THE BRITISH CULTURE

Hello readers, I'm here to blog about the British culture. The purpose I choose British is because the British culture is unique, and I'm interested in understanding more about British people, culture and society. I have been to England when I'm in standard 4, personally I feel that is was a very awesome country, therefore I decided to write about their culture and to understand more about them.

England is a country where it is commonly known as the United Kingdom or The Great Britain. On the map we can find the country at Longitude 0° 0' and latitude. The national language is English. The people there are known as British. The currency in that country is called is pound and its symbol would be £. It is following the democracy country, which means that the citizen is allowed to vote as well as voice their opinion, it also ruled by Queen Elizabeth II as well as the prime minster David Cameron. According to a source the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009 it is supposed to have about $2.68 trillion. The main business in the country is pharmaceutical industry, aerospace as well as the banking and insurance sector. Their main imports are from Germany, United States and Netherland which they would import are beverages, automotive as well as tobacco. The tax in that country is about 57% which would mean that every two pound earned a pound would go be taxed and the other pound would be saved by an individual.Before getting into the topic, I would like to share a short clip about the British people.

From the clip, we can see that there are many different perception from the British people. It is important not only to be aware of these geographical distinctions, but also the strong sense of identity and nationalism felt by the populations of their four nations.

British Etiquette and Customs

GREETINGS AND MEETINGS

Normally, the first impression of a british will seem reserved or cold, but in reality, they are very friendly and helpful to foreigners. We are encourage to use last names and appropriate titles until specifically invited to use first names. It is also proper to shake hands with everyone you meet, despite of their gender. The approriate response to an introduction is "Pleased to meet you." There are also several ways to greet the British. One of it isThe Kiss and Hug

The kiss will probably happen when you meet new friends, whom you haven't seen for a long time, that you would kiss the cheek and hug the opposite sex. Besides that, there is also some protocol to follow when introducing people in a business or formal social situation. They will always introduce a younger person to an older person when they first meet. When two people are of similar age and rank, they also introduce both of them to each other.

GIFT GIVING ETIQUETTE

The British exchange gifts between family members and close friends during special events or festivals like birthday and Christmas. The gift doesn't have to be very expensive, but it demonstrate an attempt to find something that related to the recipient’s interests, it shows respect and love to one another. If you are invited to someone's home, it is normal to take along a box of good chocolates, a good bottle of wine or flowers. Gifts are probably opened when received.

DINING ETIQUETTE

In Britain, even today, people are judged by their table manners, especially when eating out or attending formal functions. There are certain ways you should behave and certain niceties to observe. A popular saying in the UK is "Manners maketh man." The British generally pay a lot of attention to good table manners. Even young children are expected to eat properly with knife and fork. On formal dining occasions it is good manners to take some butter from the butter dish with your bread knife and put it on your side plate, then butter pieces of the roll using this butter. This prevents the butter in the dish getting full of bread crumbs as it is passed around. They will remain standing until you are invited to sit down, and be shown to a particular seat. If you are invited to a meal at a restaurant, the person extending the invitation usually pays. Do not argue about the check, you shall reciprocate next time. When you finished eating, and to let others know that you have finish, place your knife and folk together, with the prongs on the fork facing upwards, on your plate.

The British people also pay a lot of attention on how you eat, the way of holding your folks and knife. The proper to hold The fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right. If you have a knife in one hand, it is wrong to have a fork in the other with the prongs pointing up. Hold your knife with the handle in your palm and your folk in the other hand with the prongs pointing downwards.

Business Etiquette and Protocol

GREETINGS

A firm handshake is the norm, there are no issues over gender for British. People shake hands upon meeting and leaving. Mostly people use the courtesy titles or Mr, Mrs or Miss and their surname to address someone. Apart from this, business cards are also exchanged at the initial introduction without formal ritual. The business card may be put away with only a cursory glance so don’t be offended if not much attention is paid to it.

THE BRITISH COMMUNICATION STYLE

The British have an interesting mix of communication styles encompassing both understatement and direct communication. Many older business people or those from the 'upper class' rely heavily upon formal use of established protocol. Most British are masters of understatement and do not use effusive language. When communicating with people they see as equal to themselves in rank or class, the British are direct, but modest. If communicating with someone they know well, their style may be more informal, although they will still be reserved. Written communication and E-mail are now wide-spread in England, they usually communicates through this two mediums.

BUSINESS MEETING

Punctuality is important in business situations. In most cases, the people you are meeting will be on time. Call if you will be even 5 minutes later than agreed. If you are kept waiting a few minutes, do not make an issue of it. Likewise, if you know that you will be late it is a good idea to telephone and offer your apologies. In general, their meetings always have a clearly defined purpose, which may include an agenda. There will be a brief amount of small talk before getting down to the business at hand. If you make a presentation, avoid making exaggerated claims. Make certain your presentation and any materials provided appear professional and well thought out, always be prepared to back up your claims with facts and figures. The British rely on facts, rather than emotions to make decisions.

TIME AND PUNCTUALITY

British people are very strict when it comes to punctuality. They hate being late, concept of time is their top ideas, they believe that punctual people can make more friends compare to people who are unpunctual. British people make a great effort to arrive on time, so it is considered impolite to be late, even with by few minutes. If you are delayed, be sure to inform the person you are meeting. You must arrive at the exact time, no matter dinner, lunch or appointments.

TRADITIONAL BRITISH DISHES

Traditional British dishes have had competition from other dishes over the years. Despite this, if you visit England, Scotland or Wales, you can still be served up the traditional foods we have been eating for years. There are a few popular dishes in England. From the short clip above, most of the British people suggest FISH AND CHIPS and the SUNDAY BREAKFAST.

 Fish and chips

Fish and Chips is where Fish deep fried in flour batter with chips (fried potatoes) dressed in malt vinegar. This is England's traditional take-away food or as US would say "to go". Fish and chips are not normally home cooked but bought at a fish and chip shop to eat on premises or as a "take away" meal.

 Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding are known as the England's traditional Sunday lunch, which is a family affair.

 English breakfast

English breakfast is also one of the popular meals for breakfast in England. The meal contains eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, baked beans.

THE RELIGION OF BRITISH

Britain is a multi faith society in which everyone has the right to religious freedom. Although Britain is historically a Christian society, people are usually very tolerant towards the faiths of others and those who have no religious beliefs. The main religion in Britain is Christianity. Most Christians belong to the Church of England or the Church of Scotland. These are Protestant Churches. There are also many Roman Catholics. The Queen (the British Monarch) is the head of the Church. Although religious faith in Britain is predominantly Christian, most of the world’s religions are also practiced. There are largeHindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities, and also smaller communities of Bahá’í, Buddhists, Jains, and Zoroastrians, as well as followers of new religious movements.

The following picture shows that the UK population of religion, in April 2011.

Source: Census, Office for National Statistics

MUSICALS OF BRITISH

A traditional dance seen throughout the month of May is Morris Dancing. It is a traditional English form of folkdancing, performed by groups of men or women. Morris Dancing has been danced for hundreds of years, and passed down through the generations in the villages of rural England. The dances are usually performed at festivals such as May Day, Whitsun and Christmas.

THE MUSIC

The accordiance and the fiddle

The dancing is very lively and accompanied by an accordion player, a melodeon or fiddle player or a noisy band with a drum.

THE DANCES

There are usually six or eight dancers arranged in two lines or in a circle facing each other. The dancers may carry white handkerchiefs that they shake, or short sticks that they bang against each other as they dance. Some dancers have bell-pads tied at their knees, which make a loud and cheerful rhythm as they dance.

COSTUMES OF DANCERS

Morris dancers wear different clothes depending on the part of the country in which they dance. They are often dressed in white with coloured baldrics (coloured belts) across their chests.

BRITISH NATIONAL COSTUME

England, unlike Wales and Scotland, has no official national dress. Some people think men in England wear suits and bowler hats, but it is very unusual these days to see anyone wearing a bowler hat.

The Pearly Kings were the leaders of the Victorian street sellers. They got their name because they wore 'pearl' buttons on their hats as a sign of authority. And later on they began to wear clothes covered all over in buttons. The title of Pearly King is passsed down in the family, and there are Pearly Queens, Princes and Princesses too.



SYMBOLS OF ENGLAND ON THE STREET

Red double decker bus

The red double-decker buses in London have become a national symbol of England and British Isles. The majority of buses in London are double-deckers. The maximum permissible length of a rigid double-decker bus and coach is 15.0 metres (49 ft 3 in).

black taxi cabs

A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a black taxi cabs) is a carriage or automobile for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. In the United Kingdom, the name hackney carriage today refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office in Greater London or by the local authority in other parts of Great Britain.

Pillar box and telephone box

 

Both the post box and telephone box have a picture of a crown on them. The crown on the postbox also has the monarchs initials underneath. We have postboxes with VR (Victoria Regina) and GR (Georgeus Rex) still in use today.

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

Many festivals and holidays in Britain are centuries old. Every town, village and hamlet in Britain has its own traditions, some involving months of careful planning and preparations of costumes and choreography, others requiring simply a worrying desire to make a complete and utter fool of oneself.

SPORTS AND LEISURE ACTIVITES

Criket

Sports play an important part in the life in Britain and is a popular leisure activity. England's national sport is cricket although football (soccer) is known as our national sport. Football is our most popular sport. Some of England's football teams are world famous, the most famous being Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Rugby

Rugby originated from Rugby school in Warwickshire. It is similar to football, but played with an oval ball. Players can carry the ball and tackle each other. The best rugby teams compete in the Super League final each September. For many years Rugby was only played by the rich upper classes, but now it is popular all over the country. There are two different types of rugby - Rugby League, played mainly in the north of England, and Rugby Union, played in the rest of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

TRUE FACTS OF BRITISH

1.

British people always bear in mind with the concept of "first come first serve." They believe that jumping queue will cause many problems to the others. Therefore, even though they are in a hurry, they will wait patiently until their turn.

2.

British is gentleman country. Normally, in a general meeting, no one are allowed to ask a lady her age. They think that it is very rude to do it to a lady.

3.

Whispering. Whispering to each other infront of the public is considered rude for the British. This will makes you be isolated.

4.

Service tips. The britains will usually give the workers a certain amount of service fee. A 10% of the bill.

5.

British people is very strict when it deals with sickness. They believe that you may infect one another if you go out walking on the streets without wearing mask. But it is advisable not to go out when you are sick, because other people may think that it is a infectious disease and will directly call an ambulance.

“The British are special. The world knows it. In our innermost thoughts we know it. This is the greatest nation on earth.” remarks by Tony Blair

England is indeed a very nice and awesome country. Thus, it is important for everyone of us to understand the culture of a country. I hope the culture of England will fascinate all of you, hope you all will like to travel to England one day. I shall stop here, that's for today. Thank you

PREPARED BY LEONG POOI YUN (MELODY)