Реферат: Customs and traditions of Great Britain

Customs and traditions of Great Britain

Every nation and every country has its own traditionsand customs. Traditions make a nation special. Some of them are old-fashionedand many people remember them, others are part of people’s life. Some Britishcustoms and traditions are known all over the world: bowler hats, tea andtalking about the wether.

Englishmen have many traditional holidays, such asChristmas, St. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and others.

Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot ofthem have very long histories. Some are funny and some are strange. But theyare all interesting. There is the long menu of traditional British food. Thereare many royal occasions. There are songs, saying and superstitions. They areall part of the British way of life.

We can classify English traditions into severalgroups: traditions concerning the Englishmen’s private life (child’s birth,wedding, marriage, wedding anniversary), which are connected with familiesincomes; state traditions; national holidays, religious holidays, publicfestival, traditional ceremonies.

Here are some of them.

Holidays

Christmas

It is certain that Christmas is celebratedall over the world. Perhaps no other holiday has developed a set of customs andsymbols. This is the day when many people are travelling home to be with theirfamillies on Christmas Day, 25th December. The Christmas story comes frombible. An angel appeared to shepherds and told them that a Savior had been bornto Mary and Joseph in a stable in Bethlehem. Three Wise Men from the Eastfollowed a wondrous star which led them to the baby Jesus to whome they paidhomage and presented gifts of gold, frankicense and myrrh. To people all overthe world, Christmas is a season of giving and receiving presents. InScandinavian and other European countries, Father Christmas, or Saint Nicholas,comes into house at night and leaves gifts for the children. Saint Nicholas isrepresented as a fidly man with a red cloak and long white beard. He visitedhouse and left giftes, dringing people happiness in the coldest months of theyear. Another character, the Norse God Odin, rode on a magical flying horseacross the ages to make the present day Santa Claus.

Formost British families, this is the most important festival of the year, itcombines the Christian celebration or the birth of Christ with the traditionalfestivities of winter. On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold acarol service where special hymns are sung. Sometimes carol-singers can beheard on the streets as they collect money for charity. Most families decoratetheir houses with brightly-coloured paper or holly, and they usually have aChristmas tree in the corner or the front foom, glittering with coloured lightsand decorations.

The Christmas tree was popularizedby Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who introduced one to the RoyalHousehold in 1840. Since 1947, the country of Norway has presented Britainannually with a large Christmas tree which stands in Trafalgar Square incommemoration of Anglo-Norwegian cooperation during the Second World War.

Thereare a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but perhaps the most importantone is the giving of present. Familly members wrap up their gifts and leavethem bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Childrenleave sock or stocking at the end of their beds on Christmas Eve, 24th ofDecember, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during thenight and bring them small presents, fruit and nuts. They are usually notdisappointe! At some time on Christmas Day the familly will sit down to a bigturkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding.

Christmas dinner consists traditionally of a roast turkey, goose orchicken with stuffing and roast potatoes. Mince pies and Christmas puddingflaming with brandy, which might contain coins or lucky charms for children,follow this. (The pudding is usually prepared weeks beforehand and iscustomarily stirred by each member of the family as a wish is made.) Later inthe day, a Christmas cake may be served — a rich baked fruitcake with marzipan,icing and sugar frosting.

The pulling of Christmas crackers oftenaccompanies food on Christmas Day. Invented by a London baker in 1846, acracker is a brightly colored paper tube, twisted at both ends, which containsa party hat, riddle and toy or other trinket. When it is pulled by two peopleit gives out a crack as its contents are dispersed.

26thDecember is also a public holiday, Boxing Day,

which takes its name from a former custom of giving a Christmas Box — agift of money or food inside a box — to the deliverymen and trades people whocalled regularly during the year. This tradition survives in the custom oftipping the milkman, postman, dustmen and other callers of good service atChristmas time. This is the time to visit friends andrelatives or watch football.

Atmidnight on 31th December throughout Great Britain people celebrate the comingof the New Year, by holding hands in a large circle and singing the song:

Should auld acquaintance be forget,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forget?
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!..

New Year's Eve is a more importantfestival in Scotland than it is in England, and it even has a special name. Itis not clear where the word 'Hogmanay' comes from, but it is connected with theprovision of food and drink for all visitors to your home on 31th December. Itwas believed that the first person to visit one's house on New Year's Day couldbring good or bad luck. Therefore, people tried to arrange for the person ortheir own choice to be standing outside their houses ready to be let in themoment midnight had come. Usually a dark-complexioned man was chosen, and nevera woman, for she would bring bad luck. The first footer was required to carrythree articles: a piece of coal to wish warmth, a piece of bread to wish food,and a silver coin to wish wealth.

St. Valentine’s Day

St.Valentine's Day roots in several different legends that have found their way tous 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 bowand arrow. Three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Romanemperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, aChristian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14,Valentine was beheaded, not only because he was a Christian, but also becausehe had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailer's daughter of herblindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter afarewell letter, signing it, «from Your Valentine». Another legendtells us that this same Valentine, well-loved by all, wrote notes from his jailcell to children and friends who missed him. Whatever the odd mixture oforigins, St. Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day thatyou show your friend of loved one that you care. You can send candy to someoneyou think is special. Or you can send «valentines» a greeting cardnamed after the notes that St. Valentine wrote from jail. Valentines can besentimental, romantic, and heartfelt. They can be funny and friendly. If thesender is shy, valentines can be anonymous. Americans of all ages as otherpeople in different countries love to send and receive valentines. Handmadevalentines, created by cutting hearts out of coloured paper, show that a lot ofthought was put into making them personal. Valentines can be heart-shaped, orhave hearts, the symbol of love, on them. In elementary schools, children makevalentines, they have a small party with refreshments. You can right a shortrhyme inside the heart:

There are gold ships
And silver ships,
But no ships
Like friendship.

Valentinecards are usually decorated with symbols of love and friendship. These symbolswere devised many centuries ago. Lace symbolises a net for catching one's heart.If you get a Valentine with a piece of a lace you may understand that theperson who sent it must be crazy about you. A symbol should have severalmeanings, so some experts maintain that lace stands for a bridal veil. A ribbonmeans that the person is tired up, while hearts, which are the most commonromantic symbol, denote eternal love. Red roses are also often used as a loveemblem. Valentine's Day grows more and more popular in many countries of theworld. Some people have already begun to celebrate it in Russia. They try toimitate European Valentine customs and want to known more about their origin.St. Valentine's Day is the day when boys and girls. Friends and neighbours,husbands and wives, sweethearts and lovers exchange greeting of love and affection.It is the day to share one's loving feelings with friends and family, but it isyoung men and girls who usually wait it with impatience. This day has becometraditional for many couples to become engaged. That makes young peopleacknowledge St. Valentine's as the great friend and patron of lovers.

Easter

Easter is aChristian spring festival that is usually celebrated in March or April. Thename for Easter comes from a pagan fertility celebration. The word«Easter» is named after Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring.Spring is a natural time for new life and hope when animals have their youngand plants begin to grow. Christian Easter may have purposely been celebratedin the place of a pagan festival. It is therefore not surprising that relics ofdoing and beliefs not belonging th the Christian religious should cling even tothis greatest day in the Church's year. An old-fashioned custom still alive isto get up early and climb a hill to see the sun rising. There are numerousaccounts of the wonderful spectacle of the sun whirling round and round for joyat our Saviour's Resurrection. So many people go outdoors on Easter morninghoping to see the sun dance. There is also a custom of putting on something newto go to church on Easter morning. Peoplecelebrate the holiday according to their beliefs and their religiousdenominations. Christians commemorate Good Friday as the day that Christ diedand Easter Sunday as the day that He was resurrected. Protestant settlersbrought the custom of a sunrise service, a religious gathering at dawn, to theUnited States.

Todayon Easter Sunday, children wake up to find that the Easter Bunny has left thembaskets of candy. He has also hidden the eggs that they decorated earlier thatweek. Children hunt for the eggs all around the house. Neighborhoods andorganizations hold Easter egg hunts, and the child who first the most eggs winsa prize.

Americanscelebrate the Easter bunny coming. They set out Easter baskets for theirchildren to anticipate the Easter bunnys arrival whi leaves candy and otherstuff. The Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit. Long ago, he was called the«Easter Hare». Hares and rabbits have frequent multiple births, sothey became a symbol of fertility.

Christiansfast during the forty days before Easter. They choose to eat and drink onlyenough to feep themselves alive.

The day preceding Lent is known as Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day.Shrove Tuesday recalls the day when people went to Church ti confess and beshriven before Lent. But now the day is more generally connected with relics ofthe traditional feasting before the fast. Shrove Tuesday is famous for pancakecalebration. There is some competition at Westminster School: the pancakes aretossed over a bar by the cook and struggled for by a small group of selectedboys. The boy who manages to get the largest piece is given a present. Thistradition dates from 1445. In the morning the first church bell on Orley isrung for the competitors to make pancakes. The second ring is a signal forcooking them. The third bell set rung for the copetitors to gather at theMarket Square. Then the Pancake bell is sounded and the ladies set off from thechurch porch, tossing their pancakes three times as they run. Each woman mustwear an apron and a hat or scarf over her head. The winner is given a PrayerBook Dy the Vicar.

Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent. It is customary to vasitone's mother on that day. Mother ought to be given a present — tea, flowers ora simnel cake. It is possible to buy the cake, they are sold in everyconfectionery. But it is preferrable to make it at home. The way MotheringSunday is celebrated has much in common with the International Women's Daycelebration in Russia.

Good Friday is the first Friday before Easter. It is the day when allsorts of taboos on various works are in force. Also it is a good day forshifting beers, for sowing potatoes, peas, beans, parsley, and pruning rosetrees. Good Friday brings the once sacred cakes, the famous Hot Cross buns. Thesemust be spiced and the dough marked with a cross before baking.

Eggs, chickens, rabbits and flowers are all symbols of new life.Chocolate and fruit cake covered with marzipan show that fasting is over.Wherever Easter is celebrated, their Easter eggs are usually to be found. InEngland, just as in Russia, Easter is a time for giving and receiving ofpresents that traditionally take the form of an Easter egg. Easter egg is areal hard-boiled egg dyed in bright colors or decorated with some elaborate pattern.Coloring and decorating eggs for Easter is a very ancient custom. Many people,however, avoid using artificial dyes and prefer to boil eggs with the outerskin of an onion, which makes the eggs shells yellow or brown. In fact, thecolor depends on the amount of onion skin added. In ancient times they usedmany different natural dyes fir the purpose. The dyes were obtained mainly fromleaves, flowers and bark.

At present Easter eggs are also made of chocolate, sugar, metals, wood,ceramics and other materials at hand. They may differ in size, ranging fromenormous to tiny, no bigger than a robin's egg. Easter Sunday is solemnlycelebrated in London. Each year the capital city of Britain greets the springwith a spectacular Easter Parade in Battersea Park. The great procession, orparade, begins at 3 p.m. The parade consists of many decorated floats, enteredby various organizations in and outside London. Some of the finest bands in thecountry take part in the parade. At the rear of the parade is usually the verybeautiful float richly decorated with flowers. It is called the Jersey onebecause the spring flowers bloom early on the Island of Jersey.

In England, children rolledeggs down hills on Easter morning, a game has been connected to the rollingaway of the rock from Jesus Christ's tomb then He was resurrected. Britishsettlers brought this custom to the New World. It consists of rolling coloured,hardboiled egg down a slope until they are cracked and broken after whish theyare eaten by their owners. In some districts this is a competitive game, thewinner being the player whose egg remains longest undamaged, but more usually,the fun consists simply of the rolling and eating.

St.David’s Day

March 1st is a very importantday for Welsh people. It’s St. David’s Day. He’s the “patron” or national saintof Wales. On March 1st, the Welsh celebrate St. Davids Day and wear daffodilsin the buttonholes of their coats or jackets.

May Day

May

1stwas an important day in the Middle Ages. In the very early morning, young girlswent to the fields and washed their faces with dew. They believed this madethem very beautiful for a year affer that. Also on May Day the young men ofeach village tried to win prizes with their bows and arrows, and people dancedround the maypole.

Many English-villages still have a maypole, and on May 1st, thevillagers dance round it.

Midsummer’s Day

Midsummer’s Day, June 24th, isthe longest day of the year. On that day you can see a very old custom atStonehenge, in Wiltshire, England. Stonehenge is on of Europe’s biggest stonecircles. A lot of the stones are ten or twelve metres high. It is also veryold. The earliest part of Stonehenge is nearly 5,000 years old. But what wasStonehenge? A holy place? A market? Or was it a kind of calendar? Many peoplethink that the Druids used it for a calendar. The Druids were the priests inBritain 2,000 years ago. They used the sun and the stones at Stonehenge to knowthe start of months and seasons. There are Druids in Britain today, too. Andevery June 24th a lot of them go to Stonehenge. On that morning the sun shineson one famous stone – the Heel stone. For the Druids this is a very importantmoment in the year. But for a lot of British people it is just a strange oldcustom.

November, 5 isGuy Fawkes’s Day

On the 5th of November in almost every town andvillage in England one can see fire burning, fireworks, cracking and lightingup the sky, small groups of children pulling round in a home made cart, afigure that looks something like a man but consists of an old suit of clothes,stuffed with straw. The children sing:" Remember, remember the 5th ofNovember; Gun powder, treason and plot". And they ask passers-by for«a penny for the Guy» But the children with «the Guy» arenot likely to know who or what day they are celebrating. They have done thismore or less every 5th of November since 1605. At that time James the First wason the throne. He was hated with many people especially the Roman Catholicsagainst whom many sever laws had been passed. A number of Catholics chief ofwhom was Robert Catesby determined to kill the King and his ministers byblowing up the house of Parliament with gunpowder. To help them in this theygot Guy Fawker, a soldier of fortune, who would do the actual work. The dayfixed for attempt was the 5th of November, the day on which the Parliament wasto open. But one of the conspirators had several friends in the parliament andhe didn't want them to die. So he wrote a letter to Lord Monteagle begging himto make some excuse to be absent from parliament if he valued his life. LordMonteagle took the letter hurrily to the King. Guards were sent at once toexamine the cellars of the house of Parliament. And there they found Guy Fawkerabout to fire a trail of gunpowder. He was tortured and hanged, Catesby waskilled, resisting arrest in his own house. In memory of that day bonfires arestill lighted, fireworks shoot across the November sky and figures of GuyFawker are burnt in the streets.

Halloween

Theword itself, «Halloween,» actually has its origins in the CatholicChurch. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1,«All Hollows Day» (or «All Saints Day»), is a Catholic dayof observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in CelticIreland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain(sowen), the Celtic New year.

Onestory says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had diedthroughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies topossess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for theafterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended duringthis time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.

Naturally,the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31,villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold andundesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes andnoisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible inorder to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

Probablya better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not todiscourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relighttheir fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in theMiddle of Ireland, at Usinach.

Someaccounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thoughtto have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits. Otheraccounts of Celtic history debunk these stories as myth. The Romans adopted theCeltic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain wasassimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that tookplace in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruitand trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin ofour modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween. The thrust of the practicesalso changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spiritpossession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, andwitches took on a more ceremonial role.

Thecustom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrantsfleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in NewEngland included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

Thecustom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the IrishCelts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2,All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for«soul cakes,» made out of square pieces of bread with currants. Themore soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promiseto say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it wasbelieved that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and thatprayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.

TheJack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told,a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Sataninto climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk,trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if hewould never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

Accordingto the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because ofhis evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked thedevil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through thefrigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep itglowing longer.

TheIrish used turnips as their «Jack's lanterns» originally. But whenthe immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far moreplentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-outpumpkin, lit with an ember.

So,although some pagan groups, cults, and Satanists may have adopted Halloween astheir favorite «holiday,» the day itself did not grow out of evilpractices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a New Year, and outof medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches haveHalloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the dayitself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

Firehas always played an important part in Halloween. Fire was very important tothe Celts as it was to all early people. In the old days people lit bonfires toward away evil spirits and in some places they used to jump over the fire tobring good luck. Now we light candles in pumpkin lanterns.

Halloweenis also a good time to find out the future. Want to find out who you willmarry? Here are two ways you might try to find out:

- Apple-bobbing — Float a number of apples in a bowlof water, and try to catch one using only your teeth. When you have caught one,peel it in one unbroken strip, and throw the strip of peel over your leftshoulder. The letter the peel forms is the initial of your future husband orwife.

-

Nut-cracking — Place two nuts (suchas conkers) on a fire. Give the nuts the names of two possible lovers and theone that cracks first will be the one.Royal traditions

The trooping of the colour

The Queen is the only person in Britainwith two birthdays. Her real birthday is on April 21st, but she has an«official» birthday, too. That's on the second Saturday in June. Andon the Queen's official birthday, there is a traditional ceremony called theTrooping of the Colour. It's a big parade with brass bands and hundreds ofsoldiers at Horse Guards' Parade in London. A «regiment» of theQueen's soldiers, the Guards, march in front of her. At the front of the paradeis the regiment's flag or «colour».

The Guards are trooping the colour.Thousands of Londoners and visitors watch in Horse Guards' Parade. And millionsof people at home watch it on television.

The changing of the guard

This happens every day at BuckinghamPalace, the Queen's home in London. Soldiers stand in front of the palace. Eachmorning these soldiers (the «guard») change. One group leaves andanother arrives. In summer and winter tourists stand outside the palace at11.30 every morning and watch the Changing of the Guard.

Maundy money

Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday, at Easter. Onthat day the Queen gives Maundy money to a group of old people. This traditionis over 1,000 years old. At one time the king or queen washed the feet of poor,old pedple on Maundy Thursday. That stopped in 1754.

Swan Upping

Here's a very different royal tradition. On the River Thamesthere 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 areabout two months old. Then the Queen's swan keeper goes, in a boat, from LondonBridge to Henley. He looks at all the young swans and marks the royal ones. Thename of this strange but interesting custom is Swan Upping.

The Queen’s telegram

This custom is not very old, but it's for very old people. On his or herone hundredth birthday, a British person gets a telegram from the Queen.

The state opening ofparliament

Parliament, not the Royal Family, con

trols modern Britain. But traditionallythe Queen opens Parliament every autumn. She travels from Buckingham Palace tothe Houses of Parliament in agold carriage — the Irish State Coach. At the Houses of Parliament the Queen sits on a “throne” in the House of Lords. Then she reads the “Queen's Speech”. At State Opening of Parliament the Queenwears a crown. She wears otherjewels from the Crown Jewels, too.

The order of the Garter Ceremony

The Order of the Garter ceremony has a long history

. King Edward III started the Order in the fourteenth centur', that time, thepeople in the Order were the twent', four bravest knights in England. Now the knights of thc Orderaren't all soldiers. They're members of the House of Lords, church leaders orpoliticians. There are some foreign knights, too. For example, the King ofNorway, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Emperor of Japan. They're calledExtra Knights of the Garter. The Queen is the Sovereign of the Order of the Garter. But she isn't the onlyroyal person in the Order. Prince Charles and Prince Philip are Royal Knights, and the QueenMother is a Lady of the Garter.

In June the Order his a traditional ceremony at Windsor Castle. This isthe Queen's favourite castle. It's also the home of the Order ~ the Garter. Allthe knights walk from the castle to St George's Chapel. The royal church atWindsor. They wear the traditional «robes» of the Order. These robesare verv heavv. In tact King Edward VIII once called them 'ridiculous".But they're an important part of one ot Britain's oldest traditions.

The Queen’s Christmas speech

Now here's a modern royal custom. On Christmas Day at 3.00 in theafternoon the Queen makes a speech on radio and TV. It's ten minutes long. Init she talks to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. TheCommonwealth is a large group of countries. In the past they were all in theBritish Empire. Australia, India, Canada and New Zealand are among the 49members.

The B.B.

C. (the British Broadcasting Corporation) sends the Queen's speech toevery Commonwealth countrv. In her speech the Queen talks about the past year.Traditionallv in speeches, kings or queens say “we” not “I” Queen ElizabethII doesn't do this. She says “My husband and I” or just 'I''.

The Queen doesn't make herspeech on Christmas Day. She films it a few weeks before. Then she spendsChristmas with her familY at Windsor. Does she watch the speech on TV? Nobodyknows.

Everydaylife

Talking about theweather

The British talk about the weather a lot. For example, ''Isn't it abeautiful morning?" or, '

’Very cold today, isn't it?" They talk about the weather becauseit changes so often. Wind, rain, sun cloud, snow — they can allhappen in a British winter - or a British summer.

Queueing

At British banks, shops, cinemas, theatres or bus stops you can alwayssee people in queues. They stand in a line and wait quietly, often for a longtime. Each new person stands at the end of the queue — sometimes in rain, windor snow.

Shaking hands

Hundreds of years ago, soldiers began this custom. They shook hands toshow that they didn't have a sword. Now, shaking hands is a custom in mostcountries. In Britain you don't shake hands with your friends and family. Butyou do shake hands when you meet aperson for the first time. You also say «How do you do?» This is notreally a question, it's a tradition. The correct answer is exactly the same,«How do you do?»

Cards

The British sen'd birthday cards and often give birthday presents. Thereare cards for other days, too:

Christmas cards, Valentine's Day cards, Mother's Day cards, Father's Daycards, Easter cards, Wedding Anniversary cards, Good Luck cards,«Congratulations On Your New Baby» cards, and «Get WellSoon» cards.

Parties

It's the custom to have a party to celebrate:

-

Aperson's birthday

-

A new house

-

Christmas (at home, and often inoffices, too)

-

An engagement (a promise to marry)

-

A wedding (marriage)

-

New Year's Eve

Wrong side of the bed

When people arebad tempered we say that they must have got out of bed on the wrong side.Originally, it was meant quiet literally. People believe that the way they rosein

the morning affected their behavior throughout the day. Thewrong side of the bed was the left side. The left always having been linkedwith evil.

Blowing out the candcandles

Thecustom of having candles on birthday cakes goes back to the ancient Greeks.Worshippers of Artemis, goddess of the moon and hunting, used to place honeycakes on the altars of her temples on her birthday. The cakes were round likethe full moon and lit with tapers. This custom was next recorded in the middleages when German peasants lit tapers on birthday cakes, the number litindicating the person's age, plus an extra one to represent the light of life.From earliest days burning tapers had been endued with mystical significanceand it was believedthat when blown out they had the power to grant a secretwish and ensure a happy year ahead.

I have chosen the topic ‘Britishcustoms and traditions’ because I enjoy learning the English language andwanted to know more about British ways of life and traditions. Working on thistopic I came to the conclusion that British people are very conservative. Theyare proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. It was interesting toknow that foreigners coming to England are stuck at once by quite a number ofcustoms and peculiarities.

So I think of Britain as aplace with a lot of different types of people who observe their traditions.

Списоклитературы:

1.

Стивен Раблей «Customs and traditions in Britain», изд. «Longman Group», ИК, 1996г.;

2.

Усова Г. С. «Britishhistory», изд. «Лань», г. С.-Петербург, 1999г.;

3.

Хишунина Т. Н. «Customs, traditions and holidays in Britain», изд. «Просвещение», г. С.-Петербург, 1975г.;

4.

Голицынский Ю. «Great Britain», изд.«Каро», г. С.-Петербург, 1999г.

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