Valentine’s day

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The History behind Valentine's Day

With the days getting a little longer & a bit warmer, Valentine's will soon be upon us. It won't be long before you need to get your Valentine's Gifts, Cards and most importantly, THE MEAL!

So if you're going to plan a lovely night out with a meal be sure to book us early as we can get fully booked at this time of year, so to avoid disappointment, yes, you know the drill, use our booking form on this site or simply call us for availability.

Valentine lived from approximately 175 AD to 269 AD. It was during the years of the Roman Emperor Claudius II (268 AD to 270 AD) that Valentine was brought into captivity.
Claudius II fought many wars during his reign and needed the enlistment of many men to fight these wars. However, the men were not coming forth to enlist as soldiers. Claudius II assumed the men were not enlisting because they were married and had families. He put forth a ruling that single men were not to be married which would lead to their enlistment into the army.
Valentine, a priest, did not abide by this ruling. He secretly married many couples and also helped many persecuted Christians. Claudius II found out about Valentine’s disobedience and imprisoned him. Claudius II tried to convince Valentine to worship idols and to give up his deep faith in Christianity but Valentine refused. Instead of accepting the idol worshipping custom, Valentine tried to convert Claudius II to Christianity.

While in prison, Valentine prayed daily to God. One guard, who overheard Valentine praying, requested a special prayer for the healing of his daughter who could not see. Valentine prayed to God for the restoration of the daughter’s sight. In time, the daughter’s sight was restored.

Claudius II did not acquit Valentine of his disobedience. Around 269 AD, Valentine was beheaded for the disregard of the law and for the refusal to renounce his faith of Christianity.
In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius proclaimed February 14th as the day in which St. Valentine would be honored for his martyrdom. February 14th was believed to be the day in which St. Valentine died.
St. Valentine is the patron saint of engaged couples, lovers, bee keepers, greetings, love, travelers and young people. He is also the patron saint against the plague, fainting and epilepsy.
St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated throughout the world on February 14th of every year. Love, romance and kindness are shared with others through the giving of gifts such as candy, cards, flowers and jewelry. The color red is associated with St. Valentine’s Day along with chocolate, cupid and the shape of a heart.

The first Valentine’s Day cards were handmade with ribbons and lace. During 1847, Ester Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, began the mass printing of Valentine’s Day cards. Since then, the practice of gifting a card to a loved one became popular. In today’s world, other gifts are also given to those who are smitten with each other or who care for each other. Gifts can include a special dinner, a perfectly chosen card, a special bouquet of flowers or any special love from the heart. Only one’s imagination is needed in fulfilling the love for this day.

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Private Hire, Valentine's Day

Chinese New Year 2019

Chinese New year 2019

Chinese New Year 5th February 2019

Chinese New Year

What is the animal for Chinese New year 2019? It's a Pig!

So If you're needing a Taxi/Private Hire vehicle to a special lunch, or Chinese New Year event in London, please book early as we can get quickly flooded with bookings, so as not to disappoint get in quick!

When is Chinese New Year celebrated?

Marking the turn of the lunar year, Chinese New Year has been celebrated for centuries in China. Also known as Spring Festival and Lunar New Year around the world, this colourful celebration starts on the last day of the last month in the Chinese lunar calendar and ends on the 15th day of the first month with the spectacular Lantern Festival.

In 2019, Chinese New Year falls on 5 February and celebrates the Year of the Pig. The main Chinese New Year events take place in London’s Chinatown, the West End and Trafalgar Square on 10 February.

Watch the colourful Chinese New Year parade pass through the streets of the West End and Chinatown London. Head over to Trafalgar Square for stage performances and all-day entertainment, or visit stages dotted across the West End for more Chinese New Year celebrations.

The story of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is based on various legends, including that of an old man defeating the wicked mythical beast Nian with the help of firecrackers and red paper defences.

The festival gives people a chance to remember ancestors and to pay tribute to gods. On Chinese New Year’s Eve (the evening before Chinese New Year’s Day), families gather together for dinner and children often receive red packets with money for good luck.

Traditionally, every family would clean their house in the build-up to Chinese New Year to ward off any bad luck from the current year, and to make room for good luck in the coming year. Openings such as doors or windows would be given a makeover with red paper decorations to bring in good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity.

Chinese New Year is celebrated across the globe, with the nature of the celebrations varying depending on the location. But whether you’re on China’s mainland, in other Asian territories such as Singapore and Thailand, or in Chinatown neighbourhoods in major cities, such as London, you’ll be sure to have a good time with firecrackers, lion dances and festive food over Lunar New Year.

Chinese New Year celebrations in London

The London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA) was founded in 1978 to help businesses in Chinatown, to provide support for British Chinese and to raise funds for disaster relief in China.
Today, the LCCA continues to help the Chinese business community in London, alongside organising the annual Chinese New Year events and the Mid-Autumn Festival in London.

The Chinese New Year London celebrations began as a small community event in Chinatown more than 20 years ago; the festivities have now become the largest of their kind outside Asia, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the capital each year.

Having grown across the West End, the Chinese New Year celebrations in London include the colourful Chinese New Year parade, lion dances through Chinatown and a spectacular stage show in Trafalgar Square.

Top 10 tips for Chinese New Year in London

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Chinese New year, Private Hire

Burn’s Night Supper

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Burn's Night Supper 2019

If you're needing a Taxi/Private Hire vehicle to a Burn’s Night, also known as Burn’s Supper, please book early as we can get quickly flooded with bookings, so as not to disappoint get in quick!

Burn's Night is a holiday celebrated in Scotland on January 25th in honor of the poet Robert Burns. While this holiday is officially a Scottish holiday, many people all over the world celebrate it by hosting their own versions of Burn’s Supper.

History of Burn’s Night

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist which was born on January 25th, 1759 in Ayrshire, Scotland. He was regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement. He is not only known for his poetry but is also known for his original compositions. Although he died on July 21st, 1796, he gained enormous popularity in Scotland during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Burn’s Night can be traced all the way back to a supper held by the friends of Robert Burns on July 21st, 1801. They had gathered together on this day because it was the fifth anniversary of his death and they wanted to honor him. This first Burn’s Night was held at Burns Cottage. That year, the Burns Club was founded and a supper was arranged on what the founders thought was Robert Burn’s birthday–January, 29th. However, they then discovered records which showed Burn’s birthday was actually on January 25th. Since then, Burn’s Supper has been celebrated on that day.

Burn’s Night Customs & Celebrations

One of the traditional ways to celebrate Burn’s Night is with a Burn’s Supper. These dinners can be formal or informal and may include only friends or friends and family. During this supper, ‘Selkirk Grace’ is recited as well as the ‘Address to a Haggis’. Whiskey and food are also main components of this supper. Some of the food which is served includes Cullen Skink, Haggis, neeps and tatties. Desserts often include oatmeal shortbread, whiskey caramels and marinated raspberries.

"The Rusty Gun" have a Burns Night event each year.

The Rusty Gun is a great country pub in St Ippolyts, Hitchin that combines three great elements of, local beers from The Old Cannon Brewery, great wines from The Burch family and a cosy atmosphere with our greatest passion food.

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Burn's Night, Private Hire

Christmas bookings

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Just a quick post letting you all know about our Christmas & New Years availability. With the run up to Christmas soon coming upon us it’s a good idea to get in there early to book Welwyn Private Hire for your Christmas break airport travel, as we quickly get fully booked at this time of year. So we would advise to avoid disappointment for our regular customers, yes, you know the drill, use our booking form on this site or simply call us for availability.

We are open as usual apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve & New Years Day, unless its a special occasion, pre- arranged or unavoidable flight arrangements.

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Christmas, Private Hire

When do the clocks change?

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British Summer Time ends

It's that time of year again where we turn the clocks backwards and all get one hour more in bed!

The clocks go back on the 28th October of this year. In the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October.
The period when the clocks are 1 hour ahead is called British Summer Time (BST). There's more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings (sometimes called Daylight Saving Time).
When the clocks go back, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

By the meteorological calendar, spring starts on 1 March. The seasons are defined as Spring (March, April, May), Summer (June, July, August), Autumn (September, October, November) and Winter (December, January, February). In 2016 it was a particularly special year as it marked 100 years since we first changed our clocks like this. 

Whose idea was it to change the clocks?

An American politician and inventor called Benjamin Franklin first came up with the idea while in Paris in 1784. He suggested that if people got up earlier, when it was lighter, then it would save on candles. But it arrived in the UK after Coldplay singer Chris Martin's great-great-grandfather, a builder called William Willett, thought it was a good idea too.

In 1907, he published a leaflet called The Waste of Daylight, encouraging people to get out of bed earlier. Willett was a keen golfer and he got cross when his games would be cut short because the Sun went down and there wasn't enough light to carry on playing.

When did we start changing our clocks?

The idea of moving the clocks forwards and backwards was discussed by the government in 1908, but many people didn't like it so it wasn't made a law.
Willett spent his life trying to convince people that it was a good idea, but it was only introduced in the UK in 1916 - a year after he died.

It was actually first introduced by the Germans in World War One, just before the UK did it.
During World War Two, the UK actually used what was called British Double Summer Time (BDST), when the clocks were ahead by an extra hour during the summer. But this didn't last for very long.

Now, the UK's clocks always go back by one hour on the last Sunday in October and forward by one hour on the last Sunday in March.
Moving clocks like this is now done in some countries across the world, but many still don't do this.

What do people think of it?

Many people have different opinions about whether we should change our clocks like this. Some think having BST is a good thing because it saves energy, by making better use of natural daylight, and helps to reduce traffic accidents.
Others don't like it because they argue that it doesn't actually save any energy, and it can make it darker when children are going to school in the morning, which can be dangerous. They also think it is not very good for our health.

 

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British Summer time, Private Hire