. --- Page 1. Title page # English Holidays vs Russian Holidays Project in English Student: ____ Class: 9 Teacher: ____ School: ____ Year: ____ --- Page 2. Contents and Introduction ## Contents 1. Introduction 2. What Is a Holiday? 3. Holidays in England 4. Holidays in Russia 5. Similarities and Differences 6. Project Product 7. Conclusion Sources ## 1. Introduction Every country has its own holidays. They show what people value: family, history, religion, work or national unity. Some holidays are official days off, while others are family, religious or folk traditions. The topic is important because holidays help us understand another culture and compare it with our own. The aim of my project is to compare English and Russian holidays, find their common and special features, and show how holidays reflect the history and values of both countries. The tasks of the project are: 1. to define what a holiday is; 2. to describe the main holidays in England and Russia; 3. to compare them by date, status, meaning and traditions; 4. to make a project product — a presentation with a poster/collage; 5. to draw a conclusion. The hypothesis is that English and Russian holidays have common human values, but their dates and traditions reflect different historical and cultural paths. The object of the project is holidays in England and Russia. The subject is their similarities and differences. Methods: studying information, comparison, generalization and design of a poster. Practical value: the material can be used in English lessons and for a school presentation. The dates of moving holidays, such as Easter and Maslenitsa, change every year, so they should be checked for the current year. --- Page 3. What Is a Holiday? ## 2. What Is a Holiday? A holiday is a special day which is important for a country, a religious community or a family. On this day people remember an event, honour a person or simply spend time together. Holidays can be divided into several groups: - public holidays — official days off established by the state; - religious holidays — connected with church traditions; - family holidays — birthdays, weddings and other private celebrations; - unofficial holidays — popular celebrations which are not days off. In the UK, official public holidays are often called bank holidays. In Russia, public holidays are fixed in the Labour Code. Some holidays have pagan roots, some are Christian, and some remember events of the 20th century. Dates can be fixed or moving. For example, Christmas in England is on 25 December, while Orthodox Christmas in Russia is on 7 January. Easter dates often differ because Western and Orthodox churches use different calendars. --- Page 4. Holidays in England ## 3. Holidays in England In this project, “English holidays” means holidays celebrated in England; many of them are also celebrated in other parts of the UK. England and Wales usually have eight bank holidays a year. Public holidays: - New Year’s Day, 1 January. It is a bank holiday. People often meet friends, watch fireworks and go out. - Christmas Day, 25 December. This is the main family holiday. Families decorate a Christmas tree, give presents, eat a special dinner and listen to the monarch’s Christmas message. - Boxing Day, 26 December. It is also a day off. It is a time for shopping, sport and visiting relatives. - Good Friday and Easter Monday. These days are connected with Easter. Many people go to church, give chocolate eggs and eat hot cross buns. - Early May bank holiday, spring bank holiday and summer bank holiday. These are days off associated with spring and summer, fairs and time outdoors. Popular celebrations which are not public holidays: - Valentine’s Day, 14 February — a day for cards and gifts. - St George’s Day, 23 April — England’s national day, but it is not a bank holiday. - Halloween, 31 October — a popular celebration, especially with children and young people. - Bonfire Night, 5 November — it remembers Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. People watch fireworks and burn bonfires. - Remembrance Day, 11 November — a day to honour soldiers who died in wars. People wear red poppies and observe a minute of silence. So, in England the main family holiday is Christmas, while New Year is often celebrated with friends and public events. --- Page 5. Holidays in Russia ## 4. Holidays in Russia Russia has many official holidays. They are connected with religion, family, work and national history. Public holidays: - New Year, 1 January, and New Year holidays, 1–8 January. New Year is the main family holiday. People decorate a New Year tree, give presents, watch fireworks and make wishes. - Orthodox Christmas, 7 January. It is a religious holiday and part of the winter holidays. Many people go to church and have a family dinner. - Defender of the Fatherland Day, 23 February. It honours soldiers and the army. Men and boys are usually congratulated. - International Women’s Day, 8 March. It is a public holiday. Women and girls receive flowers and presents. - Spring and Labour Day, 1 May. It is connected with spring, work and outdoor activities. - Victory Day, 9 May. It is the most important memory holiday. People watch parades, take part in the Immortal Regiment and watch fireworks. - Russia Day, 12 June. It is a national holiday connected with the modern Russian state. - Unity Day, 4 November. It is connected with national unity and Russian history. Popular folk and religious holidays: - Maslenitsa is a folk holiday before Lent. People eat pancakes, sing songs and burn a scarecrow. It is not a day off. - Easter is widely celebrated. People go to church, bake kulich and paint eggs. It is not an additional federal day off. Many Russian holidays are both state and family holidays. They show respect for soldiers, women, workers and national history. --- Page 6. Similarities and Differences ## 5. Similarities and Differences | Criterion | England | Russia | |---|---|---| | Main winter holiday | Christmas, 25 December | New Year, 1 January | | Second winter holiday | New Year, 1 January | Christmas, 7 January | | Easter | Good Friday and Easter Monday; church, eggs | Easter Sunday; kulich, painted eggs; no extra federal day off | | Spring holiday | Early May and spring bank holidays | Spring and Labour Day, 1 May | | Memory day | Remembrance Day, 11 November | Victory Day, 9 May | | National day | St George’s Day is cultural, not a day off; there is no single UK national day | Russia Day, 12 June; Unity Day, 4 November | | Unique folk holiday | Bonfire Night, 5 November | Maslenitsa | Similarities. Both countries celebrate New Year and Christmas, give presents, use fireworks and spend time with family. Both cultures remember soldiers and have special days of memory. Spring holidays and old folk festivals are also important in both countries. Differences. The main difference is the status and meaning of holidays. In England, Christmas is the main family holiday, while in Russia the main family holiday is New Year. The dates of Christmas and Easter differ. Russian public holidays include many state dates connected with national history, while English bank holidays are closely connected with the Christian calendar and local traditions. England has Bonfire Night, and Russia has Maslenitsa. England has no public national day like Russia Day. The comparison shows that the two countries have different historical paths, but their holidays often express the same values: family, memory, respect and celebration. --- Page 7. Project Product ## 6. Project Product The task offers four forms: a presentation, a poster or collage, a booklet and a short video. I have chosen a presentation; its visual part is a poster/collage. A booklet or a short video could be made from the same material. Poster/collage plan: - the title “English Holidays vs Russian Holidays” in the centre; - two columns: England and Russia; - a winter block: Christmas in England and New Year in Russia; - a memory block: Remembrance Day and Victory Day; - a folk block: Bonfire Night and Maslenitsa; - short captions and pictures; - at the bottom: “Different dates — common values: family, memory, spring.” Presentation script: 1. Good morning. My project is called “English Holidays vs Russian Holidays.” 2. The aim of my project is to compare the holidays and find common and special features. 3. A holiday is a special day. There are public, religious, family and unofficial holidays. 4. In England, Christmas is the main family holiday. New Year is also popular. Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day are special English traditions. 5. In Russia, New Year is the main family holiday. Victory Day is the most important memory holiday. Maslenitsa is a traditional folk festival. 6. The holidays have different dates and statuses, but they share common values: family, memory, spring and celebration. 7. To sum up, the aim has been achieved. Holidays are not only days off; they show what people value. Thank you for listening. --- Page 8. Conclusion and Sources ## 7. Conclusion To sum up, the aim of the project has been achieved. I compared English and Russian holidays and found both differences and similarities. The tasks have been completed: I defined a holiday, described the main holidays in England and Russia, compared them, made a product and drew a conclusion. The hypothesis was partly confirmed: the holidays have common human values, but their dates and traditions reflect different history. English holidays are closely connected with the Christian calendar, bank holidays and local history. Russian holidays include important state dates and days of national memory. Holidays are not only days off; they show what people value. The practical value of the project is that it can be used in English lessons. In the future, I would like to make a survey among classmates and compare their favourite holidays. Sources 1. GOV.UK. UK bank holidays. 2. British Council. Festivals and celebrations. LearnEnglish. 3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Guy Fawkes Night; Remembrance Day. 4. Labour Code of the Russian Federation, Article 112. 5. Time and Date. Holidays in the United Kingdom; Holidays in Russia. ПЕРЕВЕДИ НА РУССКИЙ ЯЗЫК