CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT IN THE UK

CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT IN THE UK

In the UK, there are many fun activities during Christmas. Here are some of them:

A pantomime is a family show performed in theatres at Christmas. It has music, songs, jokes, and dancing. It is usually based on a fairy tale or legend. The cast encourages the audience to join in. Some popular pantomimes are “Aladdin,” “Puss in Boots,” “Cinderella,” “Dick Whittington,” and “Sleeping Beauty.” The main actors are often TV stars or celebrities. The “principal boy” is usually played by a young woman, and the “dame” is usually played by a man.

Many primary schools perform a nativity play for parents and grandparents. The play tells the story of the birth of Jesus. Children dress up as different characters, including animals such as cows, sheep, and a donkey. Many people have models of the nativity scene at home.

Families watch a lot of television during Christmas. Some films, such as “The Snowman” and “The Wizard of Oz,” appear every year and many popular TV shows, especially comedies, have special Christmas episodes called Christmas specials.

Children have Christmas parties at school with games, entertainment, and food provided by their parents. Many workplaces have Christmas parties for their workers. These can be small events with drinks and snacks or larger events with a meal and entertainment.

Many schools and organisations hold a Christmas fair before Christmas. There are games, competitions, items for sale, entertainment, and a chance to meet Father Christmas. The money raised supports the school or organisation.

Many theatres, concert halls, music clubs, and comedy clubs have Christmas shows. Besides pantomimes, popular shows include “A Christmas Carol” (based on the story by Charles Dickens) and the Nutcracker ballet.

Many towns and cities in the UK have a Christmas market. This tradition comes from Europe, especially Germany. A Christmas market has many stalls, like small log cabins, selling food, drinks, ornaments, toys, and toiletries.

This is one of a series of posts about Christmas traditions in the UK. You can see some others here, here and here.

_{Posted by Graham}