Typical Traditions
Tea Time
Drinking tea at four or five o'clock. Tea may be served with:
- Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers
- Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream
- Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets
This tradition began in the 1840s, when Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, claimed she suffered from a "sinking feeling" around four o'clock in the afternoon and invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle.
Cowes Week
Is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. It has 40 daily races, up to 1,000 boats and 8,000 competitors. The festival originated after the Prince Regent's interest in yatching which continued after he became George IV in 1820.
Key shoreside events of Cowes Week include the festivities within Cowes Yacht Haven, on Cowes Parade and at Shepards Wharf Marina. Each of these venues offer entertainment for the general public as well as those racing.
Traditionally at the end of the Cowes Week event, a fireworks display is held. This has occurred for more than 150 years. In recent years contributions to the funding of the display have been requested by the community who enjoy and benefit from them.
Pearl Kings and Queens
Known as pearlies, are an organised charitable tradition of working class culture in London. In the 19th century, Henry Croft, an orphan street sweeper who collected money for charity, adapted the trousers decorated with pearl buttons that had been found by market traders to create a pearly suit to draw attention to himself and aid his fund-raising activities. In 1911 an organised pearly society was formed in Finchley, north London.
Well Dressing
Also known as well flowering, is a summer tradition practised in rural England. It consists in decorating wells, springs, or other water sources with designes created from flower petals. It is said that the tradition began as a way of given thanks fro the purity of water of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death, in Tissington, Derbyshire, in 1349.
Morris Dance
A form of Enlish folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers. In a small number of dances for one or two men, steps are performed near and across a pair of clay tobacco pipes laid one across the other on the floor.
Typical Rituals
Religious
- Lion sermon: is an annual sermon preached on 16 October at 13:00 at St Katharine Cree in the City of London. The sermon has traditionally been preached on the theme of 'challenges to the Christian faith'.
- The Blessing of Throats: is a ritual prescribed and authorized by the Roman Catholic Church, usually observed on the feast day of Saint Blaise (February 3). The following blessing is usually given: "Through the intercession of St. Blaise, may God preserve you from throat troubles and every other evil", sometimes followed by "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" as the priest makes the sign of the cross over the recipient.
- Plough Sunday: raditional English celebration of the beginning of the agricultural year that has seen some revival over recent years. Plough Sunday celebrations usually involve bringing a ploughshare into a church with prayers for the blessing of the land. It is traditionally held on the Sunday after Epiphany, the Sunday between 7 January and 13 January.
- Twelfth Night: a festival en some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Profane
- Straw Bear Day: On Plough Tuesday, the day after Plough Monday (the first Monday after Twelfth Night), a man or boy was covered from head to foot in straw and led from house to house where he would dance in exchange for gifts of money, food or beer. The festival was of a stature that farmers would often reserve their best straw for the making of the bear. This day is believed to be traditional start of agricultural year in England.
- Apple Wassail: a traditional form of wassailing practiced in the cider orchards of South West England during the winter.
- Lamas Ritual: a ritual to celebrate the beginning of the harvest season.
Social Ceremonies
The Trooping of the Colors | The Queen's Birthday
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday always occurs the day before Good Friday of the Easter holiday. This is a religious holiday when Christians in many countries remember the Last Supper of Jesus. In England, much like Boxing Day, Maundy Thursday is a time to help the poor.
The Coronation
The coronation ceremony has remained essentially the same over a thousand years. For the last 900 years, the ceremony has taken place at Westminster Abbey, London. The service is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose task this has almost always been since the Norman Conquest in 1066.
The coronation is an occasion for pageantry and celebration, but it is also a solemn religious ceremony. During the ceremony, the Sovereign takes the coronation oath. The form and wording have varied over the centuries.
Social Norms
- Never jump lines, known as “queues” in England. In some countries jumping the queue may be acceptable, but in England, people may not be very happy with you and will definitely let you know how unhappy they are about the situation. Standing patiently in the queue is a normal part of English culture.
- The English have a high amount of respect for older adults and the disabled. If you are on public transportation, you are expected to give up your seat if someone who is disabled or older comes onto the tram (or whatever vehicle you are in) and there is no other seat. If an older adult or someone who is disabled seems to be struggling with something, you are also expected to ask the person if they need your assistance.
- The person who has invited you to dinner is typically the one who pays. Do not argue about whose responsibility it is, rather, invite them out to dinner at some point and pay for them to reciprocate.
Social Customs
- Introduction and Greetings: It is proper to shake hands with everyone to whom you are introduced, both men and women. An appropriate response to an introduction is "Pleased to meet you". If you want to introduce yourself to someone, extend you hand for a handshake and say "Hello, I am....". Hugging is only for friends, and kissing is only when you meet with a friend you haven't seen in a while.
- Visiting people in their houses: English tend to take a gift for the host and hostess. A bottle of wine, bunch of flowers or chocolates are acceptable.
- Time: English people are very punctual. They alway arrive at least five minutes early.
Beliefs in some religions of England
.jpg)
• Christianity
The world's biggest faith, based on the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Christian life is lived in relationship with God through Jesus Christ and, in common with other Christians, seeking to deepen that relationship and to follow the way that Jesus taught.
• Judaism
Based around the Jewish people's covenant relationship with God.
Judaism is a monotheistic faith, meaning that Jews believe there is only One God. Often this God is beyond our ability to comprehend, but God is nevertheless present in our everyday lives. How individual Jews choose to understand this manifestation of the divine varies. Some connect with God through prayer, others see the divine in the majesty of the natural world, others may not think about God on a daily basis. Each individual's relationship with God is unique and personal.
• Atheism
Atheists are people who believe that god or gods are man-made constructs.
Arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to social and historical approaches. Rationales for not believing in any supernatural deity include the lack of empirical evidence.
• Hinduism
A group of faiths rooted in the religious ideas of India.
General beliefs of hindus are: the authority of the Vedas (the oldest Indian sacred texts) and the Brahmans (priests); the existence of an enduring soul that transmigrates from one body to another at death (reincarnation); and the law of karma that determines one's destiny both in this life and the next.
• Jehovah's Witnesses
A Christian-based evangelistic religious movement.
Some beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses differ from mainstream Christianity, most notably their rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity and the existence of Hell. Witnesses also have stronger apocalyptic expectations than most Christians - since the founding of the group, Witnesses have been expecting the imminent arrival of Armageddon and the end times.
Celtic Belief:
In this myth, in the beginning there was no time, no gods and no people but where the sea met the land a white mare made of sea-foam was born called Eiocha.
Eventually she gave birth to the god Cernunnos, and together they then created more gods; Maponos the God of Youth, Tauranis the God of Thunder, Teutates the Protector and the fertility goddess Epona.
But when the gods and goddesses were grown up, Eiocha left the land to return to her life as a sea-mare and became known as Tethra goddess of the deep.
The gods and goddesses then created a man, a woman and the animals from bark from the oak tree that grew on the land. But this provoked the sea giants who fough ta war with the gods.
The paradise they had created was destroyed but eventually the sea giants were beaten and Epona, managed to save just one man and one woman who went on to create all human life.
Stonehenge
The myths about stonehenge are related to the following:
Face theory:
Terrence Meaden is an archaeologist who claims to have seen a face carved into one of the sarsen or druid stones (large sandstones blocks). He firmly believes that this face could belong to the patron of the monument or even its architect. According to his beliefs, the designer of the Stonehenge has been looking at us for four thousand years and we haven’t seen him or at least, not the majority.
Aliens
Colin Andrews, a crop circle researcher, says to have found a symbol carved into one of the blue stones, which looks like one of the crop circles that have appeared in fields near the druid stones. Extra-terrestrials, have been one of the most popular to the Stonehenge.
Cures
In the course of years, lot of people have affirmed that Stonehenge holds healing powers. They say that if you sit underneath the stones, while water is being poured over them, your wounds should be washed away.
Devil
The tale of the Devil is the tory starts off with an old Irish woman who displayed beautiful stones in her backyard. These stones caught the eye of the Devil one day and he came up with a plan to get them. He dressed up as a charming chap in a suit and asked the old lady if she would like to sell her stone structure. At first, she said no, but the schrewd Devil pulled out a load of gold, and then she agreed to sell her stones. Of course, when the Devil took the stones, he kept the gold as well. The Devil then moved them all the way to Salisbury Plain. He was so proud of these stones that he started making bets that no one would ever come close to guessing exactly how many stones his structure contained. A priest overheard the Devil's bragging and boasting, and was irritated by it. So, the priest talked to the Devil and said, "I can guess how many stones you have." The Devil laughed and said, "Try." For his misfortune, the priest guessed exactly right. The Devil was so furious, he picked up one of the stones and threw it at the priest. The stone just caught the priest's heel. Though the priest was not harmed by the stone, the stone was scratched. This is where the "Heel Stone" gets its name, also known as the "Friars Heel."
Worldview of community in England
Economy
England is the driving force behind the United Kingdom's economy, which ranks among the strongest in the world. Historically, England has been a powerhouse in manufacturing and foreign trade. Today, services are the foundation of the economy, owing particularly to London's role as an international financial center.
All parts of the economy are growing - but the government still has a huge amount to do through continuing to create jobs and supporting businesses to grow. The government is also making sure that the recovery is a recovery for all and this means creating a more educated workforce and taking measures to help with the cost of living.
Politics
After the 2010 general election the Conservatives and the LibDems formed a coalition government. Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats is the deputy prime minister and David Cameron is leader of the Conservatives and prime minister of Britain.
The Future of England Survey (FoES)shows that people in England are increasingly dissatisfied with their current constitutional arrangements and increasingly demand the political recognition of England.
Government
England's type of government is a monarchy. Queen Elizabeth is the monarch of England and is also the head of state. She serves as the head of the judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England and Church of Scotland and she also summons and dismisses Parliament plus ministers of the cabinet.
People think monarchies are the most expensive welfare systems in the world. Their historical significance is part of our history, but in modern times they are not relevant, they don't contribute to any social advance.
Social Order
There are three main class divisions:
The Upper Classes tends to consist of people with inherited wealth, and includes some of the oldest families, with many of them being titled aristocrats.
The Middle Classes are the majority of the population of Britain today. They include industrialists, professionals, businesspeople and shop owners.
Working class people are mostly agricultural, mine and factory workers.
Class divisions remain very powerful and are becoming more entrenched. There is a growing gulf between the elite and the lower classes, and what used to be termed the middle and working classes seem to be splintering into social classes with systematically differing amounts of cultural and social capital.
Daily activities.
In spite of the fact that Britain is still well known for its class society, relationships in the workplace and in an educational setting are very informal.
The British are generally seen as being reserved.
British are very polite.
In contrast to for instance Americans, Germans and Dutch, British people have a quite indirect communication style which is very difficult to understand for someone who is not from there.
People think British people are very cold because they don't usually hug or have a physical contact with another.
People think British people are very cold because they don't usually hug or have a physical contact with another.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.