Date |
Event |
Details |
| 31st December - 1st January | New Year's Eve | Let's go first footing! Find out all about the British New Year and some of our traditions here. |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2011 | Happy New Year! | Some of the news of 2011 / 2012. |
| 3rd Jan | Divorce Day | Divorce day is the lawyers’ nickname for January 3rd when couples contact them after the stresses of trying to organise a perfect Christmas, determined to seek new and separate lives in the New Year. |
| 6th Jan | 12th Night | 12th night is when all Christmas decorations in Britain are taken down, otherwise it is considered bad luck! |
| 16th Jan | The most miserable day of the year | Bad weather, debt, seasonal blues and failed resolutions all mean that this day is miserable, according to one scientist. Cardiff University tutor Cliff Arnalls says his formula proves this is the grimmest day of the year.
The formula for this day of misery reads 1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA. |
| 17th Jan | Wassailing | Wassailing is an old English ritual which usually involved winter carollers going from house to house on Old Twelfth Night. They would sing to the residents in exchange for small gifts of money, food and drink (often wassail.) The people of Carhampton in Somerset reenact it an a peculiar way in order to renew the fertility of the 'family' apple tree by dancing round in a circle and singing a tradtional song and watering the tree with a wassail drink. 17th January is "old" twelfth night (before the calendar's changed). "Old apple tree, we'll wassail thee, and hoping you will bear . . . " |
| 17th Jan | Winnie the Pooh Day | Winnie the Pooh celebrates his creation today. |
| 18th Jan | Thesaurus Day | Held to celebrate the birthday of Peter Roget; the author of Roget's Thesaurus, who was born in 1779. A thesaurus lists synonyms (words with the same or similar meaning) and antonyms (words with the opposite meaning) for words. It is an invaluable reference book and you can use it to improve the quality of your English and to avoid repetition in writing and speeches. Try using a few different words today. |
| 25th Jan | Burn's Night | Burns Suppers have been part of Scottish culture for 250 years as a means of commemorating their best loved bard. This year it marks the start of Scotland's year of Homecoming, which aims to aims to attract expatriates back to Scotland to celebrate the country's culture and heritage. |
| 25th Jan | The Death of a King | People dressed in 17th century costumes parade from St James' Palace to London's Banqueting house at 11.30am, where wreaths are laid outside in commemoration of the beheading of Charles I. |
| 25th Jan | St Dwynwen's Day | This is the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine's Day. It commemorates Wales' patron saint of friendship and love. |
| The last Tuesday of January | Up Helly Aa | On the last Tuesday of January Shetland marks the Lerwick Up Helly Aa, a fire festival, featuring the ancient practice of burning a Viking galley as a sacrifice to the sun. There's a torch-lit parade of people dressed up as Vikings too. |
| Throughout January | The January Sales | Thousands of people are expected to descend on the capital over the coming days for the annual January sales. Bargain-crazy shoppers queue overnight, sometimes for days, spending their Christmas with thermos flasks and sleeping bags, ready to pounce on the buy of the century. |
Special Features |
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| LEN Events | Google Plus, Skype and Second Life events from the Learn English Network. | |
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English Magazine | The monthly English learner's magazine is here with articles, jokes, poetry, learning tips and lots more. |
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Free - Beginners Lessons on-line | A series of free lessons on-line, which include grammar, vocabulary and day-to-day English. There is a new lesson every month (ish). |
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