Holidays in Slovakia and in English speaking countries

People of all nations love holidays. Holidays are days when people can spend time together, commemorate notable occasions, and celebrate joyous events. In most nations, holidays often commemorate the death and the birth of national heroes, famous historical events. In many nations, holidays are locally derived. Many of holidays are derived internationally (Halloween, St. Valentine’s Day, April 1st atc.).


Holidays in Slovakia


We have:

Public holidays
Commemorative holidays
Religious holidays
Bank holidays


Public holidays:
January 1st – Independence Day; New Year Day
July 5th – Holiday of Saint Cyril and Metod
August 29th –Slovak National Uprising
September 1st – Constitution day
November 17th - Day of Fight for Democracy


Bank holidays:
May 1st – Labor Day
May 8th - Victory over Fascism Day


Religious holidays:
January 6th – Epiphany
March to April – Easter
September 15th - Our Lady of Sorrows
November 1st - All Saints' Day
December 24th – Christmas Eve
December 25th – 1st Christmas Day
December 26th – 2nd Christmas Day


Commemorative holidays:
August 4th – Day of Matica Slovenska


The 1st of January is one of the state holidays and commemorates the day when Slovakia became independent and The Slovak republic was founded.

The 1st of May is the official Labor Day, when school children and working people have a day free and relax.

The 8th of May is celebrated as the Victory over Fascism in Slovakia and the end of the Second World War.

On the 29th of August people remember those, who fought against fascism in The Slovak National Uprising.

The September the 1st is the day of the Constitution of The Slovak republic.

January the 6th is the first of the religious holidays of Slovakia; it commemorates the Apparition of Lord.


History of Easter
In the Christian world, no other Holy Day can match the importance of Easter Sunday. It is the symbolic day in which Jesus was resurrected.

Habits and traditions:
Easter is a Christian feast, associated with the coming of spring. The straw figure of Morena, representing winter, is carried to the stream two weeks before Easter. On Easter Monday, the boys whip the girls with whips made of willow twigs and drench them with water. The girls tie colored ribbons to the whips and give chocolate or variously decorated eggs to the boys. The people decorate their homes with branches of blossoming willow, called catkins.


The 5th of July commemorates the arrival of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius to the Great Moravian Empire (they were Byzantine teachers of the Christian faith and creators of the Slavonic script).

On the September 15th churches organize wakes, as this day, at Our Lady of Sorrows, the patron saint of Slovakia is celebrated.

The 1st of November is called the All Saints Day. People remember their deceased by going to cemeteries and decorating the graves with flowers and candles.

Christmas is celebrated similar to other countries. People prepare for it weeks in advance. On the Christmas Eve, they have dinner near the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The dinner is bountiful – traditionally consisting of an apple, wafers with honey, nuts and garlic, cabbage soup and fish, mostly carp. After the dinner, everyone runs to the tree, as Jesus Christ/ Santa Claus puts presents under it.


Holidays in USA

People in every culture celebrate holidays. Although the word "holiday" literally means "holy day," most American holidays are not religious, but commemorative in nature and origin. In the United States, the word "holiday" is synonymous with "celebration!"

In the strict sense, there are no federal (national) holidays in the United States. Each of the 50 states has jurisdiction over its holidays. In practice, however, most states observe the federal ("legal or public ") holidays, even though the President and Congress can legally designate holidays only for federal government employees.


National Celebrations:
January 1st - New Year's Day
Third Monday in January – Martin Luther King Day
Third Monday in February – Presidents' Day
Last Monday in May – Memorial Day
July 4th – Independence Day
Second Monday in October – Columbus Day
Second Monday in November – Veterans' Day
Fourth Thursday in November - Thanksgiving Day
December 25th – Christmas Day


Religious Celebrations:
A Sunday between March 22 and April 25 – Easter



Fun Days:
February 14th - St. Valentines Day
April 1st – April Fool’s Day
October 31st – Halloween


There are four holidays which are not necessarily celebrated on Mondays: Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Day, Independence Day and Christmas Day. When New Year's Day, Independence Day, or Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, the next day is also a holiday. When one of these holidays falls on a Saturday, the previous day is also a holiday. Federal government offices, including the post office, are always closed on all federal holidays. Schools and businesses close on major holidays like Independence Day and Christmas Day but may not always be closed, for example, on Presidents' Day or Veterans' Day.


Independence Day
This is the day when Americans celebrate the birthday of their nation. As we saw in a previous article the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia on 4th July 1776.

July Fourth is party time in America can’t wait for their very special day. There will be fireworks apple pie, hamburgers and hot dogs! It is a public holiday and of course as it is in the summer many people go to the beach for a swim.

In some towns and cities there is a big parade. These parades often show things that have been invented in America, or things that is famous for. The biggest celebrations are in Washington, D.C., the capital of the USA. The day often ends with fireworks that light up the sky with their tremendous colours.

4th July is also a day when many Americans like to be with their families. Some people have picnics and others have barbecues.



Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends. The holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without interference. After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighbouring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops.


The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition -- not only because so many other Americans have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims' sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination. To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.

Christmas is a typical winter holiday. It is an occasion for meeting with relatives. In town squares there are giant Christmas trees with decorations and electronic lights. On Christmas Eve the trees are also decorated in families. Santa Claus comes on Christmas Day and the children (the adults too) open the boxes with their presents.





Holidays in Great Britain
Many public holidays in Britain are known as 'bank' holidays - so called because these are days on which banks are legally closed. Most fall on a Monday.

Christmas and New Year is the one time that most British people take a real public holiday. The whole nation virtually closes down for two weeks. Easter is not particularly a family holiday time or the other Bank Holidays. However they do mean that millions of people get into their cars and head for the coast. Sensible people stay off the roads on Public Holidays.

Bank holidays:
January 1st - New Year's Day
March 25th - Good Friday
The first Sunday, after the first full moon, after March 21st – Easter
May 1st – May Day
The last weekend of May – Whitsunday
December 25th – Christmas Day
December 26th – Boxing Day


Guy Fawkes’ Day
The 5th November is the night when there are bonfires, fireworks and rockets and much noise everywhere in England. Children can make a bonfire and burn on it the fun figure made of straw, representing Guy Fawkes, who wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament.


Christmas is the most beautiful of all the holidays. Preparations for it start weeks before. Special decorations, lights and decorated trees can be seen everywhere. People buy presents and send Christmas postcards to their relatives and friends. On Christmas Eve children hang their stockings at the foot of the bed for Santa Claus to fill them. In the morning of Christmas Day the children get up early to find and enjoy the presents. Mothers prepare the traditional Christmas dinner: filled turkey or duck and Christmas pudding afterwards. The following day is the Boxing Day, when Christmas boxes with presents are given to postmen, dustmen and other people who do services to the household.


There are some holidays which are same in all of these countries:

Halloween
Tradition says that witches and ghosts come out on Halloween night! The last day of October is a very exciting time for children particularly in the USA. Children wear scary costumes, knock at their neighbours door and say, “Trick or Treat.” If the neighbour says “TRICK”, the children play a trick. But the neighbour usually says “TREAT”. Then he gives the children sweets.

Halloween is celebrated on the evening of 31st October, before Hallowmas or Al Saints´ Day. This is the Christian festival that is kept in honour of all the saints. The Halloween custom is said to be an older tradition that Christianity.

On Halloween lots of people cut funny faces in pumpkins and sometimes put candles inside to make the pumpkins look like ghosts. School classrooms are decorated as part of special art and craft projects. Some families also decorate their homes and gardens as well. In the USA, pumpkin faces are called Jack O'Lanterns. The story of Jack O'Lantern is Irish. It is about a man who died and cannot find heaven. He has to walk through the night with only a candle in a pumpkin to show him the way.

Do people party on Halloween? Of course! Especially teenagers often have parties on Halloween. This comes from the tradition for people in towns and villages to meet up on Halloween.

Christmas
Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows the exact date of Christ's birth, but most Christians observe Christmas on December 25. On this day, many go to church, where they take part in special religious services. During the Christmas season, they also exchange gifts and decorate their homes with holly, mistletoe, and Christmas trees. The word Christmas comes from “Cristes maesse”, an early English phrase that means Mass of Christ.

The story of Christmas comes chiefly from the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the New Testament. According to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem and told them of Jesus' birth. Matthew tells how the wise men, called Magi, followed a bright star that led them to Jesus.

People prepare for it weeks in advance. On the Christmas Eve, they have dinner near the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The dinner is bountiful – traditionally consisting of an apple, wafers with honey, nuts and garlic, cabbage soup and fish, mostly carp.


New Year's Day
Not all countries celebrate New Year at the same time, nor in the same way. This is because people in different parts of the world use different calendars. Long ago, people divided time into days, months, and years. Some calendars are based on the movement of the moon, others are based on the position of the sun, while others are based on both the sun and the moon.


All over the world, there are special beliefs about New Year. On New Year's Eve, many people hold parties which last until late into the night. It is traditional to greet the New Year at midnight and celebrate the first minutes of the year in the company of friends and family. People may dance, sing, and drink a toast to the year ahead. After the celebrations, it is time to make New Year resolutions, and these are a list of decisions about how to live in the coming year. Horns are blown at midnight, and people hug and kiss to begin the New Year with much love and happiness.