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British Culture (A Brief Glimpse)

British Culture Alexa

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  • British Culture(A Brief Glimpse)

  • National IdentityEnglish (specifically England) =/= British (generally Great Britain)United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland Britain = England, Scotland, and WalesNational Flag = England (St. George) + Scotland (St. Andrew) + Ireland (St. Patrick)

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  • EnglandLand:South: mostly low-lying land with hills and agricultural land North: mostly covered in moorland and mountains. Capital: London (also of the U.K.)History: nearly 2,000 years beginning with the arrival of the Romans soon after their invasion of Britain in AD43.

  • MonarchyQueens birthday21 April 1926: actual birthdaySummer birthday since 1805: normally held on the second Saturday in June The British Royal Familys Surname: WindsorChanged from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor in 1917Reason: In 1917, King George V renounced all the German titles belonging to him and his family and adopted the name of his castle, Windsor, because of WWI and anti-German sentiment Duties: Head of State (representative), Head of the Armed Forces (declare war), Head of the Church of England (appoints bishops and archbishops), Government Duties (signature needed), Represents the Nation (at times of sorrow), Royal Garden Parties, Visits (various places)

  • FestivalsMay Day Celebrations: Maypole DancingOrigin: the Roman festival of Flora, goddess of fruit and flowers Celebrate the coming of summer after a long winterA time for love and romance

  • Etiquette in EnglandDo:Stand in lineTake off your hat when indoorsCover your mouth when yawning or coughingShake handsDrive on the left side of the roadDonts:Greet people with a kiss unless its family or close friendsTalk loudly in publicStare at othersAsk personal and intimate questions

  • Tea CustomsAfternoon Tea:Served at 4 in the afternoonTea, coffee, freshly baked scones, tea sandwiches, and assorted pastriesThis became popular about one hundred and fifty years ago when rich ladies invited their friends to their houses for an afternoon cup of teaHigh Tea:Served at 6 in the eveningScones, cakes, buns or tea breads, cheese on toast, toasted crumpets, cold meats and pickles or poached eggs on toastBritish working population did not have afternoon tea, only a midday meal and a meal after worka.k.a dinner or supper

  • FoodTraditional English Breakfast (Full English)eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, baked beans and mushroomsTraditional English Dinnermeat and 2 vegetables with hot brown gravySunday Roast Dinnerroast meat, two vegetables and potatoes with a Yorkshire pudding

    Lunch dinner (the main meal)Dinner tea, supper

  • SportsEnglands national sport: cricketMost popular sport: soccer (football)Rugby: this sport used to be played by the rich upper class onlyTennis: WimbledonTraditionally, visitors eat strawberries and cream while watching the gamePolo: brought to Britain from India in the 19th Century by army officers Boxing Day Hunts: Traditionally it is a day for fox huntingBoxing Day is the following day after Christmas Day 18 February 2005: hunting with dogs became a criminal offence

  • Leisure at HomeBritish Soap OperaThe storylines of Coronation Street tend to concentrate on relationships within and between families rather than on topical or social issues Coronation Street is imbued with a definite feeling of community. Through its account of supposedly everyday life, the programme shows a high degree of social realism The Street, as it is affectionately known, has been at the top of the U.K. ratings for over thirty years. Coronation Street

  • Leisure outside the Home

    Greater gender & class differences in patterns of leisure activities outside the homeProvision of leisure activities -- local government, private companies, voluntary organizationsThe Pub public bar & lounge bar, dartboards, snookers, bar billiards, skittles, dominoes, electronic games, juke boxes, TV, live music entertainment, local jazz group or rock n roll bandMore money spend on drink in pubs, restaurants or wine bars than on any other form of leisure activity Pubs are finding new role, filling social vacuum, central to British life.

  • GamblingBetting shop (Bookies)Bets placed at BookiesPopular forms of gambling in Britain Football pools Betting on horse racing practiced by working rather than middle class

  • National LotteryTickets sold through newsagents and post offices -- where everybody goesOn Saturday nights the weekly programme where the draw is made has 12 million viewersThe Lottery is about the possibility of social changeIt has caused social upheaval and division.

  • NessySince the larger public first became aware of the monster in 1933, the Loch Ness beastie has become an international media star, her most recent appearance on a commemorative stamp recently issued by the Maldive Islands. Nessie has attained the status of a classic phenomenon and her popularity endures. No other monster is as tied in with a country's image as Nessie is with Scotland.

  • StonehengeStonehenge is a mystery, and I think most scholars would agree with that statement. They would also agree thatthat it is a megalithic ruin on the open downland of Salisbury Plain two miles (three kilometres) west of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, in Southern England. That's about all they doagree on though.The name Stonehenge is derived from the Old English words Stanhen gist meaning the 'hanging stones' and has given its name to a class of monuments known as henges. It was first mentioned as one of the wonders of Britain only seventy years after the Norman Conquests and if you are lucky enough to visit it you can't fail to be moved.

  • Double-decker busThe London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance Routemaster being recognised worldwide. Although the Routemaster has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles, the majority of buses in London are still red and therefore the red double-decker bus remains a widely recognised symbol of the city.

  • Clock TowerBig Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower.. The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower. The tower was completed in 1858 and had its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during which celebratory events took place. The tower has become one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and is often in the establishing shot of films set in London.

  • Red telephone boxThe red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar. Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, the traditional British red telephone box can still be seen in many places throughout the UK, and in current or former British colonies around the world. The colour red was chosen to make them easy to spot.From 1926 onwards, the fascias of the kiosks were emblazoned with a prominent crown, representing the British government. The red phone box is often seen as an iconic British symbol throughout the world.

  • SuperstitionsGood Luck:Lucky to meet a black catLucky to touch woodLucky to find a clover plant with four leaves. A right way up horseshoe over the door brings good luck (like a U)Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you're have good luck. Bad Luck:Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder Seven years bad luck to break a mirrorUnlucky to see one magpie, lucky to see two, etc. Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract the bad luck Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.The number thirteen is unluckyFriday the thirteenth is a double unlucky day because Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Unlucky to put new shoes on the tableUnlucky to pass someone on the stairs

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