Britain marks the year with festivals, national days and long-held customs. The test asks about the main celebrations, the public (bank) holidays, and the patron saint of each of the four nations.
Key facts
- England and Wales usually have eight bank holidays a year: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the early May bank holiday, the spring bank holiday, the summer bank holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Scotland and Northern Ireland have some different dates.
- Christmas Day (25 December) and Easter are the most widely celebrated Christian festivals. Boxing Day follows Christmas on 26 December.
- Each nation has a patron saint's day: St David's Day in Wales (1 March), St Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland (17 March), St George's Day in England (23 April) and St Andrew's Day in Scotland (30 November).
- Bonfire Night (5 November) remembers the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes and others tried to blow up Parliament. People light bonfires and set off fireworks.
- Remembrance Day (11 November) honours those who died in wars. People wear red poppies and keep a two-minute silence at 11 a.m.
- Britain's many faiths hold their own festivals, including Diwali (Hindus and Sikhs), Eid al-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha (Muslims), Hanukkah (Jews) and Vaisakhi (Sikhs).
- Other well-known customs include Hogmanay (New Year in Scotland), Burns Night on 25 January for the poet Robert Burns, Valentine's Day (14 February), Mother's Day, Father's Day, April Fool's Day (1 April) and Hallowe'en (31 October).
- The Notting Hill Carnival in London celebrates Caribbean culture, and the Edinburgh Festival is one of the largest arts festivals in the world.
In depth
The British year is full of celebrations. Christmas and Easter are the most widely observed festivals and both have their own bank holidays. Bonfire Night on 5 November is uniquely British: it remembers the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, when Guy Fawkes and others tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, and is marked with bonfires and fireworks. Remembrance Day on 11 November is a solemn occasion when the country honours those who died in wars, shown by wearing red poppies and keeping a two-minute silence at 11 a.m.
Each of the four nations has its own patron saint and saint's day, and St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland) and St Andrew's Day (Scotland) are public holidays there. Britain is also home to many religions, so a wide range of festivals are celebrated through the year. Hindus and Sikhs mark Diwali, the festival of light; Muslims celebrate Eid; Jewish people observe Hanukkah; and Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi in the spring. Scotland has its own customs too, such as Hogmanay at New Year and Burns Night on 25 January, which honours the poet Robert Burns.
For the test, learn the festival dates and what they mark: Christmas (25 December), Easter, Bonfire Night (5 November), Remembrance Day (11 November), and each nation's patron saint's day. Be ready to match festivals to the faiths that celebrate them, such as Diwali with Hindus and Sikhs and Eid with Muslims.