Традиции Великобритании

British customs and traditions

Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs.

In Britain traditions play a more important role in the life of people than in other countries.  They are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.

But when we speak about British traditions we always remember that there are four parts in Britain — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Traditions are different in these parts of the country.

One of the old English legends says that London can be the capital of the country, rich and great until twelve black ravens live in the Tower of London. Each has got its name and the keepers carefully look after them. If one of the birds dies, another younger raven takes its place. Londoners believe this legend and always bring some food to give to the birds when they come to the Tower. The keepers cut the birds' wings a bit as they are afraid that they may fly away.

Another old English tradition is Guy Fawkes Day. Children go out into the streets on the 5th of November with figures like scarecrows. They stand in the streets and squares asking for the usual "Penny for the Guy". Then with the money they have collected they buy fireworks and burn the guy (the figure like a scarecrow) on their bonfire.

It's very important to know traditions and customs of different people. It will help you to know more about the history and life of different nations and countries. One cannot speak about England without speaking about it's traditions and customs . There are six public holidays a year in G.B.. Christmas day is one of their favourite holidays

It's celebrated on the 25th of December. There are some traditions connected with it. One of them is to give presents to each other. It is not only children and members of family. It's a tradition to give Christmas presents to the people you work with.

Another tradition is to send Christmas cards. All these cards are brightly coloured. The English wish each other a happy Christmas season . This tradition was born in England, the first such postcard was printed in 1843 in London.

Most of big cities of G.B., especially London, are decorated with coloured lights and Christmas trees. On Trafalgar Square, in the center of London stands a big Christmas tree. It is a gift from the people of Oslo. It is over 50 feet high. Many families celebrate Christmas day in the open air near the Christmas tree in order to catch the spirit of Christmas.

Children find Christmas presents in their stockings.

The traditional English dinner on Christmas is turkey and pudding.

Christmas quiz

Where is Santa from?

Britain

America

The North Pole

What colour is Santa’s costume?

red and white

blue and white

red and green

Santa is … .

old and sad

naughty and lazy

funny and kind

Santa goes into the house through the … .

window

chimney

door

How does Santa go from house to house?

on a sleigh

on a horse

by car

What Santa’s reindeer is the most famous?

Cupid

Rudolph

Blitzen

What colour is Rudolph’s nose?

brown

red

black

Santa’s helpers are … .

children

snowmen

elves

Halloween

To warm up we’ll learn a scary story: You have to read the story all together. You have 2 minutes to be ready. (The members of the teams get the words of the scary story and prepare to tell it together).

In a dark, dark wood there is a dark, dark house. And in a dark, dark house there is a dark, dark room. And in a dark, dark room there is a dark, dark cupboard. And in a dark, dark cupboard there is a dark, dark box. And in a dark, dark box there is a dark, dark 

g - h - o - s - t.

The 31st of October is an unusual event for Great Britain and some other countries. It has Celtic origins and is called Halloween. According to the ancient calendar, winter started on that very day. So Celtic priests performed religious rituals to frighten off all evil spirits because they believed that ghosts and witches walked the earth on the night of October, the 31st .  First, that day was named as All Hallows’ Even but nowadays it is known as Halloween. It is widely celebrated in the USA and Europe.

Traditionally on Halloween Night people wear scary or funny costumes of witches, vampires, pirates, fairies and ghosts.

The most popular children's amusement on Halloween is "trick-or-treating". They visit houses in their neighbourhood, knocking on every door yelling the phrase: "Trick or treat!" Usually people give them sweets, fruit and candies, but if they don't, the children can play a low-down trick on them.

Another famous All Saints’ Night tradition is making Jack O'Lantern (a pumpkin): people carve a scary smiling face on a pumpkin and put a candle inside.

Traditional Halloween symbols are bats, black cats (and white ones in England), spiders, witches, ghosts and images of Jack O'Lantern.

Halloween Quiz

1. When is Halloween celebrated?

A) on the 25th of December

B) on the 14th of February

C) on the 31st of October

2. Where did Halloween come from?

A) England

B) America

C) Ireland and Scotland

3. What do children do on Halloween?

A) sing and dance

B) fight

C) play games

4. What is Jack-o'-lantern made from?

A) potatoes

B) apples

C) pumpkins

5. What do children put on?

A) jeans and sweaters

B) costumes of witches and ghosts

C) trousers and shirts

6. What are "Tricks"?

A) money

B) jokes

C) sweets