Transcript Document
Traditions and customs of Great Britain Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. • In Britain traditions play a more important part in life of people than in other countries. • Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Some traditions are rather formal, such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. • Holidays are especially rich in old traditions and are different in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. • The English are traditional about their meals. They eat eggs and bacon with toasts for breakfast, pudding or apple pie for dessert. Every English family has five o'clock tea. A typical feature of an English house is a fireplace, even when there is central heating in the house. Englishmen have many traditional holidays, such as Christmas, St.Valentine's Day, Mother's day, Easter and others. English customs and traditions are famous all over the world. Bowler hats, tea and talking about the weather, for example. From Scotland to Cornwall, the United Kingdom is full of customs and traditions. Here are some of them. St. Valentine’s St. Valentine's Day roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. One of the earliest popular symbols of the day is Cupid, the Roman god of Love, Who is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow. St. Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend of loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Christmas. What makes an English Christmas ? Christmas tree • Food & drink • Parties • Television and the Queen’s Speech • A Walk after Dinner • Midnight Mass& Carol Services • Children’s activities Christmas food • Shopping in the dark, fairylit streets • Sending out cards Christmas • Playing Games card • Carol-singing Christmas presents • Decorating April Fool's Day - April 1st • April 1st is the day people try to trick their friends, to make them behave like fools. • In Britain, fooling at this time of year has gone on for centuries, however the origin of the custom still remains obscure. • In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. November, 5 is Guy Fawkes’s Day. the 5th of November in almost every town and village in England one can see fire burning, fireworks, cracking and lighting up the sky, small groups of children pulling round in a home made cart, a figure that looks something like a man but consists of an old suit of clothes, stuffed with straw. 'Guy Fawkes Day' also known as 'Bonfire Night' or 'Fireworks Night' by some, marks the date, November 5, 1605, when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators attempted to kill King James I and the Members of Parliament and to blow up the Houses of Parliament. British Elections Elections are held on Election Day. General elections do not have fixed dates, but must be called within five years of the opening of parliament following the last election. Other elections are held on fixed dates though in the case of the devolved assemblies and parliaments, early elections can occur in certain situations. Anyone who is a citizen of the UK, the Republic of Ireland, or of a Commonwealth country, who is legally resident in the UK, and who is 18 or over on the date of an election is eligible to vote. Cricket • Sports play an important part of English life, particularly football and cricket. • Cricket is officially recognized as England's national sport. The first recorded cricket match took place at Coxheath, Kent in the year 1646. Before the cricket ball was invented, players would hurl stones and other lethal objects at each other. A formal game of cricket can last anything from an afternoon to several days. • The basic concept of cricket is very similar to that of baseball; teams bat in successive innings and attempt to score runs, while the opposite team fields and attempts to bring an end to the batting team's innings. The British Flag: a Symbol of Unity • The Union Jack is a transnational flag full of historical significance. It represents the union of different countries and the growth of a family of nations whose influence extends far beyond the British Isles. This far-reaching influence is still seen today in the incorporation of the Union Jack in other national flags such as that of Australia. The British flag is called the "Union Jack", an expression that needs to be explained. Trooping the Colour The custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th C when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle.The Colours are the flags which were carried into battle by different regiments, these flags were the rallying point of each regiment and in order to ensure that each soldier could recognise their own Colours the flag was carried (trooped) in front of them every day. In London, the Foot Guards used to do this from 1755 onwards as part of their daily Guard Mounting on Horse Guards and the ceremonial of the present parade is along similar lines. In 1805 the parade was carried out for the first time to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday.