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The merry shouts of children asking for money echo up and down the streets. And with them they have "the Guy," a straw dummy dressed in old clothes. Many of the children are wearing costumes and masks.

It is November, 5 and people in England are celebrating a holiday called Guy Fawkes Day.

Nearly four hundred years ago, in 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes tried to blow up a government building. He wanted to kill King James I and the king's leaders. Fawkes was one of a group of men who felt that the government was treating Roman Catholics unfairly.

The king and his leaders were to meet on November, 5. So, the group placed barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the building where the king and others were to meet. Guy Fawkes was to light the fuse that would set off the explosion. But the plot was discovered before he had a chance to do this. The king was saved, and Guy Fawkes was hanged.

Ever since, Guy Fawkes Day has been a time for merrymaking. It is a holiday that both children and grown-ups enjoy. The best part comes as darkness falls. Then, straw dummies of Guy Fawkes are tossed onto huge bonfires. Amid cries of glee, firecrackers pop and "the Guy" goes up in a blaze of fire.

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Bonfire Night is the most important event in Lewes. But it isn't just about the Gunpowder Plot. It also remembers the Martyrs, seventeen Protestants who were burned in Lewes in the middle of the 16th century, during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary. So as you might imagine the people of Lewes take their fifth-of-November celebrations rather more seriously than most other people.

In other British towns and cities the effigies of the Catholic Guy Fawkes are burned at Bonfire Night celebrations. But here in Lewes Guy Fawkes is only one of several victims! Pope Paul V, who became head of the Roman Catholic Church in 1605, is a regular victim too. In addition, the seven bonfire societies in Lewes prepare new effigies of 'Enemies of Bonfire'. Over the years, these have included Tony Blair, George W. Bush, Osama bin Laden.

The main event usually starts at about 5.30 pm. The bonfire societies parade through the town dressed in colourful costumes, ranging from Tudor and Victorian dress to Native Americans and Vikings. They drag their effigies which they will later burn on one of five bonfires. Many people carry fire-lit torches. They march to the beat of drums and brass bands. Fireworks explode as they go, filling the air with pink smoke.

To mark the burning of the Martyrs, seventeen burning crosses are carried through the town and a wreath is laid on the War Memorial in the centre of the town.

The event is loud, colourful and impressive. It attracts thousands of people from all over the country... And then it's November, 6 and everyone goes back to their quiet daily lives.

V. Give the English equivalents for these Russian words and word combinations:

несправедливо, раскрывать заговор, бросать, шествовать по городу, жертва, кроме того, одежда эпохи королевы Виктории, коренные американцы, тащить, маршировать.

VI. Find synonyms to these words.

To explode, cheerful, an adult, a fire, to throw, happiness, to take with you.

VII. Answer the questions:

Who was Guy Fawkes?
Why did he want to kill James I?
What people do with straw dummies of Guy Fawkes?
Why is Bonfire Night the most important event in Lewes?
Who are 'Enemies of Bonfire'?

VIII. Prepare short reports.

Why there were problems with Protestants in the middle of the 16th century, during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary?
What was the reign of King James I?

ADDITIONAL READING

Here are some more British traditions. Read and translate them. Try to classify them into 1) unique customs, distinctive for Britain; 2) traditions, analogous to those of our country. Substantiate your choice. What is precisely in common? What are the differences?

POET OF SCOTLAND (JANUARY, 25)

How would you like to eat a pudding that has been cooked in a sheep's stomach? You'll certainly have a chance if you ever go to a party to celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland.

Every January 25, many people in Scotland and elsewhere celebrate this event in a very fitting way. Among Burns's poems is one called "To a Haggis," in which he describes this dish as that "Great chieftain o' the puddin'-race!" So, of course, haggis must be served at the party.

Haggis tastes somewhat like hash. It is made from the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep. These are chopped up and mixed with oatmeal, onions, and seasonings. Then everything is boiled in a bag made from the stomach of a sheep.

When the haggis is served, a man marches into the dining room playing a bagpipe. Behind him comes another man, proudly carrying the haggis on a tray. The arrival of the famous pudding is greeted with a cheer.

Candles and weather (february, 2)

Сandlemas Day is a special day when church candles are blessed. At one time, the people then carried lighted candles around the church. This custom goes back to the Romans, when people paraded with lighted candles at this me of year.

The Roman custom comes from a story in both Greek and Roman mythology. In the story told by the Greeks, Demeter, the goddess of farming, had a beautiful daughter named Persephone. Hades, god of the underworld, fell in love with Persephone and carried her off. With lighted candle, Demeter roamed the world in search of her daughter.

Whilе Persephone was with Hades, all the world turned cold and barren. Nothing would grow. Finally, Zeus, the king of the gods, arranged for Persephone to return to her mother for part of the year. Persephone's return was a sign of spring. The Greeks and Romans used this myth to explain the seasons.

People in many countries have long thought of Candlemas Day in terms of the coming of spring. An old British rhyme tells of this hope for a change in the weather:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Winter will have another flight;

But if it is dark with clouds and rain,

Winter is gone and will not come again.

Pancake day

Many people in the United Kingdom eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. The custom began long ago, when people could not eat butter and eggs during Lent. So, to use up their butter and eggs before Ash Wednesday, they made pancakes.

On Pancake Day, as it is called, the women of Olney, England, have a pancake race. On this day, the women line up in the market square. Each carries a pancake in a frying pan. The women must flip their pancakes three times as they race for the church door at the other end of the square.

A bell clangs. They're off! Pancakes are flipping and feet are flying. The race lasts about a minute. The winner gets a kiss from the bell ringer of the village.

On the same day, there is also a pancake race in Liberal, Kansas. The people of Olney and the people of Liberal compare winning times by telephone to see which town has won the pancake race.

The beginning of lent

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It can be as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. The exact date depends on the date set for Easter Sunday.

Ash Wednesday is observed in Roman Catholic churches and in some Protestant churches. In Roman Catholic churches, ashes from burned palm leaves are blessed. A priest then uses these ashes to mark a cross on each person's forehead. The ashes are to remind people that they came from dust and will one day return to dust.

Lent is a religious season that is a time of fasting (not eating as much food as usual) and of prayer. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, forty days before Easter (not counting Sundays) and ends on Easter Sunday. The forty days of Lent are to remind people of the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness. The word Lent comes from the Old English word lencten, which means "spring."

In many countries, special foods are eaten during Lent. These foods are usually a substitute for meat. In Ireland, people have a dish called champ. It is made up of scallious, a kind of onion, whipped in with hot mashed potatoes and served with a lump of butter in the middle.

The English also make special foods for Lent. One is a pudding of flour and milk, flavored with fruit syrups. Because it can be made quickly, it is known as hasty pudding.

In most places, fish is a standard food throughout Lent. So are eggs. But there was time when people were forbidden to eat eggs and butter, as well as meat. During the forty weekdays of Lent they could have only bread and water.

St. Patrick's day (march 17)

On St. Patrick's Day, you may hear such Irish songs as "The Wearing of the Green." And on this day, many people – even some who are not Irish – do wear something green. The bit of green is a reminder of the beautiful green countryside of Ireland. This island nation is so green that it is often called the Emerald Isle. (An emerald is a lovely green jewel.) Green is also the color of the shamrock, a small cloverlike plant with three leaves on each stem. It is the national symbol of Ireland.

In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is both a holy day and holiday. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, brought Christianity to Ireland. According to legend, he used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity – that in the one God there are three divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Another legend says that Saint Patrick rid Ireland of snakes by charming them into the sea.

St. Patrick's Day is usually celebrated with a parade. The one in Dublin, Ireland, has some to be known as the Irish Mardi Gras. The St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City is perhaps the biggest.

Two big Irish wolfhounds always lead the marchers in the gala New York City parade. These huge dogs are the mascots of the Fighting 69th, an infantry regiment that is part of the New York National Guard. At one time, this regiment was made up entirely of Irishmen. More than a hundred bands and a hundred thousand marchers follow the dogs up Fifth Avenue. The parade lasts for hours.