Card #6b. What Makes a Nation? The UK People and Their Traditions, Habbits and Customs....
nation is born from its land, its history, its art, its traditions and
its institutions. These things work together to make people what they
are. But above all, a nation is made up of people, and although there
are things they all share, all of those people are different. We can say
there is still a "British nation,” and one of the most characteristic
features of Englishmen is their traditions, which they respect, and
which they have kept for centuries.
In the House of
Lords, the Chancellor sits on a sack of wool. This tradition comes from
old times when sheep wool made England rich and powerful.
In the House
of Commons there are two rows of benches: one row is for the government
and the other one is for opposition. There is a red line in the carpet
in front of each "front bench”. The person who is speaking is not
allowed to step across it. It is also a tradition from old days, when
that division prevented the two parties from fighting during the
debates. Even the Legislation of the country is traditional. It includes
many laws that haven’t been changed for centuries.
Prime Ministers have lived at 10 Downing Street since 1731. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer (responsible for money and finance) lives
next door at number 11. People often talk about "Downing Street" when
they mean the Prime Minister and his or her Cabinet.
features of Great Britain are the numerous clubs that unite people of
various interests; and the pubs, the local beer halls, where Englishmen
like to spend their time talking, discussing traditional matters:
politics, sports, and weather, over a glass of beer. The British have a
reputation of being conservative, for having established values without
questioning their validity. They drive on the left side of the road and
use double-decker buses. They stick to their own measurement system and
continue to measure distances in miles and yards (not in kilometres and
metres). They buy cheese in pounds and ounces, milk in pints, petrol in
English people are
famous for their habit of politeness. It is considered polite to give up
one’s seat to a woman who is standing, to open a door for her, carry
things for her, and so on. Most British people expect the person in
front of them to hold the door open for them. People think you are rude,
if you don’t do this.
English people are very reserved. This means that
they don’t talk much to strangers, and don’t show much emotion. A
reserved person never tells you anything about himself. But the people
of the North and West of Britain are much less reserved than those of
the South and East.
Most British people queue when they are waiting for a
bus or waiting to be served in a shop. But during the rush hour, when a
bus or train arrives, people often push forward to make sure they get
on. This is called jumping the queue.
British people keep their old
traditions and are very proud of them. They are famous for their sense
of humour. English people show great love for animals. And, of course,
English people are fond of sports. Many continentals think life is a
game; the English think cricket is a game. To many Englishmen cricket is
both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider something
unfair, they say "That isn’t cricket”.
The traditional love
of English people for tea is well known. They like to drink tea with
milk. They have their five-o’clock tea not only at home or in offices,
but also in tea-rooms and tea-shops, which can be found in every town.
All in all, the traditions don’t only accumulate
the experience and wisdom of many generations, but they bring some
stability into the rapidly changing world.