Проект «Обычаи и традиции: мост от прошлого к будущему. Государственное бюджетное профессиональное образовательное учреждение Департамента здравоохранения города Москвы «Медицинский колледж № 7» Проект «Обычаи и традиции: мост от прошлого к будущему. Великобритания» Автор: Притуляк Анастасия Игоревна Специальность 34.02.01 «Сестринское дело» Руководитель: Салаева Наталья Александровна

Traditional celebrations in Great Britain: Christmas traditions, Wedding traditions, Tea tradition, Easter traditions. Unusual traditions: Burning of the Clavie, Up Helly Aa, Сheese rolling, World Championship Snail Racing, The World Gurning Championship, Burning the Clocks Festival.

Traditional celebrations in Great Britain:

Christmas traditions The Christmas celebrations in United Kingdom start even before the commencement of the season. People indulge in preparations which include gathering Christmas decorative items, cleaning houses, organizing the gifts and gifting Christmas cards and gifts to relatives and friends.

British celebrate the holiday by making holly wreaths and decorating the Christmas tree. You can see plenty of traditions like small children writing letters to Father Christmas who is believed to bring gifts to them. Christmas also has a religious undertone to it with churches observing Christingle services.

Wedding traditions Weddings in Great Britain are very beautiful and unforgettable because of the prolonged customs of British people that have took form since very old times. In a wedding ceremony in the Church of England, the bride is given to the groom by the father of the bride before the priest. 

The people inside the church will then be asked by the priest if anyone would object the wedding. In case there is, the objections are permitted to be spoken. Both the groom and the bride are allotted as well an opportunity to re-consider. Then they vow to be devoted, love, honour and protect one another till the end of their lifetime.

Tea tradition Tea time became a well established tradition in the English society. The tea tradition comes from the early nineteenth century, when a typical day’s dining for English aristocracy consisted of two meals per day – a late breakfast and a late dinner, both accompanied by this wonderful beverage.

Middle and lower classes have a “high” tea later in the day, at 5:00 or 6:00. The names derive from the actual height of the tables on which the typical English meals are served. Low tea is served on low and small tables. High tea is served on higher tables.

Easter traditions The observance of Easter in the UK is not a recent phenomenon. Easter is a day, which is celebrated to commemorate the rising of the Christ. The Easter celebrations in England are quite unlike the way it is celebrated in other parts of the world.

Lent marks the beginning of Easter celebrations that falls on Ash Wednesday. The last three days before the beginning of Lent is known as Shrovetide. Easter customs like egg rolling, performing Pace Egg plays, Morris dancing and display of Easter bunny form the major attractions of Easter celebrations.

Unusual traditions in Great Britain :

Burning of the Clavie This is a whisky barrel which is set alight then carried through the streets as a bonfire. The bonfire brings good luck for the coming year and people used to keep bits of burnt wood as protection against evil spirits.

Up Helly Aa This is an ancient festival, but has actually only been going for about 130 years. People carry fire-lit torches and a Viking boat through the streets, then set fire to the boat. There’s lots of dancing; it’s good fun.

Сheese rolling In Gloucestershire round cheeses are sent rolling down a hill and people try to catch them. The hill is very steep, so people often fall over. This custom attracts visitors from all over the world, but the people from the local village are usually the ones who catch the cheese.

World Championship Snail Racing It takes place in a village in Norfolk. The snails have to race from an inner circle to an outer circle and the winner gets a lot of lettuce. There’s a party and barbecue for the snail owners and observers.

The World Gurning Championship It is a competition to pull the ugliest face. It sounds ridiculous but this is an ancient British tradition and the Crab Fair itself dates back to 1267. The man who won the title of best gurner in recent years had all his teeth taken out.

Burning the Clocks Festival The winter solstice is celebrated on December 21st. People make clock lanterns and time-themed figures of paper and wood, then walk through the town to the beach where the sculptures are set on fire and there’s a massive firework display.

Источники: http://projectbritain.com/traditions.html http://www.indobase.com/holidays/christmas/world/christmas-in-great-britain.html  Уолш И. А., Химунина Т. Н., Конон Н. В.«Великобритания: обычаи и традиции». Издательство: Антология, 2005 г. http://www.alleng.ru/engl-top/093.htm http://studylinks.com/festivals-holidays-and-events-in-the-uk-a-guide-for-international-students/ https://www.learnenglish.de/culture/easter.html http://www.best-country.com/europe/great_britain/wedding http://listverse.com/2010/04/02/10-very-strange-british-traditions/