England is a land of tradition. When you mention her, cozy English houses, evening tea and, of course, the traditional royal family come to mind. Most English customs have a long history of several hundred years.
Eating traditions
The British approach to food intake very thoroughly. They are not used to snacking on the go or eating fast food. Also from the films about Sherlock Holmes, you may remember the traditional morning oatmeal. It is also customary in England to eat eggs and bacon and toast with jam for breakfast. Sometimes breakfast is followed by a second breakfast - lunch.
For lunch, the British eat meat and fish dishes with vegetables, but the usual side dishes for Russians - rice and pasta - they practically do not use. By lunchtime, all family members must dress in formal clothes. Sunday lunch is a special occasion. A variety of dishes are prepared, and the table is covered with a festive tablecloth. Often all the relatives gather for Sunday dinner.
At 5 pm, households will have a traditional tea party with cakes, sandwiches and snacks. For the sake of this custom, everyone postpones their affairs. At the table, they not only drink tea, but also communicate, share news.
Communication traditions
For a long time, the British are very restrained in communication, for this they are called prim and even boring. A favorite theme of the British is changeable weather. If you meet an English friend, you will need to chat about the weather for at least a few minutes before moving on to the main topic. Otherwise, you will be considered impolite. The pauses in the conversation are also filled with conversations about the weather. It is not customary for the British to be frank about their personal life or throw loud judgments. Therefore, platitudes and clichés are often used in their conversation.
In addition, the people of England are extremely polite. They use the words "thank you", "please" and "sorry" all the time. However, in other manifestations of feelings, they are very stingy. For example, they almost never shake hands when they meet. And if there is a person in society whom you do not know, it is completely indecent to contact him until you are introduced.
Royal family traditions
These traditions are the oldest, they have survived to this day practically unchanged. The royal family, although it has no actual state power, is highly revered by the British. Monarchs are a kind of symbol of England.
Lavish royal receptions are one of the old traditions. They take place in the garden of the royal palace, and are attended by about 8000 guests. You can get there only by special invitation.
Another “not for everyone” event is the awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The Queen herself awards outstanding British people. By the way, there are still knights in England - initiation into them also takes place during the awarding ceremony. In this case, everything is done strictly according to the ritual - with kneeling down and a blow on the shoulder with a sword.
The traditions associated with the royal army remain unchanged - the changing of the guard, the ceremony of keys in the Tower, taking out the banner for the Queen's birthday. By the way, regardless of the date of birth, the banner is always carried out on the second Saturday of June.
