12 Months 12 British Holidays

UP HELLY AA

Origins:

Up Helly Aa was the boredom of young men after their return from fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, which had given them an opportunity to see spectacles abroad.

1881

The first torch celebration on Up Helly Aa Day took
place in 1881.

The following year the torchlit procession was significantly enhanced and institutionalised through a request by a Lerwick civic body to hold another Up Helly Aa torch procession for the visit of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.

January

UP HELLY AA

Meaning:

According to John Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1818), up is used in the sense of something being at an end, and derives from the Old Norse word uppi which is still used in Faroese and Icelandic, while helly refers to a holy day or festival. The Scottish National Dictionary defines helly, probably derived from the Old Norse helgr (helgi in the dative and accusative case, meaning a holiday or festival), as series of festive days, esp. the period in which Christmas festivities are held from 25th Dec. to 5th Jan.", while aa may represent a', meaning "all".

Pancake Day

Origins:

Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.

A pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a frying pan. A traditional English pancake is very thin and is served immediately. Golden syrup or lemon juice and caster sugar are the usual toppings for pancakes.

Pancake Day

Pancake race’s:

In the UK, pancake races form an important
part of the Shrove Tuesday celebrations – an opportunity for large numbers of people, often in fancy dress, to race down streets tossing pancakes. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first, carrying a frying pan with a cooked pancake in it and flipping the pancake as you run.
The most famous pancake race takes place at Olney in Buckinghamshire. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan. The Olney pancake race is now world famous. Competitors have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf.

February

The first day of Saint Patrick's Day:

Saint Patrick's Day

Since around the ninth or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick on March 17. The first St. Patrick’s Day
parade took place not in Ireland but in America. Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The parade, and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration a year earlier were organized by the
Spanish Colony's Irish vicar Ricardo Artur.

More than a century later, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City on March 17, 1772 to honor the Irish patron saint. Enthusiasm for the St. Patrick's Day parades in New York City, Boston and other early American cities only grew from there.

March

Saint Patrick's Day

What Do Leprechauns Have to Do With St. Patrick's Day?

One icon of the Irish holiday is the Leprechaun. The
original Irish name for these figures of folklore is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.” Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies.

Legend:

St. George's Day

In Aragorn, a dragon attacked the kingdom. The residents were so frightened that they decided to feed the dragon two lambs every day to prevent it from attacking the city. But when the animals became
scarce, they decided to send a man chosen by lot and a lamb. The family lost a member after being devoured by the dragon, and was compensated with various riches.
From here there are two versions of the legend: On the
one hand, the people got tired of having no royals sent, so the princess had to be devoured next. Another version says that one day the princess was chosen by
lot to be with the lamb. In short, in the cave, the princess saw the appearance of the knight Jorge, who stabbed the sword into the cave and killed the dragon, saving her. From the blood that flowed from the dead body of the monster, a beautiful red rose bush grew, and Jorge extracted a rose from it and gave it to the princess.
The king offered Jorge unimaginable riches, but the knights preferred to share them with the kingdom's inhabitants. In addition, it is said that the church built in his name spouts a miraculous water that can cure
diseases.