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В Великобритании празднуются дни, связанные с ис-
торическими событиями. Например,
Появление ряда праздников
обусловлено военными
событиями. Так, например день Памяти 11 ноября связан с
Компьенским перемирием 1918 года, согласно которому
Германия капитулировала и окончилась Первая мировая
война, в которой погибло почти 10
миллионов человек,
около 20 миллионов было ранено. В ближайшее воскресе-
нье накануне 11 ноября проводятся церковные службы в па-
мять о погибших в обеих мировых войнах.
Pancake Day, Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi
Gras, Fat Tuesday (in March or April) is the popular day
preceding the first day of Lent. The word
shrove is the past
tense of the English verb
shrive, which means to obtain ab-
solution for one's sins by way of Confession and doing
penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the
shriving that English Christians were expected to do prior
to receiving absolution immediately before Lent begins.
Shrove Tuesday is the last day of "shrovetide".
The day is usually characterized by merrymaking and feast-
ing and eating of pancakes.
Guy Fawkes Day on November 5 is one of the most popular
festivals in Great Britain. It commemorates the discovery of
Gunpowder Plot on November 5, 1605. It was planned by
the Roman Catholics to destroy the English Houses of Par-
liament and to blow up king James I together with the Lords
and Commons who assembled
to open the Parliament and
seize power. But the organizer of the Plot Guy Fawkes was
arrested and soon
hanged. Now people make bonfires and
burn on them figures of ragged dummy (“a guy”) made of
old clothes and straw. During the day children put the guy in
the cart and ask the passersby to spare a “penny for a guy”.
The traditional food is toffee.