Headed to the U.K. near the end of the year? You’ll probably hear the winter holidays in Britain before you see them, with the piped-in tunes of Christmas carols and songs about the season bending your ear in every public venue — and probably even in your London hotel room. You’ll be more likely to find your average Britons enjoying these signs of the end of the year. The following are some fun traditions you can anticipate on your trip:
Christmas Markets and Fairs
All over Europe, countries celebrate the end of the year, the completion of the harvest and the holiday of Christmas by holding markets and fairs in public squares. Here, people can take advantage of opportunities to buy farm-fresh and homemade sweets and other foodie delights, and browse for quaint souvenirs to take home for themselves or loved ones.
A good example of a traditional Christmas market, with an emphasis on inspiration from shared German traditions, is the one held at Winchester Cathedral in Hampstead. In addition to being the resting place of author Jane Austen, Winchester Cathedral is gaining fame for its large market that goes on for more than 30 days from the end of November until the week before Christmas. In London, however, visitors will find the Winter Wonderland celebration in Hyde Park to also offer great end-of-year entertainment, complete with ice skating and an ice kingdom. For more about hotels in London near Hyde Park and its celebration, click here for info.
Christmas Lights
Additionally, people in England like to get ready for the darkest days of the winter with decorative lights. They put them in the windows of their homes and also in their places of business. As you walk down the high streets of any English village before Christmas, you’ll see the local governments and shop owners have collaborated to create a twinkling, fairy light-lit atmosphere for shoppers. Indoors, you’ll see many Christmas trees decorated with lights.
Christmas Crackers
One of the most uniquely British traditions during the Christmas season are crackers. These paper-wrapped tube-shaped packages contain small gifts and a slip of paper with a joke, but they’re seen as more fun than just the sum value of their contents. They also have a card strip, like that in a toy gun, which makes a popping or cracking noise when the cracker is pulled apart. To open a cracker, you need two people. Each person holds one tail of the paper, and the two pull apart at the same time, causing the strip to crack, the paper to break and the gift inside to be given to whoever’s left holding the largest part of the packaging. This fun way to give out Christmas gifts began in London in the 1840s, but continues today in all of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.
Big Ben on New Year’s Eve
Ready to say goodbye to the old year? What better place to do it in London than in the United Kingdom’s most famous monument to the passage of time: Big Ben. Big Ben, the iconic clock on the Palace of Westminster, is the perfect way to keep track of the countdown to the New Year. Millions of people watch Big Ben as the last minutes of Dec. 31 tick away, both in person in London and via the television from their homes — or from pubs and nightclubs throughout the city. When the year does end, don’t forget to bring in the New Year with a rendition of “Auld Lang Syne,” the Scottish ballad that signals new beginnings.
The New Year’s Day Parade
After a night out celebrating the events of the past year and toasting the successes of the new year, relax a little and let the performers and participants in London’s New Year’s Day Parade do some of the celebrating for you. This parade, which winds through the streets of the West End of London, helps raise awareness and funding for charities, and serves to honors local heroes.
About the Author: Aditi Magar lives in New Delhi but has studied in London, Paris and Singapore during her undergraduate and graduate studies. Image by Chris Beckett from Flickr’s Creative Commons.
