Miért van két születésnapja a 93 éves a brit uralkodónak, aki a hivatalos születésnapját júniusban tartja?
Here’s why she has two birthdays, and you only get one
Happy birthday to the Queen! On 21st of April Her Majesty celebrated her actual birthday (as opposed to her official birthday, which falls in June). Here’s a complete guide to why we celebrate her birthday twice each year.
So the Queen gets two birthdays? Yep. Her Majesty was born on April 21, 1926 and she turned 93 this year. She will celebrate her official birthday on June 14.
Why does she get two? It’s tradition – the sovereign is given two birthdays if their birth date is not in the summer. This is because there will be a better chance of good weather for the birthday parade, called Trooping the Colour, which is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies.
Have other kings and queens done this? Yes. All British monarchs have been given the option of having two birthdays since 1748. Edward VII, whose birthday fell in November, did it too.
Does she get presents? And cake? Well, we don’t know. The Queen celebrates her actual birthday in private (although last year she spent the day at the races) but we like to think she tucks into a very regal slice of birthday cake on occasion. At midday on April 21, she gets a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21 gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London.
So surely this is a national holiday. Do we get a day off? No, but you’re welcome to toast her if you like. Some places in the Commonwealth (such as Australia and New Zealand) get a public holiday on her official birthday, but we’re not so lucky.
source: www.metro.co.uk
to celebrate – ünnepelni
as opposed to – valamivel ellentétben
official – hivatalos
Her Majesty – Őfelsége
sovereign – uralkodó
a chance of – esély valamire
parade – parádé, felvonulás
regiment – ezred
the Commonwealth – Brit Nemzetközösség
the option of – valaminek a lehetősége
although – habár
the races (horserace) – lóverseny
to tuck into – bekebelez, jó étvággyal eszik
gun salute – díszsortűz
to toast someone – valakinek az egészégére inni, pohárköszöntőt mondani
True or false?
1. The Queen was born in the summer.
2. Her Majesty celebrates her birthday in private.
3. The Queen’s official birthday is held in June.
4. The Queen’s birthday is a national holiday in the United Kingdom.
5. She is the first British Queen to have two birthdays.
Answers: 1-F 2-T 3-T 4-F 5-F
