Advent is a religious celebration of the time leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Advent wreathes are made and placed on special candlesticks in churches (see picture below). The candlestick holds five candles: four red ones around the outside, and one white candle in the middle. On Advent Sunday (four Sundays before Christmas Day, at the end of November or early December), one of the red candles is lit. On each of the next three Sundays, one more of the red candles is lit. During services on Christmas Day, the white candle in the middle is lit (this is known as the Christ Candle). In the UK, many people like to put up a Christmas tree in their homes (including many non-Christians). These may be either real trees (sold in garden centres) or artificial ones (sold in department stores). Electric lights are often used, and other decorations are hung on the branches. It is traditional to put a star or an angel at the top of the tree (these represent the story of the birth of Christ). Trees are also put up in churches and other public places. Carol singers sometimes perform in public places, raising money for charities. Carol services are held in churches (non-Christians are welcome to attend if they wish). One of the most famous carol services in the UK is "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" at King's College Chapel in Cambridge: this takes place every year on Christmas Eve and is broadcast on the radio and television. In UK , a traditional Christmas cake is a rich fruit cake topped with mazipan and covered with white icing sugar. This is eaten at tea-time (in the late afternoon) on any day shortly before or after Christmas. A typical Christmas meal is Roast turkey, the most common meat, but other birds such as chicken or goose are alternatives. Stuffing, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts or other vegetables and gravy are eaten with the meat. As all British children know, if they have been good then Father Christmas will come to their house during the night of Christmas Eve and will bring presents for them. Children sometimes write a letter to Father Christmas (sometimes called Santa Claus, or just Santa), helped by their parents, asking for the things they would like to get. He flies through the sky on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, the most famous of which is called Rudolph (who has a red nose). Traditionally, Santa entered houses by coming down the chimney. Children hang a long sock or stocking outside their bedrooms, and when they wake up they usually find that Santa has filled it with small presents. January 6th is known as Epiphany, and celebrates the night when the Three Wise Men visited the baby Jesus Christ (in Orthodox churches this date represents the baptism of Christ). It is popularly known as Twelfth Night, because this day is twelve days after Christmas Day.

 Every year in December we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ: Its Xmas time! How do people in Britain celebrate this holiday? They send Christmas cards. They watch nativity plays. There have big family get-togethers. People sing special songs called Christmas carols: Silent Night Jingle Bells White Christmas We Wish You a Merry Christmas Children write their Santa List and they create snowmen in their gardens. What do people say when its Christmas time? MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY CHRISTMAS! SEASONS GREETINGS! Advent is the time of waiting for the arrival of Christmas. During Advent preparations for Christmas begin: People decorate their homes with ornaments and mistletoe! Kissing under the mistletoe is a tradition!! Some people buy or make Advent Calendars These calendars have chocolates for the children hidden behind each window!!! It is the day before Christmas Day. It is the night when Father Christmas comes! Children hang up stockings above the fireplace Father Christmas and his elves make all the toys in his workshop in the North Pole. Then he flies around the world in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer This is the favourite day for children. They wake up very early in the morning to open the presents! Children find their presents under the Christmas tree. How do the British decorate their Christmas trees? Rudolph is the red-nosed reindeer! Children leave mince pies, brandy, cookies, hot chocolate or milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer! Santa goes down the chimney to leave the presents or the coal! Both parents and children gather together to unwrap the presents. Later the whole family sits down for Christmas dinner. What does a traditional Christmas dinner include? Roast turkey Roast potatoes Cranberry sauce For dessert they have rich fruity pudding which you douse in brandy. Christmas puddings usually include raisins, nuts and cherries. Gingerbread is also typical. Do you know what a cracker is?

A Christmas cracker is a coloured paper tube which contains a banger. When two people pull the cracker it snaps in half making a loud bang. Inside the cracker there are paper crowns, jokes or little gifts. Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas On Boxing Day people in Britain play sports. Football and horse racing are the most popular activities. Shops sell their Christmas inventory at reduced prices! And families gather together again, go for a walk, watch football matches together, go shopping The origins: English families boxed up Christmas leftovers. Then they gave them to poor families and churches for charity. The tradition still continues today! Employers give extra money to their employees and schools across the country send their Christmas Boxes full of gifts to poorer countries. On the Twelfth Night families remove all the Christmas decorations, so as not to bring bad luck upon the home!!! It is on the 5th January. British people dont celebrate the Reyes Magos the way we do, but they are considered part of the whole Christian tradition. The Three Wise Men or Three Kings, as they are called in Britain (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar), followed the Star of Bethlehem and gave gifts to Jesus Christ. What kind of gifts? Gold Frankincense Myrrh This word starts with a "W." It is the season of the year in which Christmas is celebrated. What is it called? Winter This word starts with an "S." It is a fluffy white form of water that sometimes falls in cold parts of the world during winter. What is it called? Snow

4th Century Europe was still largely Pagan. Many sun gods were still worshipped. The winter solstice was an important time of celebration for them. As the Roman empire spread so did its influence The Norse celebrated for 12 nights beginning Dec 20th through January 6th. The festival of the Yule included the burning of the Yule log as seen above. A festival of 12 nights this is the most important of all the Norse holidays. On the night of December 20, the god Ingvi Freyr rides

over the earth on the back of his shining boar, bringing Light and Love back into the World. In later years, after the influence of Christianity, the god Baldur, then Jesus, was reborn at this festival. Jul signifies the beginning and end of all things; the darkest time (shortest hour of daylight) during the year and the brightest hope re-entering the world. During this festival, the Wild Hunt is at its greatest fervor, and the dead are said to range the Earth in its retinue. The god Wotan (Odin) is the leader of this Wild Ride; charging across the sky on his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir; a very awe-inspiring vision. In ancient times, Germanic and Norse children would leave their boots out by the hearth on Solstice Eve, filled with hay and sugar, for Sleipnir's journey. In return, Wotan would leave them a gift for their kindness. In modern times, Sleipnir was changed to a reindeer and the grey-bearded Wotan became the kindly Santa Claus (Father Christmas). "Yule is when the sun king dies," explains Chris Turner who will be leading the Yuletide celebration in Ayrshire's Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. "It is the darkest, deepest, coldest time of the year when the sun is in terminal decline. It's a time of transformation. When the king dies he is reborn as a baby who is obviously still weak but is a new individual for a new year. This underpins the Druid belief of reincarnation. It is a new start. When the Romans conquered the Celts and Ancient Britons, they gave unflattering descriptions of the druids. Some sources describe the druids as bloodthirsty barbarians who were addicted to human sacrifice. Others maintain that they were gentle and peaceful, and that they derived their authority from being in touch with nature. There are a few things we can say for certain. Druids: held ceremonies in oak groves Saw mistletoe as a sacred plant with healing powers practiced divination and believed they could foretell the future Saturnalia began on December 17 with a religious ceremony at the temple of Saturn in the Forum, after which a free public banquet often followed. Stores and Business were closed so that all workers could enjoy the celebration, and people greeted each other in the streets with the salutation "Io Saturnalia" ("Hurrah, Saturnalia!"), the Roman equivalent of "Merry Christmas!" Saturnalia was very much a time for family dinners, parties, and gift giving. It was a time to wish your friends and neighbors well. It was even a time slaves could enjoy, for at this time of year, the slaves became the masters for a day and were waited on by their owners. Some owners even gave their slaves gifts, and possibly even the day off! Even the emperor wore a freedman's cap (the cap a freed slave wore to show his status) at this time, possibly to show the equalized status of all men during the celebrations.