Task 1. Read the text and fill in the table to compare the legal holidays in Ukraine and the UK

When people work a lot they want to have a good rest. Holidays (‘holy days’) are the days free from work, usually these are special days for the commemoration of an important event. Holidays are often accompanied by public ceremonies, such as parades and carnivals, and by religious observances; they may also be simply a time for relaxation. Days of commemoration are observed throughout the world. The famous observations and commemorations are Bastille Day in France, Victory Day in Ukraine, and the New Year in China.

National holidays (public or legal holidays) are proclaimed by the central government and observed throughout a country. On legal holidays banks and schools are closed and business transactions are restricted. In Ukraine the legal holidays are New Year’s Day (January 1), Orthodox Christmas (January 7), International Women’s Day (March 8), Orthodox Easter, Holy Trinity Day (Triytsya) — Orthodox Pentecost, Labour Days (May 1–2), Victory Day (Memorial Day in Lviv Oblast) (May 9), Constitution Day (June 28), Independence Day (August 24).

There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26), New Year’s Day (January 1), Good Friday (before Easter), Easter Monday, May Day (May 1), Spring Bank Holiday (last Monday in May) and Summer Bank Holiday (last Monday in August). Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed.

Task 2. Are you a party animal or a party pooper? Read the text and fill in the table to tell what parties you have visited. Use the table to describe your point of view.