NEW YEAR IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND

Read the text and fill in the words from the box:
Celebrate/ decorations /midnight /decorate /traditional /celebration /chimes / a
symbol of plenty/ bonfire/ blazing/ lump.
In England New Year is not as widely observed as Christmas. Some people ignore it
completely and go to bed as usual. Many others, however, …………..it. Those who do,
usually …………………….their houses. The way of celebration varies very much according
to the local custom and family tradition.
The most common way of………………. is a New Year party which begins at about 8 p.m.
and goes on until the early hours of the morning. There is usually an informal supper of cold
meat, pies, sandwiches, cakes and some drinks. At midnight the radio set is turned on, so
that everyone can hear the ………….. of Big Ben. Then the party goes on. Another popular
way of celebrating New Year is going to a New Year dance. Most hotels and dance halls
hold a dance on New Year's Eve. There are a lot of beautiful …………..in the cafes, halls
and restaurants. There are several different bands playing, and the atmosphere is very
cheerful. The most famous celebration is in London, at Piccadilly Circus, where crowds
gather and sing and welcome New Year.
In Scotland most ……………..ceremonies are connected with New Year. There's a New
Year's Eve Fire Festival in each city; men parade with ……….. tar barrels, then throw them
into a great ………... In Scotland it's considered lucky if a dark-haired man is the first to set
foot in the house after ……………on New Year's Eve, bringing a coin, a piece of bread or a
………... of coal as …………..for the coming year. In Scotland Hogmanay is the biggest
festival of the year.