It is no secret that every nation has its own traditions and customs. There are no two identical cultures in the world. In addition to real facts, there are also erroneous stereotypes about a particular country, which are sometimes quite funny or even absurd. Since English is our everything, let's learn more about the culture, traditions and myths of England.

The British are a unique people, with a historically established character. English traditions and customs are known all over the world. The British do not show off their emotions to the first person they meet. They can come across as reserved and even a little off-putting. However, this is just a wrapper. The British are very polite, which is why they are in no hurry to express their emotions right away.

Often, even if they don't agree with you, they will say politely, "Oh, I'm afraid it's impossible." An Englishman will never say a sharp “No, you”re wrong". In any case, they try to maintain politeness and common sense. You should always think logically if you are dealing with a person from this country. For example, if he knows that you are not are 100% honest with him in business, he will not immediately throw out negativity on you. In this case, an Englishman with a polite smile can break off partnership relations with you. The British always control themselves and behave with dignity. English traditions represent an ideal upbringing and manners.

The British are very disciplined and always follow the accepted rules. They are very positive people. Family is a cultural value in the UK and they love to spend time at home with their family. An evening with family is the best entertainment for an Englishman. In a traditional English home there are always plenty of family photographs.

Gardening in English culture

This is an integral part of the life of a true Briton. They put a lot of soul and energy into their favorite hobby, which is why the areas around their houses are always well-groomed and pleasing to the eye. The British provide special care not only to the garden, but also to their pets. The British are proud of the way they take care of our little brothers and are not shy about pampering them with fashionable clothes or haircuts.

English country house

The British especially love weekends, which they prefer to spend in a cozy country house by the fireplace. UK weekend traditions - fresh air, barbecue, what else do you need for happiness? A picnic is something that we traditionally associate with the British. They prepare for a picnic with trepidation, packing everything practical and beautiful. Picnics are most often organized simply in city parks, not far from home. Students from the famous universities of Cambridge and Oxford also enjoy having a picnic during breaks between classes.

Saturday of the English

This Englishman's day looks the same as the Saturday of the average representative of any country. Household chores, the gym, meeting with family are a must have for the British. However, the British are not as boring as they might seem at first glance. In the evenings they are avid partygoers. Parties, dancing, theater and cinema are the favorite pastimes of young people in England.

Food traditions in England

As for food, the traditions of England, like representatives of any other countries, have their own habits, signature dishes and characteristics. The main meal of the day for the British is breakfast. Often this is bacon, scrambled eggs, toast and a cup of tea or coffee. The British are not fans of variety in food, so they can easily eat the same thing for breakfast every day. Tea is something that really stands out in the English food culture. English traditions include a lot of tea. By the way, it is believed that the British invented tea with milk to change the taste characteristics of tea. In part, this is true, but, mainly, milk began to be added to tea so that the drink was cooled and the porcelain did not crack. 5 o'clock tea is a world-famous expression that came to us from England. Usually, it is drunk between 16:00 and 18:00 with small sandwiches as a snack. Tea for the British is not just a drink, it is a whole ritual. The culture of England cannot be imagined without tea.Perhaps, in terms of tea drinking, the British should have even competed with the Chinese.

Lunch is a daytime meal. Most often, vegetables and something meat or fish are served for lunch. A traditional British dessert that is recognized by British culture is apple pie or milk pudding, served hot. When the family gathers at the Sunday table, signature dishes are used: lamb tenderloin, vegetables, pudding.

Dinner is called "supper". In its ingredients it is very similar to lunch. Light snacks, nothing too heavy or unhealthy. Fish and chips are a traditional snack that can often be bought during football matches.

There are many false and true stereotypes about the British.

True stereotypes about the British

• Unbridled love for tea.
• They love to talk about the weather and are ready to fill any awkward pause in the dialogue with a conversation about the weather..
• The British have pale skin. This is also justified by the climatic conditions of the country.
• Politeness for an Englishman — first of all.
• The British are not fans of culinary delicacies; they prefer simple food.

False stereotypes about the British

• Every Englishman has a cozy house for the whole family. This is a myth, because many of them rent apartments, share them with neighbors, and move from place to place.
• In Great Britain, there are red telephone booths everywhere and men in bowler hats walk along the streets. This is also a myth. Of course, these are symbols of Great Britain, but there are not so many booths, and men in bowler hats most often go out on holidays.
• All the English are very smart, because they have Cambridge and Oxford. No no and one more time no. Unfortunately, not all Englishmen devote themselves to science, and not all of them study at Cambridge or Oxford.

Conclusion

Having become familiar with all the stereotypes, I remember the good phrase “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” There is no need to judge people by their cover, all nations are unique, and all people are unique. The culture of the British is also significantly different from other countries. The customs and traditions of the British are unique and unrepeatable. There are always exceptions to the rules and stereotypes.

Learn more about the culture of other countries, adopt their interesting traditions and develop, we hope the traditional customs of Great Britain will inspire you to conquer new heights. Have a great day!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Many things that are always regarded as typically British were written long ago and are not representing "modem life".

In the 20th century a lot of immigrants came to the British Isles and now it is extremely incorrect to identify these stereotypes with all people living there. It is a multicultural society. But still there are many interesting features in the British culture.

Most British people live in towns and cities. But they have an idealized vision of the countryside. The countryside for them means peace and quiet, beauty, good health and no crime.

People in Britain are fond of gardening. They like to plant and grow different flowers.

The British have sentimental attitude to animals. They like to keep pets.

The British are the sport loving nation. Sport is a popular leisure activity. Football and rugby are very popular with British people. Over three million people participate in basketball in the UK.

Horse-racing, "the sport of Kings" is a very popular sport.

Polo is popular too. It was brought to Britain from India in the 19th century by the English soldiers.

Fishing(angling) is one of the most popular sports.

Traditionally, the favorite sports of the British upper class are hunting, shooting and fishing. The most widespread form of hunting isfox-hunting. This is a popular pastime among some members of the higher social classes and is a mark of their status.

Darts is a very popular pub game.

The word "pub" is short for "public house". Pubs are so popular in the UK that there are over 60,000 pubs there (53,000 in England and Wales, 5,200 in Scotland and 1,600 in Northern Ireland). Pubs are an important part of British life. People talk, eat, drink, meet their friends and relax there.

The British is a nation of tea-drinkers. It is a stereotype which is out-of-date. Of course, they like it to be made in a certain distinctive way, strong and with milk, but more coffee than tea is bought in the country's shops.

Afternoon tea was always thought to be a very important tradition in the UK.

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o"clock in the afternoon and a long period of time was still between lunch and dinner. This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her.

This pause for tea became a fashionable social event.

Nowadays, however, in the average household, afternoon tea is likely to be just a biscuil or a small cake and a mug of tea, usually produced using a teabag. The tradition of afternoon tea is supported by retired people or by upper-middle class people.

Many think of British conservatism and call it "the land of tradition" because of their loyalty to traditions, but it is only true of public life. Annual ceremonies are centuries old. Speaking nationally they like stability in terms of state. In their private everyday life the British do not follow these traditions so precisely.

The British and about a quarter of the world drives on the left side of the road, and the countries that do so are mostly old British colonies. This puzzles the rest of the world. However, there is a perfectly good reason. Up to the late 1700"s, everyone traveled on the left side of the road because it is the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people.

Why driving on the left?

The knights with theii lances under theii right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him.

It was changed under Napoleon because he was left-handed. His armies had to march on the right, so he could keep his sword arm between him and an opponent. From that time any part of the world which was, at some time, part of the British Empire, was thus left-handed and any part colonized by the French was right-handed.

The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA to become free of all remaining links with its British colonial past. It is very difficult to imagine that the British will ever refuse from driving on the left. Not being like everyone else is a good reason not to change.

In Britain they shop in pounds and ounces, though almost everywhere in the world people use grammes and kilogrammes.

As for temperature, even weathermen use Celsius while people in the UK use Farenheit.

The English continue to start their financial year not as other countries do, at the beginning of the calendar year, but at the beginning of April.

The class system has a special meaning for the British. And the most peculiar thing is that the class system there. It is not totally dependent on money. This system is more historical than money-measured. Old aristocracy - the royal family, all the dukes, earls and barons are of very small number.

The accent reminds of the class greatly. Most ordinary people have regional accents and upper-class people speak the same language throughout England and Scotland. It is like upper class, which has their own dialect with a pronunciation called R.P. (R ecieved P ronunciation).

The British form the queues whenever they are waiting for something. Some people even joke that an Englishman even if he is alone forms an orderly queue of one. But this does not mean that they enjoy it. They regard the necessity to wait in the queues for about 3 minutes already a problem.

It should be noted that the British police is unarmed. That is very good for their public image They are serving people and controlling them. The policemen are occasionally called. Originally though, they were known as "Peelers". Before 1829 there were no police anywhere in Britain. And the police was the creation of the Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. That is where the name "Peelers" comes from. And Bobby is short for Robert.

If the British like formal ceremonies, many visitors draw a conclusion that they like formalities in their general behavior. They do observe formalities, but this does not mean that they are formal in everyday life. Bank workers wear a tie and a suit. But they like to dress down because of clothes formalities. Some offices have recently adopted the American custom of "dress-down Friday", when employees can wear more casual clothes for one day a week.

The difference of formality and informality is sometimes regarded as coldness of the British people. Being friendly in Britain is sometimes showing that you are not bothered with formalities. For example, not shaking hands when meeting and not saying "please" when making a request. When they avoid doing these things they are not being unfriendly* as it may seem, they just mean that you are in catergory "a friend", so all the rules can be ignored.

British nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe. It is not a secret that every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Great Britain people attach greater importance to traditions and customs than in other European countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. The best examples are their queen, money system, their weights and measures.

There are many customs and some of them are very old. There is, for example, the Marble Championship, where the British Champion is crowned; he wins a silver cup known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing. Morris Dancing is an event where people, worn in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells, dance with handkerchiefs or big sticks in their hands, while traditional music – sounds.

Another example is the Boat Race, which takes place on the river Thames, often on Easter Sunday. A boat with a team from Oxford University and one with a team from Cambridge University hold a race.

British people think that the Grand National horse race is the most exciting horse race in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Sometimes it happens the same day as the Boat Race takes place, sometimes a week later. Amateur riders as well as professional jockeys can participate. It is a very famous event.

There are many celebrations in May, especially in the countryside.

Halloween is a day on which many children dress up in unusual costumes. In fact, this holiday has a Celtic origin. The day was originally called All Halloween’s Eve, because it happens on October 31, the eve of all Saint’s Day. The name was later shortened to Halloween. The Celts celebrate the coming of New Year on that day.

Another tradition is the holiday called Bonfire Night.

On November 5, 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament where the king James 1st was to open Parliament on that day. But Guy Fawkes was unable to realize his plan and was caught and later, hung. The British still remember that Guy Fawkes’ Night. It is another name for this holiday. This day one can see children with figures, made of sacks and straw and dressed in old clothes. On November 5th, children put their figures on the bonfire, burn them, and light their fireworks.

At the end of the year, there is the most famous New Year celebration. In London, many people go to Trafalgar Square on New Year's Eve. There is singing and dancing at 12 o’clock on December 31st.

A popular Scottish event is the Edinburgh Festival of music and drama, which takes place every year. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best new poem in Welsh.

If we look at English weights and measures, we can be convinced that the British are very conservative people. They do not use the internationally accepted measurements. They have conserved their old measures. There are nine essential measures. For general use, the smallest weight is one ounce, then 16 ounce is equal to a pound. Fourteen pounds is one stone.

The English always give people’s weight in pounds and stones. Liquids they measure in pints, quarts and gallons. There are two pints in a quart and four quarts or eight pints are in one gallon. For length, they have inches” feet, yards and miles.

If we have always been used to the metric system therefore the English monetary system could be found rather difficult for us. They have a pound sterling, which is divided into twenty shillings, half-crown is cost two shillings and sixpence, shilling is worth twelve pennies and one penny could be changed by two halfpennies.

Translation of the topic into Russian:

The British nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe. It is no secret that every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Great Britain, people pay more attention to traditions and customs than in other European countries. The British are proud of their traditions and carefully preserve them. The best example is their queen, the parliamentary monarchy, the monetary system, their system of measures.

There are many customs, and some of them are very ancient. There is, for example, the marble championship, where the British champion is crowned; he is awarded a silver cup, known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing. Morris Dancing is an event where people dressed in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells dance to traditional music while holding handkerchiefs or large sticks.

Another example is the rowing competitions that take place on the River Thames, often on Easter Sunday. A boat with a team from the University of Oxford and a second boat with a team from the University of Cambridge are racing.

The British think the Grand National Horse Race is the most exciting race in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Sometimes this happens on the same day as the rowing competition, sometimes it happens a week later. Both amateur riders and riders can participate. and professional jockeys. This is a very famous holiday.

There are many holidays in May, especially in rural areas.

Halloween is a day when many children dress up in unusual costumes. In fact, this holiday has Celtic origins. The day was originally called All Halloween's Eve because it occurs on October 31, the eve of All Hallows' Day. The name was later shortened to Halloween. On this day the Celts celebrated the New Year.

Another tradition is a holiday called Bonfire Night.

On November 5, 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament, where King James I was scheduled to open Parliament that day. But Guy Fawkes failed to accomplish his plan; he was caught and later hanged. The British still remember that Guy Fawkes night. This is another name for this holiday. On this day, you can see children with figurines made of burlap and straw and dressed in old clothes. On November 5th, children place their figures in the fire and burn them, then light their fireworks.

At the end of the year, the most famous New Year's holiday takes place. In London, many people come to Trafalgar Square to celebrate New Year's Eve. There, at 12 o'clock at night on December 31st, they sing and dance.

The Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama is an annual popular Scottish festival. A truly Welsh holiday is the Eisteddfod, the annual festival of the bards, a national festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best new poem in the Welsh language.

If we look at the English system of weights and measures, we can see that the British are very conservative people. They do not use an international, globally accepted system of measures. They kept their old measures. There are nine main measures. For general use, the smallest unit of weight is one ounce, while 16 ounces equals a pound. Fourteen pounds is one stone.

The British always measure people's weight in pounds and stones. They measure liquids in pints, quarts and gallons. There are two pints in a quart, and eight pints or four quarts in one gallon. They use inches, feet, yards and miles to measure length.

If we have always been accustomed to using metric units, then the English monetary system would be difficult for us to understand. They have a pound sterling, which is divided into twenty shillings, half a crown is worth two shillings and six pence, a shilling is worth twelve pennies, one penny can be

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Traditions and holidays

British calendar is flashy with all kinds of holidays: national, traditional, public or bank holidays. The formation of some of them dates back hundreds of years, and it is not a great surprise for such a country as Great Britain loving its culture and history.

Public or bank holidays require all business and other bank institutions to close for the day and to give the employees a paid day off. They are: Christmas, New Years Day, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, etc. Traditions respected on these days are various and interesting: for example, on the President’s Day girls are to ask boys off for a date, or invite them to a party or to the cinema, or even ask him to marry her. On the St. Patrick's Day people use to wear something green and attend parades.

National holidays are also rich in their traditions and customs. On the Memorial Day people use to invite friends and relatives to a dinner and remember the dead together.

The Midsummer Day, on the 24th of June gives a possibility to visit the Stonehenge – the biggest stone circle, dating back to the 1st century BC, built by Druids, and is considered their calendar, used to count months and seasons.

If you visit UK on the 31st of October, you can meet witches, wizards, ghosts and different types of evil spirits appearing on Halloween. It is common for people to spend thousands of dollars on dresses, masks and other types of Halloween attributes. The celebration begins long before the 31st. People decorate their houses with pumpkins – they cut out the middle of the pumpkin, cut holes for eyes and mouth and put a candle inside. Some cities make a whole competition and parade of the best pumpkins of all. Children have a special tradition to go to their neighbors and play “Trick or Treat!” . If people give them money they will go away, otherwise they will play a trick on you by drawing something dreadful on your house or your car.

Holidays and traditions

The British calendar is replete with a variety of holidays and traditions: national, traditional, state or bank holidays. Many of them were formed hundreds of years ago. And this is not surprising for a country like Great Britain, which loves its culture and history so much.

On public or bank holidays, all business establishments must close on that day and provide their employees with paid leave. These are holidays such as: Christmas, New Year, Easter, St. Patrick's Day. The traditions that are observed on this day are very diverse and interesting: for example, on President’s Day, girls should invite boys on dates or to the movies, and even offer them to marry them! On St. Patrick's Day, people dress in green and go to parades.

National holidays are also rich in their traditions and customs. On Remembrance Day, people invite friends and family over for dinner to remember the dead together.

On the Midsummer Festival, June 24, there is an opportunity to visit Stonehenge - the largest circle of stones, founded by the Druids back in the 10th century BC. It is considered the Druid calendar, helping to count the months and seasons.

If you visit Britain on October 31st, you will find plenty of witches, wizards, ghosts and other evil spirits appearing on Halloween. These days, people are spending thousands of dollars on costumes, masks and other Halloween paraphernalia. The celebration begins long before October 31st. People decorate their homes with pumpkins - they cut out the core of the pumpkin, holes for the eyes and mouth, and insert a candle inside. Many cities host real competitions and parades of the best pumpkins. And children have their own special tradition: they go to their neighbors’ houses and play Trick or Treat!” If people give them money or candy, they leave, and if not, then they can play a cruel joke on you: they will draw something scary on your house or car.

Subject, topic, text

Traditions ( traditions) every nation has. This is the foundation on which society and each of its units, the family, rests. Traditions bring people together, make them remember their roots, and help them gain confidence in themselves and their loved ones. Traditions give a feeling of stability and security. There are traditions that are equally observed by the people of different countries, and there are those that are unique in their own way and inherent in people of a certain nationality. These are common traditions. In addition, each family may have its own favorite traditions. For example, when family members and relatives gather for some holidays. Or parents devote some days to their children, and they traditionally go on attractions. Traditions can be completely different. And if you are studying English, then knowing and especially respecting the traditions of this language is your indisputable duty.

What are the English traditions in English?

When we talk about English traditions in English, and we talk about good old England, we always remember the traditional tea ceremony between lunch and dinner. It is called five o'clock tea and takes place between 5 and 6 p.m. For the British, this is a whole ritual of a good rest with a cup of tea.

Another very famous English tradition in English is the process of dressing the bride at the wedding ceremony. There is even a peculiar saying that defines some of the things that a bride should wear on her wedding day in order to be happy in her family life: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. As we can see, the bride's outfit should contain the following details: something old, something new, something borrowed (borrowed) and something blue.

Let's not ignore such a popular holiday as Christmas ( Christmas). Although many residents of both the UK and the USA have recently argued that this holiday has almost completely lost its religious significance, and has become simply a holiday that brings fabulous profits to entrepreneurs. According to tradition, on this day every home should have a Christmas tree ( Christmas tree), under which Santa Claus ( Santa Claus / Father Christmas) leaves Christmas gifts ( christmas gifts / presents). On this day special Christmas songs are sung ( christmas carols) and give everyone postcards ( christmas cards). The holiday table must include: turkey with cranberry sauce ( turkey accompanied by cranberry sauce); Christmas pudding with a baked silver coin for good luck inside ( christmas pudding with a silver coin); “Lukoshko” stuffed with minced meat ( mince pies). There is even a traditional Christmas wish associated with the last dish: If you eat twelve mince pies in twelve different houses during twelve days of Christmas, you will have a happy twelve month in the coming year!. By the way, the 12 days of Christmas are called Christmastide - Yuletide. But what about kissing under a hanging mistletoe branch without the English tradition ( a branch of mistletoe).

According to the English tradition, on Christmas Day all close people gather in the house of one of them and enjoy the company, because they see each other so rarely. The famous Thanksgiving Day in the USA also celebrates the happy reunion of family members and relatives ( Thanksgiving Day), which falls on the fourth Thursday of November. Meeting of loved ones ( family reunion) according to tradition should take place in the house of the oldest relative ( the oldest relative). People eat traditional dishes for this day, exchange cards and gifts. And charitable and public organizations ( charitable and civic organizations) on this day they feed a traditional festive lunch ( traditional meal) poor and homeless ( the poor and the homeless).

Eat English traditions in English, associated with various holidays and memorable days, there are traditions dedicated to birthdays... You need to know traditions, follow them and create new ones! People who revere traditions will never have the feeling that their lives are devoid of meaning. Knowing English traditions in English will help you better understand the life and culture of native speakers of this language!

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