Customs and Traditions

The two main Christian festivals are Christmas and Easter. Christmas Day, 25 December, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and is a public holiday. Many Christians go to church on Christmas Eve (24 December) or on Christmas Day itself.

Christmas is celebrated in a traditional way. People usually spend the day at home and eat a special meal, which often includes roast turkey, Christmas pudding (a rich steamed pudding made from suet, dried fruit and spices) and mince pies. They give gifts, send cards and decorate their houses, and many people decorate a tree. Very young children believe that Father Christmas (also known as Santa Claus) brings them presents during the night before Christmas Day.

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day and is a public holiday.

Easter takes place in March or April. It marks the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and his rising from the dead on Easter Sunday. Both Good Friday and the following Monday (Easter Monday) are public holidays.

The 40 days before Easter are known as Lent — a time when Christians take time to reflect and prepare for Easter. Traditionally, people would fast during Lent and today many people will give something up, like a favourite food. The day before Lent starts is called Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day — people eat pancakes, which were traditionally made to use up foods such as eggs, fat and milk before fasting.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday — there are church services where Christians are marked with an ash cross on their forehead as a symbol of death and sorrow for sin. Easter is also celebrated by people who are not religious — ‘Easter eggs’ are chocolate eggs often given as presents at Easter as a symbol of new life.

Diwali normally falls in October or November and lasts for five days. It is often called the Festival of Lights and is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. It celebrates the victory of good over evil and the gaining of knowledge. There is a famous celebration of Diwali in Leicester.

Hannukah (also spelled Hanukkah) is in November or December and is celebrated for eight days. It remembers the Jews’ struggle for religious freedom. On each day of the festival a candle is lit on a stand of eight candles (called a menorah) to remember the story of the festival, where oil that should have lasted only a day did so for eight.

Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan, when Muslims have fasted for a month. They thank Allah for giving them the strength to complete the fast. The date changes every year. Muslims attend special services and meals. Eid ul Adha remembers that the prophet Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to. It reminds Muslims of their own commitment to God. Many Muslims sacrifice an animal to eat during this festival; in Britain this has to be done in a slaughterhouse.

Vaisakhi (also spelled Baisakhi) is a Sikh festival which celebrates the founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa. It is celebrated on 14 April each year with parades, dancing and singing.

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