Transcript Interesting Children in British Culture

Interesting Children in British Culture
Jackie Reilly
Vikings at the Up Helly Aa fire festival in the Shetland
Islands held annually the last Tuesday of January.
The Norman Conquest
Ireland
St. Patrick is perhaps the most famous saint from these islands.
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The feast of St. Patrick is the 17th March. He was in fact Scottish by
birth but was captured and sold as a slave in Ireland. Though he left
Ireland at the age of 22 to live in France, he returned when he was 59
in A.D. 432 to convert the Irish to Christianity.
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There are many legends about this holy man. One tells how he drove
all the snakes out of Ireland. The last snake resisted him and St.
Patrick tricked it into getting into a small box. The snake refused,
saying it was too small. Finally, the snake agreed to get into the box to
prove that it was too small and once inside, St. Patrick snapped the lid
shut and threw the box into the sea.
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On his special day people wear shamrock, the emblem of Ireland.
Shamrock
A harp, an emblem of Ireland
• Ireland is very famous for dances called reels
The girls wear dresses embroidered with traditional designs.
• There is a national costume consisting of a kilt and black jacket, knee
length white stockings and a small hat.
• Ireland has its own language: gaelic
• The Irish are known to be creative particularly in literature and the
arts, e.g. Oscar Wilde and James Joyce.
• Many American presidents are descendants of Irish emigrants to the
‘New World’, e.g. John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton.
Ireland is also famous for…
Food from Ireland: Irish stew; soda bread; potato cakes; Irish whiskey;
Gaelic coffee; butter; dairy products - butter and cream; Guinness.
gaelic coffee
stout - black beer
Wales is famous for …
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St. David is the patron saint of Wales and his feast is on 1 st March.
He lived in Wales in the 6th century and founded many churches.
St. David’s is a town in Wales which was the place of pilgrimage.
The emblem of Wales is the daffodil/the leek.
daffodils
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A leek and a daffodil
The people are Welsh and they speak Welsh in the north.
The Welsh flag is green and white with a red dragon.
Welsh flag
Wales is also famous for…
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The country is internationally famous for the game rugby union
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Male-voice choirs were traditionally formed by the miners. There is an
international music festival - an eisteddford- usually in July each year,
where dancers, singers and choirs from all over the world take part in a
festival of music.
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Wales is also known for its woollen industry and Welsh lamb.
There is a national costume which girls and women wear, which
consists of a long skirt, a shawl and a very tall black hat
Welsh girls in national costume
Wales is also famous for…
 There are many legends about dragons.
 The Welsh are known to be musical and creative. The most famous
are film and TV personalities; i.e. Richard Burton; Anthony Hopkins;
Yale, the founder of Yale University was Welsh. Mount Everest is
named after Welshman, George Everest.
Food from Wales includes: Many famous cheeses e.g. Caerphilly and a
famous Welsh dish is ‘Welsh rarebit’ which is melted cheese on toast.
Look on this website for more information about Welsh food.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/food/national.htm
England
England
St. George is the patron saint of England
 His feast day is 23rd April.
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On St. George’s day English people wear a red rose.
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Not a great deal is known about him but he lived in the eastern
Mediterranean. He is also patron saint of Turkey.
The legend tells how he killed a dragon and saved a princess.
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His name was the battle cry when English knights went into battle
beneath the red-cross banner of St. George during the Hundred Years
War. (1338-1453).
The Union Jack
• The union flag is the saltire cross of Scotland,
the Irish flag and the flag of St, George,
superimposed after the union of the
Kingdoms.
Most famous for…
 The dress of the ‘beefeaters’ and the uniform of the Royal
Horse Guards are probably regarded as a national costume.
Beefeater
Horseguards
Famous Britons
Alan Turing – the computer;
Whittle - jet engine;
Stephenson – railways
The most famous playwright
and poet is
William Shakespeare.
Other famous writers include Charles Dickens, Emily and
Charlotte Bronte; Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen
Children’s writers
Winnie the Pooh by A.A.Milne
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Peter Rabbit by Beatrice Potter
Food from England
Scotland
St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.
His feast day is on 30th November and on that
day the people wear a thistle.
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The thistle
The flags of Scotland
• The Royal flag of Scotland and St. Andrew’s
flag.
Scotland is famous for…
The woollen industry
The bagpipes
Dances called ‘reels’
Stewart Tartan
The highland games
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Tossing the caber and shot put
Highland dancing
• Highland reels
Also famous for…
• ...the story of the Loch Ness Monster!
Famous Scots
• Logie Baird - television;
• Alexander Fleming – penicillin;
• Alexander Graham Bell – telephone;
• Andrew Carnegie – born in Dunfermline
Industrialist and philanthropist
Food from Scotland
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Scotch broth;
shortbread;
haggis;
porridge;
Scotch whisky;
oatcakes.
Robert Burns
• Robert Burns - the Scottish bard
• Wrote poems and songs, the most famous
Auld Lang Syne
Robert Louis Stevenson
Wrote poems and novels including…
• Treasure Island
• Kidnapped
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde