So many countries – so many customs – says an English proverb. Each country is different from others in its traditions, customs, the way of life and holidays. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up in everything. A tradition which is observed in England today is to celebrate the 5th of November Guy Fawkes night. In 1605 King James I was on the throne. As a Protestant, he was very unpopular with Roman Catholics. Some of them planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5th November of that year, when the King was going to open Parliament. Under the House of Lords they had stored 36 barrels of gun powder, which were to be exploded by a man called Guy Fawkes. However one of the plotters spoke about these planes and Fawkes was discovered, arrested and later hanged. Since that day the British traditionally celebrate 5th November by burning a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, on a bonfire, while at the same time letting off fireworks. This dummy is called a guy(like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen on the pavements before 5th November saying penny for the guy. If they collect enough money they can buy some fireworks. There are some public holidays in GB: Christmas, St. Valentine’s day, Easter and others. If you try to catch a train on 24th December you may have difficulty in finding a seat. This is the day when many people are travelling home to be with their families on Christmas Day, 25th December. For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year, it combines the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ with the traditional festivities of winter. On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a carol service where special hymns are sung. Sometimes carol singers can be heard on the streets as they collect money for charity. Most families decorate their houses with brightly coloured paper or holly, and they usually have a Christmas tree in the corner of the front room, glittering with coloured lights and decorations. On 14th February, St. Valentine’s Day, many people send a card to the one they love or someone whom they have fallen in love with. People usually don’t sign these cards and a lot of time is spent trying to guess who has sent them! At Easter time, the British celebrate the idea of new birth by giving each other chocolate Easter eggs which are opened and eaten on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday bakers sell hot cross burns, which are toasted and eaten with butter. Easter Monday is a holiday and many people travel to the seaside for the day or go and watch one of the many sporting events, such as football or horse racing. Halloween means “holy evening”, and takes place on the 31st October. Although it is a much more important festival in the USA than Britain, it is celebrated by many people in the UK. It is particularly connected with witches and ghosts. At parties people dress up in strange costumes and pretend they are witches. They cut horrible faces in pumpkins and other vegetables and put a candle inside, which shines through the eyes. People may play difficuls games such as trying to eat an apple from a bucket of water without using their hands. Russian holidays present a colourful – new and old, official and unofficial, professional and private, religious and secular. All occasions warrant a celebrations. We describe here only a few principal holidays, in chronological order. The official holidays are: January 1 – New Year’s day, January 7 – Christmas, Russian Orthodox, February 23-Soldier’s Day, March 8 – International Women’s Day, May 1-Labour Day, May 9 – Victory Day, June 12-Independence Day. The New Year is first on the calendar and in popularity. Many celebrate it twice, on January 1 and 14(which corresponds to January 1st in the Julian calendar, used in Russia before 1918). Next is February 23, Soldier’s Day, known until recently as Soviet Army Day, popularity viewed as holiday for all men and closely followed by its female counter-part, Women’s Day, March 8, when women receive flowers, presents and are toasted by men. Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9 to commemorate the millions fallen in WWII. Flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves on this day, and veterans come out into the streets wearing their military orders and medals. Alas, there are fewer of them with every passing year. Church feasts have been reborn. Easter is celebrated nationwide, as of old, and Christmas became a day off. Muslims, Jews and Buddhists also celebrate their feasts without rear of secular authorities. The most popular American holidays are Christmas, New Year, St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, The 4th of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving Day. The 4th of July is a colourful holiday celebrating America’s independence from England in 1776. On that day the Americans adopted the Declaration of Independence. Small towns have parades, speeches, marching bands, and ice-cream socials. Families enjoy picnics and family gatherings featuring fried chicken, potato salad, watermelon, and ice-cream. Groups play baseball together or volleyball, go camping, or to parks and rivers. Everywhere there are fireworks and displays at night. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and is a special holiday for Americans as they remember their piligrim heritage. The feast is patterned after the early settlers who took a day after fall harvest to invite their Indian friends and to thank God for his blessings. Favourite dishes include baked turkey and pumpkin pie. Families spend the day eating, visiting, playing table games and watching American football on TV. This is the most important holiday for family reunions in the USA.