The culture of the United Kingdom is shaped by its history as an island country and major power with a predominantly Christian religious life. British culture has been influenced by wider European culture and ideas like humanism, Protestantism, and representative democracy. British literature, music, art, theater, media, and other cultural aspects are respected globally. Sports also play an important role in British culture, with football being the most popular sport. British people live in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland and are known for their reserved manners and strong sense of humor.
2. The culture of the United Kingdom is the pattern
of human activity and symbolism associated with
the United Kingdom and its people. It is informed
by the UK's history as a developed island
country, liberal democracy and major power, its
predominantly Christian religious life, and its
composition of four countries—England,
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales—each of
which has distinct customs, cultures and
symbolism. The wider culture of Europe has also
influenced British culture, and Humanism,
Protestantism and representative democracy
developed from broader Western culture.
3. British literature, music, cinema, art, theatre,
media, television, philosophy and architecture
are influential and respected across the world.
The United Kingdom is also prominent in science
and technology. Sport is an important part of
British culture; numerous sports originated in
the country, including the national game,
football. The UK has been described as a
"cultural superpower", and London has been
described as a world cultural capital.
4. The PeoPle of BriTain
British people live in the UK. They are people
who live in England, Scotland, Wales or
Northern Ireland. British people can also
either be English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish
(from Northern Ireland only).
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. British people have a
strong sense of humour which sometimes can
be hard for foreigners to understand.
5. SYMBolS of enGlanD
England is one of the
countries that make up Great
Britain. Each country has its
own famous places, people
and objects associated with
them.
Many images associated with
England are found on
souvenirs. Most commonly
depicted are the flag of
England (St George's Cross),
Royal Guardsmen, Double
6. Pillar and TelePhone
Boxes
Both the post box and telephone box have a
picture of a crown on them. The crown on the
postbox also has the monarchs initials
underneath. There are postboxes with VR
(Victoria Regina) and GR (Georgeus Rex) still in
7. FaMoUs Means oF
TransPorT
Red double-
deckers
London's double-
decker red buses
are world famous.
The city has nearly
1000 bus routes
Sightseeing
buses
One way of seeing
London's major
sights is on an
open-top double-
decker bus.
Tickets are valid
for 24 hours and
Black taxis
You can phone for
a black cab, hail
one in the street or
find one in a rank,
especially near
large railway
stations or some
major hotels. They
carry a yellow 'For
8. sPorT
Sports play an important part in the life in
Britain and is a popular leisure activity.
Many of the world's famous sports began in
Britain, including cricket, football, lawn
tennis, golf and rugby. England's national
sport is cricket although to many people
football (soccer) is seen as national sport.
Football is the most popular sport. Some of
England's football teams are world famous,
the most famous being Manchester United,
9. CriCkeT
Cricket is played on village greens and in
towns/cities on Sundays from April to August.
The rules of cricket became the responsibility,
in the 18th century, of the Marylebone Cricket
Club(MCC), based at Lord’s cricket ground in
north London.
10. FooTBall
Football is undoubtedly the
most popular sport in
England, and has been played
for hundreds of years. In the
English Football League there
are 92 professional clubs.
These are semi-professional,
so most players have other
full-time jobs. Hundreds of
thousands of people also play
football in parks and
playgrounds just for fun. The
highlight of the English
football year is the FA
(Football Association) Cup
Final each May.
11. netball
Netball is the largest female
team sport in England. The
sport is played almost
exclusively by women and girls,
although male participation has
increased in recent years.
golf
Scotland is traditionally
regarded as the home of golf.
There are over 400 golf courses
in Scotland alone. The most
important golf club in Scotland
is in the seaside town of St.
Andrews, near Dundee.
12. british traditional foods
British food has traditionally
been based on beef, lamb, pork,
chicken and fish and generally
served with potatoes and one
other vegetable. The most
common and typical foods eaten
in Britain include the sandwich,
fish and chips, pies like the
cornish pasty, pudding and
roasts dinners. Some of main
dishes have strange names like
Bubble & Squeak and Toad-in-
the-Hole. The staple foods of
Britain are meat, fish, potatoes,
flour, butter and eggs. Many of
dishes are based on these
foods.
13. afternoon tea
AFTERNOON TEA (The traditional 4 o'clock tea)
This is a small meal, not a drink. Traditionally it
consists of tea (or coffee) served with either of the
following:
- Freshly baked scones served with cream and jam
(Known as a cream tea).
- Afternoon tea sandwiches - thinly sliced cucumber
sandwiches with the crusts cut off.
- Assorted pastries
Afternoon tea is not common these days because
most adults go out to work. However, you can still
have Afternoon tea at the many tea rooms around
England. Afternoon tea became popular about one
hundred and fifty years ago, when rich ladies invited
their friends to their houses for an afternoon cup of
tea. They started offering their visitors sandwiches
and cakes too. Soon everyone was enjoying
Afternoon tea.
14. high tea
HIGH TEA (The traditional 6 o'clock tea)
The British working population did not have
Afternoon Tea. They had a meal about
midday, and a meal after work, between five
and seven o'clock. This meal was called
'high tea' or just 'tea‚ (Today, most people
refer to the evening meal as dinner or
supper.).Traditionally eaten early evening,
High tea was a substantial meal that
combined delicious sweet foods, such as
scones, cakes, buns or tea breads, with
tempting savouries, such as cheese on
toast, toasted crumpets, cold meats and
pickles or poached eggs on toast. This meal
is now often replaced with a supper due to
people eating their main meal in the
evenings rather than at midday.
15. MUsiC
Britain is more famous for pop music than it is for classical
composers or jazz musicians. Names such as The Beatles,
the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elton John,
George Michael and The Spice Girls are known world wide.
Over the last thirty or so years British pop music has led the
world in its range and quality, starting several new trends.
Britain, along with the US, was the main contributor in the
development of rock and roll, and Britain has provided some
of the most famous bands, including The Beatles and many
others. Britain was at the forefront of punk music in the 1970s
with bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash, and the
subsequent rebirth of heavy metal with bands such as
Motorhead and Iron Maiden.
16. Festivals and special days
in Britain
January
- New Year (1st)
- Bank Holiday
- Twefth night
(5th)
- Plough
Monday
February
- Candlemas
Day (1st)
- St Valentines
Day (14th)
March
- St David's Day
(1st) (Wales)
- St Patrick's
Day (17th)
(Ireland)
April
- April Fool's
Day (1st)
- St George's
Day (23rd)
(England)
May
- May Day (1st)
- Rochester
Sweeps Festival
- Two Bank
Holidays
- Whistun
June
- Trooping of the
Colour
- Fathers' Day
- Wimbledon
Tennis
Championship
July
- Swan Upping
August
- Edinburgh
Festival
- Notting Hill
Carnival
- Bank Holiday
September
- Harvest Festival
October
- Halloween (31st)
November
- Bonfire Night
(5th)
- Remembrance
Day (11th)
-St Andrew's Day
December
- Advent
- Christmas
(25th)
17. superstitions in Britain
Good Luck
- Lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats
are featured on many good luck
greetings cards and birthday cards in
England.
- Lucky to touch wood. Touch or knock
on wood, to make something come true.
- Lucky to find a clover plant with four
leaves.
- White heather is lucky.
- A horseshoe over the door brings good
luck. But the horseshoe needs to be the
right way up. The luck runs out of the
horseshoe if it is upside down.
- On the first day of the month it is lucky
to say "white rabbits, white rabbits, white
rabbits," before uttering your first word
of the day.
- Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you
will have good luck. Every leaf means a
lucky month next year.
Bad Luck
- Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.
- Seven years bad luck to break a
mirror.
- Unlucky 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 unlucky. Friday
the thirteenth is a very unlucky day.
- Unlucky to put new shoes on the table.
- Unlucky to pass someone on the
stairs.
