Great
Britain: a Country of Traditions
Every country and every nation has its own
traditions and customs. It’s common knowledge that the British are lovers of
traditions. Each season in Britain
is connected with various traditions, customs and festivals.
St David’s Day. The 1st of March is a
very important day for Welsh people. It’s St David’s Day. He is the national
saint of Wales.
On the 1st of March, the Welsh celebrate St David’s Day and wear
daffodils in the buttonholes of their coats.
May Day. The 1st of May was an
important day in the Middle Ages, the celebration of summer’s beginning. For
that day people decorated houses and streets with branches of trees and
flowers. People put the striped maypole decorated with flowers and danced round
it. Some English villages still have maypole dancing on the 1st of
May.
The Trooping of the
Colour. The Queen
is the only person in Britain
with two birthdays. Her real birthday is on the 21st of April, but
she has an official birthday, too. That’s in June. And on the Queen’s official
birthday, there is a traditional ceremony called the Trooping of the Colour.
It’s a big parade with brass bands and hundreds of soldiers. The Queen’s
soldiers, the Guards, march in front of her. At the front of the parade is the
flag or "colour”. Thousands of Londoners and visitors watch Horse Guards’
Parade.
Highland Games. In summer Scottish people traditionally meet
together for competitions called Highland Games. Thousands of visitors come to
see sports like tossing the caber (when a tall pole is thrown into the air as a
test of strength) or throwing the hammer. The games always include Scottish
dancing and bagpipe music.
The State Opening of
Parliament.
Parliament controls modern Britain.
But traditionally the Queen opens Parliament every autumn. She travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a
gold carriage. At the Houses of Parliament the Queen sits on the throne in the
House of Lords. Then she reads the Queen’s Speech. At the State Opening of
Parliament the Queen wears a crown and crown jewels.
Guy Fawkes Day. The 5th of November is
Guy Fawkes Day in Britain.
All over the country people build bonfires. On top of each bonfire is a guy.
That is a figure of Guy Fawkes. He and his people wanted to blow up the Houses
of Parliament. However, the plot failed, Fawkes was caught on the 5th
of November and executed. Britain
celebrated Gue Fawkes night since then. Children stand in the street and shout
"Penny for the guy”. Then they spend the money on fireworks.
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