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| Traditions and holidays of Great BritainTraditions and holidays of Great BritainTraditions and holidays of Great Britain. Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs. From Scotland to Cornwall, Britain is full of customs and traditions. You cannot really imagine Britain without all its traditions, this
integral feature of social and private life of the people living on the English traditions can classified into several groups: traditions concerning the Englishmen’s private life (child’s birth, wedding, marriage, wedding anniversary); which are connected with families incomes; state traditions; national holidays, religious holidays, public festival, traditional ceremonies. What about royal traditions? There are numerous royal traditions in The Queen is the only person in Britain with two birthdays. Her real
birthday is on April 21st, but she has an “official” birthday, too. That is
on the second Saturday in June. And on the Queen’s official birthday, there
is a traditional ceremony called the Trooping of the Colour. It is a big
parade with brass bands and hundreds of soldiers at Horse Guard’s Parade in The changing of the Guard happens every day at Buckingham Palace, the So soldiers stand on front of the palace. Each morning these soldiers Traditionally the Queen opens Parliament every autumn. But Parliament,
not the Royal Family, controls modern Britain. The Queen travels from Every year, there is a new Lord Mayor of London. The Mayor is the city’s traditional leader. And the second Saturday in November is always the day for the Lord Mayor’s Show. This ceremony is over six hundred years old. It is also London’s biggest parade. The Lord Mayor drives to the Royal Courts of Justice in a coach. The coach is two hundred years old. It is red and gold and it has six horses. As it is also a big parade, people make special costumes and act stories from London’s history. In Britain as in other countries costumes and uniforms have a long history. One is the uniform of the Beefeaters at the tower of London. This came
first from France. Another is the uniform of the Horse Guards at Horse Britannia is a symbol of Britain. And she wears traditional clothes, too. But she is not a real person. Lots of ordinary clothes have a long tradition. The famous bowler hat, for example. A man called Beaulieu made the first one in 1850. One of the British soldiers, Wellington, gave his name to a pair of boots. They have a shorter name today – “Wellies”. There is a very special royal tradition. On the River Thames there are hundreds of swans. A lot of these beautiful white birds belong, traditionally, to the king or queen. In July the young swans on the Thames are about two months old. Then the Queen’s swan keeper goes, in a boat, from London Bridge to Henley. He looks at all the young swans and marks the royal ones. The name of this strange nut interesting custom is Swan Upping. There are only six public holidays a year in Great Britain, that is
days on which people need not go in to work. They are: Christmas Day, Good So the most popular holiday in Britain is Christmas. Christmas has been celebrated from the earliest days of recorded history, and each era and race has pasted a colourful sheet of new customs and traditions over the old. On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a carol service
where special hymns are sung. Sometimes carol singers can be heard in the
streets as they collect money for charity. There are a lot of very popular Each year, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world send and
receive Christmas cards. Most of people think that exchanging cards at A traditional feature of Christmas in Britain is the Christmas tree. An older tradition is Christmas mistletoe. People put a piece of this green plant with its white berries over a door. Mistletoe brings good luck, people say. Also, at Christmas British people kiss their friends and family under the mistletoe. Those who live away try to get back home because Christmas is a family celebration and it is the biggest holiday of the year. As Christmas comes nearer, everyone is buying presents for relatives and friends. At Christmas people try to give their children everything they want. And the children count the weeks, than the days, to Christmas. They are wondering what presents on December 24th. Father Christmas brings their presents in the night. Then they open them on the morning of the 25th. There is another name for Father Christmas in Britain – Santa Claus. At Christmas everyone decorates their houses with holly, ivy colourful lamps. In Britain the most important meal on December 25th is Christmas dinner. Nearly all Christmas food is traditional, but a lot of the traditions are not very old. For example, there were no turkeys in Britain before 1800. And even in the nineteenth century, goose was the traditional meat at Christmas. But not now. A twentieth-century British Christmas dinner is roast turkey with
carrots, potatoes, peas, Brussels sprouts and gravy. There are sausages and
bacon, too. Then, after the turkey, there’s Christmas pudding. Some people
make this pudding months before Christmas. A lot of families have their own Crackers are also usual at Christmas dinner. These came to Britain from China in the nineteenth century. Two people pull a cracker. Usually there is a small toy in the middle. Often there is a joke on a piece of paper, too. Most of the jokes in Christmas crackers are not very good. Here is on example: Customer: Waiter, there’s a frog in my soup. Waiter: Yes, sir, the fly’s on holidays. A pantomime is a traditional English entertainment at Christmas. It is
meant for children, but adults enjoy is just as much. It is a very old form
of entertainment, and can be traced back to 16th century Italian comedies. In every pantomime there are always three main characters. These are the “principal boy”, the “principal girl”, and the “dame”. Pantomimes are changing all the time. Every year, someone has a new idea to make them more exciting or more up-to-date. December 26th is Boxing Day. Traditionally boys from the shops in each
town asked for money at Christmas. They went from house to house on Traditionally Boxing Day Hunts is a day for foxhunting. The huntsmen and huntswomen ride horses. They use dogs, too. The dogs (fox hounds) follow the smell of the fox. Then the huntsmen and huntswomen follow the hounds. Before a Boxing Day hunt, the huntsmen and huntswomen drink not wine. But the tradition of the December 26th hunt is changing. Now, some people want to stop Boxing Day Hunts (and other hunts, too). They don’t like foxhunting. For them it’s not a sport – it is cruel. In England people celebrate the New Year. But it is not as widely or as enthusiastically observed as Christmas. Some people ignore it completely and go to bed at the same time as usual on New Year’s Eve. Many others, however, do celebrate it in one way or another, the type of celebration varying very much according to the local custom, family tradition and personal taste. The most common type of celebration is a New Year party, either a family party or one arranged by a group of young people. And another popular way of celebrating the New Year is to go to a New Year’s dance. The most famous celebration is in London round the statue of Eros in Every Year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. In Britain a lot of people make New Year Resolutions on the evening of But New Year’s Eve is a more important festival in Scotland then it is
in England, and it even has a special name. It is not clear where the There is a Scottish song that is sung all over the world at midnight on New Year’s Eve. It was written by Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet, and you may find some of the traditional words a bit difficult to understand, but that’s the way it’s always sung – even by English people! It was believed that the first person to visit one’s house on New Usually a dark-complexioned man was chosen, and never a woman, for she
would bring bad luck. The first footer was required to carry three
articles: a piece of coal to wish warmth, a piece of bread to wish food,
and a silver coin to wish wealth. In some parts of northern England this
pleasing custom is still observed. So this interesting tradition called On Bank holiday the townsfolk usually flock into the country and to the coast. If the weather is fine many families take a picnic – lunch or tea with them and enjoy their meal in the open. Seaside towns near London, such as Southend, are invaded by thousands of trippers who come in cars and coaches, trains and bicycles. Great amusement parks like Southend Kursoal do a roaring trade with their scenic railways, shooting galleries, water- shoots, Crazy houses and so on. Trippers will wear comic paper hats with slogans, and they will eat and drink the weirdest mixture of stuff you can imagine, sea food like cockles, mussels, whelks, fish and chips, candy floss, tea, fizzy drinks, everything you can imagine. Bank holiday is also an occasion for big sports meeting at places like the White City Stadium, mainly all kinds of athletics. There are also horse race meetings all over the country, and most traditional of all, there are large fairs with swings, roundabouts, a Punch and Judy show, hoop-la stalls and every kind of side-show including, in recent, bingo. There is also much boating activity on the Thames. Although the Christian religion gave the world Easter as we know it
today, the celebration owes its name and many of its customs and symbols to
a pagan festival called Eostre. Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of
springtime and sunrise, got her name from the world east, where the
sunrises. Every spring northern European peoples celebrated the festival of Many modern Easter symbols come from pagan time. The egg, for
instance, was a fertility symbol long before the Christian era. The ancient The Easter bunny also originated in pre-Christian fertility lore. The rabbit was the most fertile animal our ances tors knew, so they selected it as a symbol of new life. Today, children enjoy eating candy bunnies and listening to stories about the Easter bunny, who supposedly brings Easter eggs in a fancy basket. Also there is a spectacular parade on Easter. It is a truly
spectacular Easter Parade in Battersea Park. It is sponsored by the London On October 31st British people celebrate Halloween. It is undoubtedly
the most colourful and exciting holiday of the year. Though it is not a
public holiday, it is very dear to those who celebrate it, especially to
children and teenagers. This day was originally called All Hallow’s Eve
because it fell on the eve of All Saints’ Day. The name was later shortened
to Halloween. According to old beliefs, Halloween is the time, when the
veil between the living and the dead is partially lifted, and witches,
ghosts and other super natural beings are about. Now children celebrate Few holidays tell us much of the past as Halloween. Its origins
dateback to a time, when people believed in devils, witches and ghosts. Every year the Celts celebrated the Druid festival of Samhain, Lord of
the Dead and Prince of Darkness. It fell on October 31, the eve of the It was believed that evil spirits sometimes played tricks on October Many fears and superstitions grew up about this day. An old Scotch
superstition was that witches – those who had sold their souls to the devil In Ireland, and some other parts of Great Britain, it was believed, that fairies spirited away young wives, whom they returned dazed and amnesic 366 days later. When Halloween night fell, people in some places dressed up and tried to resemble the souls of the dead. They hoped that the ghosts would leave peacefully before midnight. They carried food to the edge of town or village and left it for the spirits. In Wales, they believed that the devil appeared in the shape of a pig, a horse, or a dog. On that night, every person marked a stone and put it in a bonfire. If a person’s stone was missing the next morning, he or she would die within a year. Much later, when Christianity came to Great Britain and Ireland, the Christian tradition included the lighting of bonfires and carring blazing torches all around the fields. In some places masses of flaming staw were flung into the air. When these ceremonies were over, everyone returned home to feast on the new crop of apples and nuts, which are the traditional Halloween foods. On that night, people related their experience with strange noises and spooky shadows and played traditional games. Halloween customs today follow many of the ancient traditions, though their significance has long since disappeared. A favourite Halloween custom is to make a jack-j’-lantern. Children take out the middle of the pumpkin, cut hole holes for the eyes, nose and mouth in its side and, finally, they put a candle inside the pumpkin to scare their friends. The candle burning inside makes the orange face visible from far away on a dark night – and the pulp makes a delicious pumpkin-pie. People in England and Ireland once carved out beets, potatoes, and turnips to make jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween. When the Scots and Irish came to the United States, they brought their customs with them. But they began to carve faces on pumpkins because they were more plentiful in autumn than turnips. Nowadays, British carve faces on pumpkins, too. According to an Irish legend, jack-o’-lanterns were named for a man called Jack who was notorious for his drunkenness and being stingy. One evening at the local pub, the Devil appeared to take his soul. Clever Jack persuaded the Devil to “have one drink together before we go”. To pay for his drink the Devil turned himself into a sixpence. Jack immediately put it into his wallet. The Devil couldn’t escape from it because it had a catch in the form of a cross. Jack released the Devil only when the latter promised to leave him in peace for another year. Twelve months later, Jack played another practical joke on the Devil, letting him down from a tree only on the promise that he would never purse him again. Finally, Jack’s body wore out. He could not enter heaven because he was a miser. He could not enter hell either, because he played jokes on the Devil. Jack was in despair. He begged the Devil for a live coal to light his way out of the dark. He put it into a turnip and, as the story goes, is still wandering around the earth with his lantern. Halloween is something called Beggars’ Night or Trick or Treat night. Trick or treat, Smell our feet. We want something Good to eat. In big cities Halloween celebrations often include special decorating contests. Young people are invited to soap shop-windows, and they get prizes for the best soap-drawings. In old times, practical jokes were even more elaborate. It was quite normal to steal gates, block house doors, and cover chimneys with turf so that smoke could not escape. Blame for resulting chaos was naturally placed on the “spirits”. At Halloween parties the guests wear every kind of costume. Some
people dress up like supernatural creatures, other prefers historical or
political figures. You can also meet pirates, princesses, Draculas, At Halloween parties children play traditional games. Many games date back to the harvest festivals of very ancient times. One of the most popular is called bobbing for apples. One child at a time has to get apples from a tub of water without using hands. But how to do this? By sinking his or her face into the water and biting the apple! Another game is pin-the-tail-on-the –donkey. One child is blind folded and spun slowly so that he or she will become dizzy. Then the child must find a paper donkey haging on the wall and try to pin a tail onto the back. And no Halloween party is complete without at least one scary story. Certain fortunetelling methods began in Europe hundreds of years ago and became an important part of Halloween. For example, such object as a coin, a ring, and a thimble were baked into a cake or other food. It was believed that the person who found the coin in the cake would become wealthy. The one who found the ring would marry soon, but the person who got the thimble would never get married. Unfortunately now most people do not believe in evil spirits. They
know that evil spirits do not break steps, spill garbage or pull down
fences. If property is damaged, they blame naughty boys and girls. Today, March 1st is a very important day for Welsh people. It’s St. David’s On February 14th it’s Saint Valentine’s Day in Britain. It is not a
national holiday. Banks and offices do not close, but it is a happy little
festival in honour of St. Valentine. On this day, people send Valentine
cards to their husbands, wives, girlfriends and boyfriends. You can also
send a card to a person you do not know. But traditionally you must never
write your name on it. Some British newspapers have got a page for This lovely day is widely celebrated among people of all ages by the exchanging of “valentines”. Saint Valentine was a martyr but this feast goes back to pagan times and the Roman feast of Lupercalia. The names of young unmarried girls were put into a vase. The young men each picked a name, and discovered the identity of their brides. This custom came to Britain when the Romans invaded it. But the church
moved the festival to the nearest Christian saint’s day: this was Saint Midsummer’s Day, June 24th, is the longest day of the year. On that
day you can see a very old custom at Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, England. Londoners celebrate carnivals. And one of them is Europe’s biggest street carnival. A lot of people in the Notting Hill area of London come from the West Indies – a group of islands in the Caribbean. And for two days in August, Nutting Hill is the West Indies. There is West Indian food and music in the streets. There is also a big parade and people dance day and night. April 1st is April Fool’s Day in Britain. This is a very old tradition from the Middle Ages (between the fifth and fifteenth centuries). At that time the servants were masters for one day of the year. They gave orders to their masters, and their masters had to obey. Now April Fool’s Day is different. It is a day for jokes and tricks. One of the most interesting competitions is the university boat race. Oxford and Cambridge are Britain’s two oldest universities. In the
nineteenth century, rowing was a popular sport at both of them. In 1829
they agreed to have a race. They raced on the river Thames and the Oxford
boat won. That started a tradition. Now, every Spring, the University Boat An annual British tradition, which captures the imagination of the whole nation is the London to Brighton Car Rally in which a fleet of ancient cars indulges in a lighthearted race from the Capital to the Coast. When the veteran cars set out on the London – Brighton run each Emancipation is still on the first Sunday of the month, but nowadays there is an important condition of entry – every car taking part must be at least 60 years old. The Run is not a race. Entrants are limited to a maximum average speed of 20 miles per hour. The great thing is not speed but quality of performance, and the dedicated enthusiasts have a conversation all their own. The Highland Games – this sporting tradition is Scottish. In the Some of the sports are the Games are international: the high jump and
the long jump, for example. But other sports happen only at the Highland At the Highland Games a lot of men wear kilts. These are traditional The world’s most famous tennis tournament is Wimbledon. It started at a small club in south London in the nineteenth century. Now a lot of the nineteenth century traditions have changed. For example, the women players don’t have to wear long skirts. And the men players do not have to wear long trousers. But other traditions have not changed at Wimbledon. The courts are still grass, and visitors still eat strawberries and cream. The language of tennis has not changed either. There are some British traditions and customs concerning their private
life. The British are considered to be the world’s greatest tea drinkers. Every country has its drinking habits, some of which are general and
obvious, others most peculiar. Most countries also have a national drink. The word “pub” is short for “public house”. Pubs sell beer. (British
beer is always warm). An important custom in pubs is “buying a round”. In a
group, one person buys all the others a drink. This is a “round”. Then one
by one all the people buy rounds, too. If they are with friends, British
people sometimes lift their glasses before they drink and say: “Cheers”. In the pubs in south-west England there is another traditional drink- scrumpy. Pub names often have a long tradition. Some come from the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Every pub has a name and every pub has a sign above its door. The sign shows a picture of the pub’s name. And as you know, the British talk about the weather a lot. They talk
about the weather because it changes so often. Wind, rain, sun, cloud, snow Hundreds of years ago, soldiers began this custom. They shook hands to show that they did not have a sword. Now, shaking hands is a custom in most countries. Frenchman shake hands every time they meet, and kiss each other on both cheeks as a ceremonial salute, like the Russians, while Englishmen shake hands only when they are introduced, or after a long absence. Victorian England made nearly as many rules about hand shaking as the I have chosen the topic British customs traditions because I enjoy
learning the English language and wanted to know more about British ways of
life and traditions. Working on this topic I have to conclusion that So I think of Britain as a place a lot of different types of people who observe their traditions. Ëèòåðàòóðà: 1. Ãîëèöûíñêèé Þ. “Great Britain” èçä. «Êàðî» ã. Ñ.-Ïåòåðáóðã, 1999ã.; 2. Êîëóôìàí Ê.È. «Ñòðàíèöû Áðèòàíñêîé èñòîðèè» èçä. «Òèòóë» ã. Îáíèíñê, 1999ã.; 3. Êîñòåíêî Ã.Ò. “Reader for summer” èçä. «Ïðîñâåùåíèå» ã. Ìîñêâà 1985ã.; 4. Ìèíüÿð-Áåëîðó÷åâà À.Ï. «Àíãëèéñêèé ÿçûê äëÿ àáèòóðèåíòîâ è øêîëüíèêîâ» èçä. «Ìîñêîâñêèé ëèöåé» 1999ã.; 5. Îùåïêîâà Â.Â. “Britain in Brief” èçä. «Ëèñò» ã. Ìîñêâà 1999ã.; 6. Ðèñ-Ïàðìåí “Christmas”, æóðíàë «Àíãëèÿ» ¹69 ñòð. 113-119; 7. Ðèñ-Ïàðíàë Õèëàðí “Hello and goodbye”, æóðíàë «Àíãëèÿ» ¹73 ñòð. 115- 117; 8. Ðèñ-Ïàðíàë «Ðîæäåñòâî», æóðíàë «Àíãëèÿ» ¹77 ñòð.107-109; 9. Ñòèâåí Ðàáëåé “Customs and traditions in Britain” èçä. “Longman Group”, ÈÊ, 1996ã.; «Ïðîñâåùåíèå» ã.Ñ.-Ïåòåðáóðã 1975ã.; Ìîñêâà 1997ã.;
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