CALENDAR

There are four seasons in the year: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
There is something in each month.

The winter months in Great Britain are November, December, January and February.

November. There are 30 days in November. It is the first winter month in Britain. In November there is a great holiday in America - Thanksgiving Day. Families come together for the day. They decorate the houses with autumn's fruits and flowers and eat traditional American food: roast turkey and pumpkin pie.

December. There are 31 days in December. On the 25th of December there is  Christmas or X-mas. People give each other presents and send Christmas cards. Pupils have their Christmas holidays. Most of the banks, offices and industrial enterprises close for holidays too. The traditional English dinner on Christmas Day is roast turkey and Christmas pudding. The Queen's speech is on television at 3.00 p.m. During Christmas in Trafalgar Square there is a Christmas tree.

January. There 31 days in January. Some English people celebrate New Year. There is a lot of dancing, eating, and drinking during New Year Holidays. There is an interesting New Year tradition in Scotland: you can go "first footing". The first visitor who comes into a house on New Year's morning is "the First Foot". The Scots believe that the First Foot brings luck to the family for the New Year. The First Foot must be a man with dark hair.

February. There are twenty eight or twenty nine days in February. The 14th of February is St. Valentine's Day. People send Valentine cards to their beloved, but don't sign - you must guess who sent the card to you. Boys and girls, husbands and wives, relatives and friends send cards to each other. There are different cards to suit all tastes.

Answer the questions:
1. What months are winter months in Britain?
2. What holiday do American people celebrate in November?
3. What do you know about Christmas in England?
4. How do English people celebrate New Year?
5. What is "first footing"? How can you become the "First Foot"?
6. Is there a holiday in February? Describe it.

In Great Britain there are two spring months: March and April.
In England spring begins in the end of March.

March. There are 31 days in March. The 17th of March is a national holiday in Ireland - St. Patrick's Day. People send greeting cards. On that day people wear a shamrock - a plant with three leaves. It is the national emblem of Ireland.

In March there is also a holiday for English women - Mother's Day. People in the family try to make it a day off for Mother and help her in any way they can. On that day they visit their mothers and give them some presents. If they can't do it they send their mothers "A Mother's Day Card".

April. April is the second and the last spring month. There 30 days in April. At the end of March or in the first half of April people celebrate Easter Day as the start of spring or a religious festival. In England it is time to give and get presents. On Easter Sunday children get chocolate Easter eggs or rabbits. Pupils go back to school after Easter because they have Easter holidays.

On the first of April there is a day for fun - April Fool's Day. English children like this day very much. They play jokes and tricks on other people: other children, parents, friends, relatives, school teachers.

Answer the questions:
1. When and where do people celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
2. What is a shamrock?
3. How do English people celebrate Mother's Day?
4. When do English people celebrate Easter?
5. Why is April Fool's Day a day for fun?

May, June, July, August. In Great Britain summer begins in May. So there are four summer months.

The weather is usually warm, but often changeable. The days are long and the nights are short. When the sun is high in the sky, it is hot.

In May on the first Monday English people celebrate the May Day holiday.

In June the English people celebrate Father's Day. On that day children send cards and give presents to their fathers.

On the 4th of July the Americans celebrate their most important holiday - the Independence Day. They display their flags, decorate their houses and hold street parades on that day.

If the weather is fine, there are a lot of people on the beaches in July and August. You can have a very good time in summer.

Answer the questions:
1. Is summer a good season in Britain?
2. Do you know the first summer month in English Year?
3. What is the weather like in summer?
4. What holidays do they have in summer?
5. Do English people like to spend free time at the seaside? Why?

Autumn comes in September. Autumn is usually a nice season in England. It is warm and dry. But it can rain a lot too. The parks, beaches and streets of Britain are very quiet.

Summer holidays are over in September. It is time to go back to school. In Great Britain school begins in the second week of September.

On the 31t of October there is a nice holiday for children - Halloween. People draw eyes, noses and mouths on the pumpkins and put them  on the windowsills. So the pumpkin looks like a face. Children dress up in tinny clothes. They go from house to house.

Answer the questions:
1. How many months are there in autumn?
2. When does the school year begin in Britain?
3. How do people celebrate Halloween?
4. Do children take part in this festival?

Find the names of the months