Chapter 4: A Modern, Thriving Society

Customs and Traditions

Última verificación: 15 July 2026

• 1Christmas Day, 25 December, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ; it is a public holiday and celebrated by many non-Christians too.
• 2Christmas customs: exchanging gifts and cards, decorating a Christmas tree, and a traditional Christmas dinner of roast turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies.
• 3Father Christmas (Santa Claus) — based on the story of a Christian bishop, now a red-suited figure who brings children presents on Christmas Eve.
• 4Boxing Day, 26 December, is the day after Christmas and is a public holiday.
• 5New Year's Eve is 31 December; New Year's Day, 1 January, is a public holiday.
• 6In Scotland, New Year's Eve is called Hogmanay and is a particularly important celebration — for some Scots bigger than Christmas; 2 January is an extra public holiday in Scotland.
• 7Easter (March or April) marks the death of Jesus on Good Friday and his rising on Easter Sunday; both Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays.
• 8The 40 days before Easter are Lent, a time of traditional fasting and reflection, beginning on Ash Wednesday.
• 9The day before Lent starts is Shrove Tuesday — "Pancake Day", when people traditionally eat pancakes.
• 10Easter eggs (usually chocolate) are given as gifts, symbolising new life.
• 11Diwali — the festival of lights, celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs in October/November, lasting 2–5 days, celebrating the victory of good over evil and the gaining of knowledge; there are famous celebrations in Leicester.
• 12Hannukah — a Jewish festival in November or December, lasting eight days, celebrating with candles the miracle of oil in the temple; also a festival of lights.
• 13Eid al-Fitr — Muslim festival celebrating the end of Ramadan (the month of fasting); families celebrate together.
• 14Eid ul Adha — Muslim festival remembering the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered it; many Muslims sacrifice an animal to eat.
• 15Vaisakhi (Baisakhi) — Sikh festival celebrating the founding of the Khalsa community, celebrated on 14 April each year with parades, dancing and singing.
• 16Valentine's Day, 14 February — cards and gifts between lovers; some send anonymous cards.
• 17April Fool's Day, 1 April — people play jokes on each other until midday; newspapers often run spoof stories.
• 18Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) — the Sunday three weeks before Easter; Father's Day — the third Sunday in June.
• 19Halloween, 31 October — an ancient festival with pagan roots marking the beginning of winter; children dress up and go "trick or treating"; people carve lanterns from pumpkins.
• 20Bonfire Night, 5 November — fireworks and bonfires commemorate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill the Protestant king.
• 21Remembrance Day, 11 November, commemorates those who died fighting in WWI and later conflicts; people wear red poppies and observe a two-minute silence at 11am; wreaths are laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
• 22Besides the religious holidays, the UK has public holidays known as bank holidays, with no religious meaning, when banks and many businesses close (e.g. in early May, late May, late August).