Great Britain

Ever y nat i on and ev er y count r y h as i t s own cust om s and t rad i t i ons. B ri tai n i s ful l of cul t ure and t radi t i ons whi ch have ex i st ed for hundreds o f ye a rs . In Bri t ai n t r adi t i ons pl a y a m o re i m port ant p art i n t he l i fe o f t he peopl e t han i n ot her count ri es. En gl i shm en are proud of t hei r t radi t i ons and care ful l y k eep t hem up. The nam e Bri t ai n d escends from t he La t i n nam e for Bri t ai n , Bri t anni a or Br i t ni a, The l and of t he Bri t ons . Britain is the official name given to the kingdom of England and the principality of Wales. The name was made popular by the Romans when they came to the British islands. The t erm Gre at Bri t ai n w as fi rst us ed duri n g t he rei gn of Ki ng J am es I o f Engl and i n 1603, t o refer t o t he sep arat e ki n gdom s of Engl and and S cot t l and. W hen peopl e t hi nk of Bri t ai n t he y o f t en t hi nk of: people dri nki ng t ea, eat i ng chi ps and we ari ng h at s. But t her e are s om e s ym bol s t hat i dent i f y wi t h Engl and: The t hre e nat i onal s ym bol s: S t . Geor ges Fl a g (t he En gl a nd Fl a g), t h e red rose, and t he Th ree Li ons c rest . R o yal gua rds; R ed Doubl e Deck er buse s; bl ack t ax i cabs Fam ous m onum ent s: Bi g B en, London E ye , Bucki n gh am P al a ce.

Bri t i s h food has t ra di t i onal l y b een b ase d on beef, l am b, po rk, chi cken and fi s h and gen eral l y s erved wi t h pot at oes. Fi sh and chi ps i s the cl assi c Engl i s h t ake-aw a y food and i s t he t radi t i onal nat i onal food of En gl a nd The British are said to be reserved in manners, dress and speech. They are famous for their politeness, self-discipline and especially for their sense of humour. Some ceremonies are traditional such as a Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and Trooping the Colour.

H ol i d ays in Great B ri tai n Many festivals and holidays in Britain are centuries old. There are eight public holidays in a year in Great Britain, that are days on which people need not to go in to worK. They are Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Late Bank Summer Holiday. April Fools Day The first day of April is known in England as All Fools Day. On this day practical jokes are played and any person, young or old, important or otherwise may be made an April Fool. No one really knows when this custom began but it has been kept for hundreds of years. St. George's Day is on 23 April. It is England's national day. St. George is the patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St George's emblem was adopted by Richard. The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. The king's soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle. St. George was a brave Roman soldier who protested against the Romans' torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. The popularity of St George in England stems from the time of the early Crusades when it is said that the Normans saw him in a vision and were victorious. On October 31st, they celebrate Halloween, thought to be the one night of the year when ghosts, witches, and fairies are especially active. What we do know for sure is that Halloween is on the eve of a major Catholic festival, Al l S ai nt s (1st November) and the eve of the pagan Celtic festival known as S am hai n . Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in') marked the end of the "season of the sun" (Summer) and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold" ( Winter). Halloween comes from All Hallow Even, the eve (night before) All Hallows day. Therefore, Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day. I have chosen the topic British customs and traditions because I enjoy learning the English language and I wanted to know more about British ways of life and traditions. Working on this topic I have to conclusion that British people are very conservative. They are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.