about this essential day In Britain? Here we go!

Photo: https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/st-andrews-day

The history of this day came so many years ago, Saint Andrew the younger brother of Saint Peter, embarked on voyages across the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, spreading the Gospel and becoming the first bishop of Byzantium. For this reason, Saint Andrew is revered as the patron saint of the Orthodox Church, bonured not only in Scotland but also in countries such as Greece, Ukraine, Russia...  According to tradition, the martyndom of Saint Andrew took place on November 30th in the year 60 in the Greek city of Patras. The Roman governor Aegeas ordered that Saint Andrew,  disciple of Jesus, had to be bound to a cross, avoiding crucifixion to prolong his suffering, Saint Andrew refused to be tied to a Latin-style cross. Consequently, he was finally bound to a cross in the form of an X. 

But why did Saint Andrew became the patron of Scotland? He was designated as the patron because one night in the year 832, prior to a conflict with the Angles and Saxons, the saint manifested to the Pictish King Angus II, foretelling his triumph in the impending confrontation.

Photo: https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/who-was-st-andrew-what-you-might-not-have-known-about-scotlands-patron-saint/

On the subsequent day, warriors from both factions beheld a celestial marvel: the emergence of a white X-shaped cross in the azure sky, emblematic of Saint Andrew. The Picts and the Scots interpreted this as a divine signal, instilling them with strength, ultimately leading to their victory in the battle.

Subsequent to this pivotal conflict, the cross evolved into Scotland's emblematic symbol, serving as the inspiration for its distinctive flag, The Saltire, or commonly known as the Saint Andrew's Cross.

It wasn't until the 14th century when Saint Andrew was formally acknowledged as the patron saint of Scotland, and the town of Saint Andrews, believed to house his relics, became a revered place of pilgrimage.

How Scotish people celebrate this day? Currently, Saint Andrew's Day is observed throughout all areas of Scotland. It's a time when Scots proudly display their Scottish heritage, often adorning the flag of Scotland, incorporating the Saint Andrew's Cross on their faces.

Additionally, donning traditional Scottish attire, which includes a Kilt (a pleated skirt) paired with a tweed jacket (crafted from authentic Scottish wool), is customary.

Highlighted below are some of the key events held across Scotland to honor this occasion:

November in St Andrews  

The city named after the Patron Saint hosts a multitude of culinary events throughout November. Among these is the Chefs Taster Lanch, where  various chefs partake, providing tastings and samplings during the Demo and  Dine weskrud. On Saint Andrew's Day staelf, six of the region's finest chefs  present a delightful dinner

Saltire Festival, East Lothian

This festival is celebrated in the Scottish region and involves an array of activities, including a 10- kilometer night race, a golf tournament, workshops showcasing craftsmanship, and performances featuring traditional music.

Saint Andrew's Day in Glasgow

In Glasgow, an impressive torch-lit procession winds through the West End to honor this day. The proceeds from this event are channeled into charitable endeavors, paying homage to Saint Andrew's ethos of unity and support.

We think this holiday has a really intriguing background, especially for those interested in the Christian religion.

We hope you have learned about this importante celebration and we are waiting for you in our last entry!

Bibliography

•  St Andrew Patron Saint of Scotland. (2023, 29 noviembre). Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/St-Andrew-Patron-Saint-of-Scotland/
• Wikipedia contributors. (2023, 30 noviembre). Saint Andrew’s Day. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Andrew%27s_Day
• Who was St Andrew? What you might not know about Scotland’s Patron Saint - The Sunday Post. (2017b, noviembre 29). The Sunday Post. https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/who-was-st-andrew-what-you-might-not-have-known-about-scotlands-patron-saint
• Saltire Festival. (s. f.). The Saltire Society. https://www.saltiresociety.org.uk/the-saltire-festival

Saint George's Day

Hi! We are here today to present to you our fourth entry of our blog! After Halloween's day, we want to talk about another fundamental day in British Holidays: Saint George's Day. We hope that you will enjoy acquiring knowledge about it because it is a highly important day in England and, like you will see, in some parts of our own country. So, let's start!

Photo: English Heritage

Saint George's Day commemorates the death of the soldier George, it is celebrated on 23th April. He was killed in Nicomedia due to his Christian faith, this is the reason why he is venerated as a martyr. According to the legend, Saint George was an English knight who rescued a maiden from being devoured by an enormous dragon. His bravery served as an example for thousands of English warriors who, for centuries, and shouting "For St. George!", battled under the flag bearing the red cross, known as the Cross of Saint George. However, some historians believe that Saint George who achieved one of the highest military positions in the Roman army under the rule of the pagan Emperor Diocletian, led one of the most violent persecutions of Christians in the history of the Empire. One day, disagreeing with the brutality with which the emperor treated Christians, George decided to disobey his orders and formed a small rebellion against him. For these acts, George was captured, dragged through the streets of Nicomedia, tortured, and beheaded. This rebellion against the emperor in defense of the Christians secured his place in the Christian canon.

It's believed that the English started invoking Saint George during the time of the Crusades, seeking his protection and aid to conquer the Holy Land and liberate those lands from the 'evil dragon'.

Among the activities that are carried out on this day, we have: gastronomic fairs, parades, events for the youngest, and all sorts of cultural gatherings. Furthermore, it's customary that the flag is hoisted in different places across the city, including at 10 Downing Street, as well as in numerous pubs, bars, shops, or restaurants. Another traditional custom for Saint George's Day is wearing a red rose on the lapel, and it is common to see Londoners sporting the national flower on this day. In London, one of the most active spots on this day is usually Trafalgar Square, where numerous stalls resembling an ancient medieval village are set up. Performances by musical groups, theatrical representations, and gastronomic tastings enliven this festival that attracts hundreds of Londoners and tourists. Other common activities for Saint George's Day include organizing tournaments of quintessentially English sports such as football, rugby, or cricket, all of which have a large number of followers among Londoners

In Spain, specifically, in Catalonia, Saint George's Day (called Sant Jordi Day there) is a really important day too. This day is a special occasion to reclaim the Catalan culture and language.The central elements of the celebration are culture and love, represented with the book and the rose. Because, on this day, it is common for couples to give each other a book and a rose. In Barcelona the main meeting point is located on La Rambla, which is filled to the brim with stalls of booksellers and florists.

Photo:Shuttertock

Although the festival has been celebrated with more or less intensity since the 16th century, it was at the end of the 19th century, with the political and cultural movement of the Renaixença, when Sant Jordi was established as the most celebrated patriotic and cultural festival in Catalonia. 

Photo: Casa Battló

It has been really interesting for us to find these differences between both ways of celebrating this festival, although if this day shares something in the way it is celebrated, it is the dissemination of local culture. We believe that the origin of this day is really curious and its evolution, especially in Catalonia, is really amazing.

We hope you enjoyed learning about this day, we look forward to seeing you with more in our next entry!

Bibliography

• Wikipedia contributors. (2023, 4 noviembre). Saint George’s Day. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George%27s_Day

• English Heritage. (s. f.). 9 things you didn’t know about St George. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/st-georges-day/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-st-george/#:~:text=A%20feast%20day%20of%20St,days%20in%20the%20English%20calendar.

• eMascaró. (s. f.). Como se celebra, o no, Saint George’s Day en Inglaterra. English Summer.https://www.englishsummer.com/noticias/como-se-celebra-o-no-saint-georges-day-en-inglaterra/

Sant Jordi | Cultura popular. (s. f.-b) https://www.barcelona.cat/culturapopular/es/fiestas-y-tradiciones/sant-jordi

HALLOWEEN!

Hello everyone! Here we are again to show you more facts about British Holidays! Since Halloween is approaching, today we will focus on how English people celebrate this day, its origin, the costumes they wear... Are you ready? Let's get started!

Photo: Istock

As we know, this celebration takes place in many different parts of the world. But do people truly understand its origin? It is said that its roots are fundamentally Celtic. In some countries such as Ireland or Spain, people celebrated a festivity called Samhain, where the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the winter was celebrated. It took place between October and November. The Celts believed that during these dates, the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead disappeared, and the spirits of the deceased would come from the other world to interact with the living. This is the reason why people started wearing costumes in order to go unnoticed among the dead ones. When Christianism arrived, this tradition did not disappear, but the date changed to the present days: November 1st is the international Day of the Dead. The word “Halloween” is a contraction of the English expression “All Hallow's Eve”.

Photo: Istock/Gannet77

Over the years, this tradition has evolved, changing its Christian significant and mixing with local cultures. Nowadays, Halloween is a very widely spread festivity. It is really popular among children, who get dressed in scary costumes and knock on people's door saying “Trick or Treat” in order to get some sweets. It is said that the origin of knocking on the door saying “Trick or Treat” comes from the tradition of knocking on doors and asking for “Soul Cakes” hundreds of years ago. These were round cookies with a cross on the top. This is because on this day, food plays an essential role, much like in Spain, where people consume food to remember potions and spells that were once made. Among these is the "Witch's Elixir", which is made with blueberry juice, carrots, grapes, and oranges, or cookie and sponge cake shaped like skeletons.

In England, pumpkins have an important role on this day. Popularly, according to the story, pumpkins are known as “Jack-O-Lantern”. These cookies received their name because people used to tell the story of a farmer who lied to the devil to avoid going to hell. Finally, he was not allowed to enter heaven and it is said that his soul is in the air (it was a traditional indie story). People now decorate these pumpkins with a scary style and put them in the door waiting for the children who are searching for their sweets.

Photo: Pexels

In Spain this day is not as celebrated as in the UK but it is true that over the years this festivity is becoming more and more popular. For example, in countries like the UK or the United States the vast majority of the kids go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood in search of sweets. This is not as common in Spain, but here we have many Halloween attractions like "haunted houses" and Halloween-themed parties.

As we said people take advantage of this day to dress up. Traditionally the costumes have been of monstrous beings such as vampires, skeletons, mummies... But over the years, popular culture characters such as characters from current horror movies have gained great popularity. This is why today we can find a wide variety of costumes on the streets today.

Photo: Pinterest

We love this festivity and we hope it gains more recognition and popularity the following years in Spain because it is really funny for everyone. In addition, this festival can turn your city into an important tourist spot during these dates.

We hope you enjoyed today's entry. We are waiting for you with more interesting content in our next post!

Bibliography

• Wikipedia contributors. (2023, 2 noviembre). Halloween. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
• Halloween: Origins, meaning & Traditions. (2009, 18 noviembre). HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
• Wikipedia contributors. (2023, octubre 31). Jack-o’-Lantern. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-o%27-lantern
• Wikipedia contributors. (2023, noviembre 3). Soul cake. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_cake
• GM, A. (2023, 31 octubre). Samhain, la fiesta celta que está en el origen de Halloween. historia.nationalgeographic.com.es. https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/samhain-fiesta-celta-que-esta-origen-halloween_18583

April Fool's Day

Hello again! We hope all of you have enjoyed and learned a lot with our first entry! Now, we want to present you this second one, where you will discover more interesting facts about British Holidays! Today, we are going to focus on the traditional April Fool's Day.

Getty Images/Ildo Frazao

Although this day is celebrated in many different parts of the world such as Italy, Germany, France or Denmark to say a few, this celebration does not have the deserved recognition in all parts of the world. However, in England it is a very special day and it is considered a highly important party among its inhabitants.

April fool's day was born in France, and came to England in the XVII century. It takes place on April 1 and it is known as "the day of jokes". During this day, it is common among English people to play all kinds of jokes.

The origin of this day is not clear, but some authors say that this tradition started in France in 1582 when the King Carlos IX decided to restore the Gregorian calendar. Until that day, the New Year was celebrated from March 25 to April 1, before being moved to January 1. All of this motivated the neighbors to start exchanging silly gifts or sending fake invitations to non-existent parties, with the main goal of making fun of one another.

One interesting fact about this day is that jokes can only be played until noon. If someone plays a joke after noon it is said that the "fool" is who makes the joke and not his victim. If you don't want to participate in this peculiar day, the best option for you is stay in your home during the morning until the end of the joke's horary.

April Fool photo illustration (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

Now, we want to show you some types of famous jokes made in England in previous years. We will start with one of the most iconic: the spaghettis farm.

-In 1957, the BBC played one of the most famous jokes in England's history, which people still talk about today. The English program "Panorama" broadcasted a documentary film about some Swiss farms where people were shown raising spaghettis. This joke had an incredible This joke was really succesful and many people believed it. The BBC received a high number of calls from viewers who wanted to cultivate their own spaghettis.

A recreation of a scene from the report, showing a woman harvesting cooked spaghetti from the branches of a tree (Wikipedia)

-The chips brand "Walkers" published its new product: DIY chips (Do It Yourself), a kit in which you can make your own chips. The kit included a potato, a little bit of olive oil and some spices.

-The car manufacturer "Peugeot" announced its latest innovation: a car paint that changes color based on your mood

-Google said to have introduced a morse code in order to write emails faster. Besides, they announced Google Maps compatibilty with the 8-bitsystem of Nintendo.

These are just a few examples of the countless jokes played on this day. Some people find this celebration as a funny day in which people have fun making stupid jokes, although some of them are non credible at all. However, there are those who think the opposite, and they deteste this day because they believe it's unpleasant to receive jokes that can become serious.

Getty Images

In our opinion, receiving jokes on this day is fun as long as they're not too serious or hurtful. We find really interesting the way this day is celebrated in England where a lot of people is involved compared to the celebration in Spain. In Spain this is not a widely celebrated holiday but we enjoy watching typical pranks on the TV .

We believe that we should be especially careful with what we joke about and who we are going to joke with. So we invite you to participate in this wonderful celebration but always with moderation and respect!

Stay tuned to our blog because our next entry will be about a day that will take place very soon: Halloween!

Bibliography

-Wikipedia contributors. (2023). April Fools’ Day. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools%27_Day

-April Fools’ Day: Origins, Meaning & Hoaxes. (2017, 30 marzo). HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/april-fools-day

-Mahabarata, Y. (s. f.). The Origins of April Mop’s Day: British prankster jokes in History Today, April 1, 1700. VOI - Waktunya Merevolusi Pemberitaan. https://voi.id/en/memori/41972

-Wikipedia contributors. (2023a). Spaghetti-tree Hoax. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti-tree_hoax#:~:text=The%20spaghetti%2Dtree%20hoax%20was,the%20family%20%22spaghetti%20tree%22.

-April Fools’ Day: Why do we do pranks on April 1st? (2023, 1 abril). BBC Newsround. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47750667

Easter Day and Saint Patrick's Day

We welcome you to our blog with this first entry! Today we are going to talk about two of the most important and iconic days of the British Holidays. These are the well-known Easter Day and Saint Patrick´s Day. We will see all their crucial aspects, which include the dates, the activities that English people do in them , and the reason why these days are essential on British holidays.

Firstly, we are going to talk about the famous Easter Day, which celebration takes place depending on the year (the date issue is quite a controversial topic even today), and happens not only in the United Kingdom but also in Ireland. Next Easter Day will be March 31!

photo of https://www.enjoytravel.com/en/travel-news/places-to-visit/15-best-places-to-visit-for-easter-in-the-uk

It's a Christian celebration that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and occurs in many places around the world. The main character in the United Kingdom is the Easter Rabbit (a long-eared, cotton-tailed creature who hops from house to house to deliver festive baskets) and his Easter Eggs. This is because it is said that a rabbit was the first to see and announce the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Another theories say that the Easter Rabbit symbol comes from a pagan tradition named "The Festival of Eostre", which honored the goddess of fertility and spring. The Easter Day is a traditional day in which it’s really popular to have a familiar dinner where people can eat all the forbidden food of the Lent. The Lent is the 40 days period of prayer, almsgiving and fasting of Christianism. This Lenten season lasts from the Ash Wednesday to the end of the Holy Thursday. Besides, they eat conventional buns, like the tasty "hot cross buns", whose main ingredients are milk, sugar and butter.

A very famous activity during this holiday is the Egg Hunt, that is very popular among the children. This activity consists on decorate eggs (usually filled with chocolate or candies) and hide them from the children so they have to try finding them. 

photo by sarayut Thaneerat/Getty Images

In medieval England, this celebration was not as festive and funny as it is nowadays. At that time, this festival consisted in religious rituals and dramatic ceremonies. Clergy and congregations organized processions, vigils and plays during all the Easter weekend. A interesting fact about the old Easter Day celebration in Medieval Ages is that this day was banned from a period of 13 years (1647-1660) by the Puritans.

photo of https://medievalisterrant.wordpress.com/

We think this is a great holiday to enjoy with your loved ones and a great day for kids to have fun during the Egg Hunt. It's interesting how a religious ceremony such as Easter Day, which originally was very strict with their procedures, has evolved along the years until the present days since it's a holiday that can be enjoyed even by non-religious people. 

It's certainly surprising to observe the differences between the Easter Day that takes place in United Kingdom compared to the Spanish's one. From our point of view the English version is much more enjoyable and fun and has a greater variety of activities.

photo of https://www.infobae.com/en/2022/04/17/easter-sunday-or-resurrection-sunday-know-the-meaning-of-each-one/

Secondly, we are going to focus on Saint Patrick's Day. First of all we have to know that this celebration has an Irish origin. Despite the larger number of Irish people that live in the UK this celebration takes places in London, March 17 specifically. The name conmmemorates the Saint Patrick of Ireland.

photo of https://cpsanadrian.educacion.navarra.es/blog/2021/03/17/st-patricks-day-2/

Saint Patrick's real name is Maewyn Succat. When he was sixteen, he was kidnaped and moved to Ireland, where he became a slave whose main duty was take care of sheeps during six years at least. In that moment, he turned profoundly religious. Then, according to the legend, he started hearing some voices that said "escape to England", and he managed to return to his country but for not too long; the voice started to say "return to Ireland". Before his returnance, he was named priest and he changed his name to Patrick. At that time, most of Irish people were pagan and he was often mistreated and imprisoned. When he died no one remembered him but as the years went by he became the pattern of Ireland.

In this day, people celebrate the inheritance eating and drinking and with the famous parade in which people sing and dance and have so much fun. Besides, other aspects that represent it are the leprechauns, the shamrocks (a type of unique clover) , the green beer and the corned beef (the typical food of this day). As we can see, the majority of these symbols are green; because this color represents the country since the Irish rebellion in 1798, since Irish soldiers wore green clothes. Actually, before this, the representative color was blue.

We think this celebration is great to remind Maewyn Succat, because he was a man who didn't have an easy life since he was mistreated for much of his life. However, he did his best to go ahead. From our point of view, he deserves to be conmmemorated in this day where people can remember him with an incredible smile.

photo by THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES

Bibliography

-When is Easter 2024? | How is Easter’s date determined? (s. f.). Almanac.com. https://www.almanac.com/content/when-is-easter

-Wikipedia contributors. (2023). Egg hunt. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_hunt

-What is lent? (s. f.). USCCB. https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/lent

-Jeon, H., & O’Sullivan, A. (2023, 9 febrero). What are the Easter Bunny’s origins? The fascinating history of Easter’s favorite creature. Good Housekeeping. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/easter-ideas/a31226078/easter-bunny-origins-history/

-English Heritage. (s. f.). How the English Celebrated Easter | English Heritage. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/easter/how-the-english-celebrated-easter/

-Medievalisterrant. (2021, 5 abril). Medieval Easter traditions. a medievalist errant. https://medievalisterrant.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/medieval-easter-traditions/

-15 best places to visit for Easter in the UK. (s. f.). EnjoyTravel.com. https://www.enjoytravel.com/en/travel-news/places-to-visit/15-best-places-to-visit-for-easter-in-the-uk

-Nuño, A. (2023, 17 marzo). San Patricio: origen, por qué se celebra y la historia de los duendes y el color verde. elconfidencial.com. https://www.elconfidencial.com/alma-corazon-vida/2023-03-17/patricio-vestimos-verde-fiesta_3367150/

-Wikipedia contributors. (2003). Saint Patrick’s Day. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day