Halloween is on October 31st. On Halloween we put on costumes, go trick or treating, and get candy. You can watch this video to see!
Halloween Vocabulary
Halloween Costumes
What costume will you put on for Halloween?
Halloween
Category: Actualities and Culture
The emblems of English-speaking countries
Scotland
The thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland but there are lots of different types of thistles. Nobody knows which one is the exact emblem!
Description of the Thistle:
The thistle has spiky leaves to protect itself from animals who want to eat it! It also has a purple flower that is spiky as well!
The story of the Thistle:
When Norse vikings secretly attacked Scotland one stepped upon a thistle and let out a cry of pain! ‘Arghhhhh!’ he said. He was so loud that the Scottish heard his cry and were ready to fight! The Norse vikings were defeated by the Scottish – the Scottish people won the battle! Winner, winner!
Ireland
The shamrock is the floral emblem of the Republic of Ireland. It is also a emblem of Catholism in Ireland.
Description of the Shamrock:
The shamrock is a small, three-leafed plant. A shamrock with FOUR leaves is good luck!
The history of the Shamrock
In fact, the shamrock is a modern emblem. It became popular in the 19th century when Nationalist movements used it as their symbol of nationalism. Today, the shamrock is often used as a symbol by Irish companies (for example Aer Lingus) and sports teams. It is also put in the bouquets of flowers of brides on their wedding day to give good luck!
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Wales
The national emblem of Wales is the leek and the daffodil! This vegetable and this flower represent this small country, let us find out why!
The history of the leek
During the time of Shakespeare and even before – the leek was worn around the neck of Welshmen. Today, it is on the badges of every Welsh soldier of the Welsh Regiment.
The Daffodil
It was introduced in the 19th century as a remplacement of the leek. The only Welsh Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was a strong advocate for this new symbol for his country. The daffodil also symbolises nature`s optimism!
England
The rose is the symbol of love but it is also the symbol of England!
The history of the Rose
It became the symbol of England after the War of the Roses between the Royal House of Lancaster and the Royal House of York thanks to King Henry VII. The rose is red and white representing the House of Lancaster and the House of York. Sometimes it is called the Union Rose.
Seasons
As the weather starts to improve, it’s time to talk about seasons!
Today is the 13th of April, which is spring. In spring, we can see flowers bloom and watch birds building nests. In Scotland, we see lots of new lambs jumping happily!
Spring goes from the 1st of March to the 31st of May.
After spring comes summer, from the 1st of June to the 31st of August. In summer, the days are much longer (in the north, the sun rises at 4am and sets at 11pm!) and the weather is a little bit better. But we can’t escape the rain!
From the 1st of September to the 30th of November, we have autumn or, in American English, fall. In autumn we see the leaves becoming orange, the sky becoming grey, and it gets very windy!
Finally, at the end of the year, we have winter. In winter, which goes from the 1st of December to the 28th or 29th of February, it becomes very cold. It snows and the ground is covered with ice. I like to stay inside and drink tea or tomato soup.
In some English-speaking countries, like Australia and New Zealand, the seasons are inversed! This means that winter takes place in June, July and August; and summer takes place in December, January and February. I have a friend in Australia who celebrates Christmas with a barbecue on the beach!