British Customs, Culture and Traditions

These pages are only intended to be a guide, and should not be taken too seriously!
They all have a dictionary look up – double click on any word to get an instant definition and often you can listen to the pronunciation too.

	A TASTE OF BRITAIN	English clubs, theatres, shops and cinemas around the world
	APRIL FOOL	Just fooling around.
	BANK HOLIDAYS	What is a bank holiday?
	BOG SNORKELING	Yes. Snorkeling through a bog. Try it! You might like it!
	BONFIRE NIGHT	A penny for the guy?
	BRITISH ELECTIONS	There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom.
	BRITISH HOUSES	What is a typical British house like? This might surprise you.
	BRITISH HUMOUR	Much is made about the British sense of humour, but what kind of humour do you mean?
	BRITISH POP MUSIC	How much do you know about British pop music? Oh and by the way “The Beatles” don’t count!
	BRITISH TELEVISION	British Television is famous (rightly or wrongly) around the world.
	BURNS’ NIGHT	Robert Burns is Scotland’s favourite son and champion of the common people. Each year on January 25, the great man’s presumed birthday, Scots everywhere take time out to honour a national icon.
	BUYING A HOUSE	Making money on property is almost a national pastime nowadays, but buying a house in the UK leads to lots of new vocabulary – gazumping, mortgages, equity and lots more explained here.
	CANDLEMAS(S)	A Pagan or Christian celebration.
	CHRISTMAS	Christmas celebrations.
	CLOTHES	Fashion and national costumes in the UK.
	CRICKET	One of the most popular sports in Britain.
	EASTER	Who is the Easter Bunny?
	EDINBURGH FESTIVAL	One of the largest festivals in the world.
	EDUCATION	The education system in the UK.
	FOOD	Food in the UK, from the Great British Breakfast to Bangers and Mash and of course Cheese!
	FOOD FACTS	20 quirky food facts.
	FORMAL EATING	Manners maketh the man!
	BUSINESS LUNCHES	Clinching the deal can sometimes mean doing the right thing over lunch.
	GARDEN PARTIES	By invitation only.
	GLORIOUS 12TH	Not so glorious for the birds though.
	GOOD FRIDAY	Commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
	GOOSE FAIR	Travelling fairs abound in the UK. This is one of the biggest.
	HALLOWEEN OR ALL HALLOW’S EVE	Spooky! But not quite the same as the USA.
	HEALTH IN THE UK	The NHS is is the publicly-funded healthcare system of the United Kingdom.
	INTRODUCTIONS AND GREETINGS	Hi, how are you?
	JARROW CRUSADES	On October 5th 1936 200 men set off to London to deliver a petition to protest against unemployment in Britain.
	LA FEILL BHRIDE	Otherwise known as St Bride’s Day.
	MARRIAGE AND WEDDINGS	British Wedding and Marriage Customs and Traditions
	MAUNDY THURSDAY	Commemorating ‘The Last Supper’.
	MAY DAY	No not a cry for help but a bank holiday.
	MONEY	The jangly stuff and the folding stuff.
	MOTHER’S DAY	Also known as Mothering Sunday.
	NEW YEAR	First footing?
	NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS	Making New Year Resolutions
	NURSERY RHYMES	Some nursery rhymes are a record of our history.
	OAK APPLE DAY	A day to celebrate British royalty.
	REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY	A time for peace.
	ROYAL GARDEN PARTIES	More tea?
	RUSH BEARING	Rushbearings are still popular in Cumbria and other parts of north-west England.
	SHOPPING	The changing face of shopping in the UK.
	SHROVE TUESDAY	Otherwise known as Pancake Day.
	ST DAVID’S DAY	The patron saint of Wales.
	ST GEORGE’S DAY	The patron saint of England.
	ST PATRICK’S DAY	The patron saint of Ireland.
	ST SWITHIN’S DAY	An interesting bit of folklore all to do with rain.
	STONEHENGE	The mystery of Stonehenge.
	TEA CULTURE IN BRITAIN	One lump or two?
	TELEVISION IN BRITAIN	British TV has a long history.
	TOLPUDDLE MARTYRS	We raise the watchword Liberty, We will, we will, we will be free.
	TRANSPORT IN BRITAIN	British transport – trains and boats and planes.
	TROOPING THE COLOUR	Pageantry – what we are best at”.
	THE UNION FLAG	Contrary to popular belief this is not the English flag and it is not usually called the Union Jack.
	THE UNITED KINGDOM	Some facts and figures and a potted history of my homeland.
	VALENTINE’S DAY	A celebration of love.
	WORK	A tongue in cheek look at working in the UK.
	WHAT’S ON	A Diary of Events – British customs and traditions – updated monthly.