Great Britan

contents. 1. THE rich mixed of different people… 1 a) the english… 2 b) the scots… 2 c) the welsh… 3 d) the irish… 3 2. the british at leisure… 4 3. the most remarkable events in britain… 5 THE RICH MIXED OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE. The four parts of the UK represent four nations which are distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life. They were different racially. The people of Ireland,

Wales and highland Scotland belonged to the Celtic race, those in England and lowland Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin. This difference was reflected in the languages they spoke, in their different economic, social and legal systems. The long centuries of contact between the people of the four nations of the British Isles have limited their significant differences.

But thy have not completely disappeared, and the Welsh, Scottish and Irish people feel their identity very strongly. England has always played the most powerful role in the history of the British Isles. That is why foreigners usually call British people “English”. But this irritates the 5 million people who live in

Scotland, the 2.8 million in Wales and 1.5 million in Northern Ireland who are not English and who still feel different from the English. The British have a strong sense of being different from others. They don’t agree to change from driving on the left-hand side of the road to driving on the right. They continue to use double-deckers. They stick to their own measurement system and continue to measure

distances in miles (not kilometers), and yards (not in metres). They buy cheese in pounds and ounces, milk in pints, petrol in gallons. Many people think that Britain is a strange island.  Strangers usually don’t talk to each other on train;  People say “thank you” when they give money to a shop assistant; 

People open presents in front of people from whom they receive the presents;  People don’t take their shoes off when they enter a house;  People wash in their own bath water. THE ENGLISH. “When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather” Samuel Johnson The English are mainly Anglo-Saxons in origin.

The Anglo-Saxon gave England its name- “the land of Angels”. They were conquered in turn by the Normans, and it was from the union of the Norman conquerors and the defeated Anglo-Saxons that the English people and the English language were born. The victory of the Normans in 1066 opened England to a new civilization, more complicated, more advanced

in material culture and intellectual outlook, and with far more varied interests than anything which the Anglo-Saxon civilization had offered. The way of living, the language, the habits and customs of English society- all were to change. Since that time the English people have developed their own character and personality. They retain traditions of dance, food and music from their mixed origins and are generally tolerant

of new ideas and influences. Traditionally, the English are thought to be reserved, shy of strangers, suspicious of change and slow to accept new ideas, responsible and honest, disliking any show of emotion and believing that they are superior to any other people on earth. This stereotype picture is far from true, especially in today’s world. The English are as individual as people as any other people who came and settled in

England at different times. THE SCOTS. The Scots have a strong sense of national identity, of their own distinct values, and traditions. Scotland is a country with an intense national tradition, with its own national dances, its own songs (some of which are very popular all over Britain), its poetry (some of which is famous throughout the English-speaking world), its own national food and drink, sports and manners.

To many foreigners, the image of Scotland is a clichéd one. Kilts, tartans, bagpipes, and tweed play an important role in it. Although a part of the United Kingdom, to this day Scots law is different in many important respects from English law, and Scotland retains her own Church and institutions, as well as its own educational system,

its own banknotes and now its own one pound coin. THE WELSH. “There is much care and valour in this Welshman”. William Shakespeare. The Welsh pride themselves on being the true Britons: their forefathers believed themselves to have grown out of the ground, since they were the oldest people on the island. Twenty per cent of them speak

Welsh, the oldest language in Europe. The Welsh are proud of their culture, traditions and their language. They are really gifted in the art of self-expression in words, they are not afraid of being poetic in speech, of using bright and pictorial descriptions of men and events in ordinary conversations. There is much literary, musical and dramatic activity in modern Wales. Special festivals are held to encourage Welsh literature and music.

Wales has been called “the land of song”. The Welsh people are renowned for their good voices and it is rare to find a village without at least one choir competing in arts festivals. THE IRISH. “Where there are Irish there’s memory undying, and when we forget, it’s Ireland no more!” Rudyard Kipling The Irish are mainly Celtic people. They have maintained their ancient Gaelic

Language but English is spoken everywhere. Like the Welsh they have a rich literary heritage. Many great names of English literature were, in fact, Irish or had an Irish background. They have given deep insights into the Irish character and portrayed their fellow countrymen as dreamers and poets, as well as argumentative and aggressive men.

The Irish are supposed to be great talkers. THE BRITISH AT LEISURE. Britain is a country where Leisure time and sporting life are taken seriously. There is widespread interest in most kinds of sport throughout Britain. Television has helped to generate interest in a wide variety of sports including basketball, snooker, ice skating, skiing and athletic. Millions of people all over

Britain regularly take part in sport or exercise. walking, including rambling and hiking, is by far the most popular recreation, followed by swimming, football, golf, angling, badminton and cycling. CRICKET is sometimes called the English national game, having been played as early as the 1550s. It is usually played by men and boys though there are teams of women and girls as well. Players traditionally wear white clothes. There are a lot of amateur cricket teams.

A typical amateur cricket match takes place on a village green, an open grassy space in the centre of the village. It is played between two teams: the “home team” and “the visitors”, who come from another village in a neighborhood. BOWLS is another outdoor summer game which has been played in Britain since the thirteenth century. Bowls is played on a specially prepared bowling green, a level piece of ground covered with grass. This grass surface is very carefully looked after.

No one is allowed on the green expect players wearing the correct kind of soft soled shoes. The players roll large wooden balls towards a small ball and try to bring them as near to it as possible. The game has from two to eight players, each bowling two or more bowls. THE MOST REMARKABLE EVENTS IN BRITAIN. 25 JANUARY: Burns night. This celebration is held on the 25th of

January, the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's greatest national poet. It usually takes the form of a supper at which traditional Scottish dishes are eaten, including haggis, and during which a Scottish piper plays, wearing traditional Highland dress. Some of Burns' most popular poems are recited and there may be

Scottish dancing after the meal is finished. Burns night celebrations are held not only in Scotland, but also amongst Scots living in other countries. 1st March: St David's Day. St David is the national saint of Wales and March 1st is the national holiday of Wales. On this day many Welshmen wear either a daffodil or a leek, pinned to their jackets, as both plants

are traditionally regarded as national emblems of Wales. Pancake Day. Pancake Day is the popular name for Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent (the forty days before Easter). People traditionally eat pancakes on this day. In many towns pancake races are held on Shrove Tuesday in which women run with pancakes each runner

has a pancake in the pan. As she runs, she tosses the pancake up and over in the air and catches it again in the pan. It is not at all easy to toss and catch a pancake when running a race. The Pancake Bell is rung to summon competitors, and starting time is five minutes before noon. The participants wear an apron and head-covering. The course is over a distance of 415 yards, during which the pancake must be tossed three times.

23rd April: Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration. The 23rd of April, the birthday of the greatest literary genius, is always marked at Stratford. A long procession of flower-carriers walks from the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, through the streets to the parish church where everyone in the procession lays a wreath or a bouquet, or a small bunch of flowers at the poet's grave.

In the evening there is a performance of the chosen "Birthday play" in royal Shakespeare Theatre. Remembrance Day (poppy day). This day is observed throughout Britain on the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day. On this day the fallen in both world wars are remembered in special church services and civic ceremonies, the chief of which is the laying of wreaths at the

Cenotaph, London, by members of the royal family in the presence of leading statesmen and politicians. On and just before that day artificial poppies, a symbol of mourning, are traditionally sold in the streets everywhere, and people wear them in memory of those who fell in the wars.