The Way of Life

In recent years there have been many changes in family life. A typical British family used to consist of mother, father and two children. Since the law made it easier to get a divorce, the number of di­vorces has considerably increased: one marriage in every three now ends in divorce. As a result, there are a lot of one-parent families. Society is now more tolerant of unmarried couples and single parents.

The increased number of divorces, however, does not mean that marriage and the family are not popu­lar: the majority of divorced people marry again, and they usually take responsibility for the children in their second family.

Members of a family — grandparents, aunts, un­cles, cousins — keep in touch, but they see each oth­er less than before, because people often move away from their home town to work, and so the family becomes scattered. Christmas is the traditional sea­son for reunions, and relatives often travel many miles in order to spend the holiday together.

Taking care of the older generation. There are about ten million old-age people in Britain, of whom about 750,000 cannot live entirely independently. The govern­ment gives them financial help in the form of a pen­sion. More than half of all old people are looked after at home. Old people who have no families live in Old Peo­ple's Homes, which may be state-owned or private.

The individual and the family. The relations be­tween the members of a family have become more democratic than they used to be. Many parents treat their children more as equals, and children have more freedom to make their own decisions. The father gives more time to bringing up children, often because the mother goes to work. Although the family holiday is still an important part of family life, many children spend their holidays away from their parents, often with a school party or another organized group.

 

Education

In most schools boys and girls learn together. In

the first stage, which is called primary education, all children are educated according to the same pro­gramme. As they grow older, differences in ability and attainment become very marked, so it is consid­ered necessary to offer different programmes.

There are three stages of education: primary, or elementary, education, secondary education and higher education.

 

Primary education is given to children between 5 and 11 years of age. A primary school is subdivided into an infant school for children aged 5 to 7 and a junior school for children aged 7 to 11. In small country places both the infant department and the junior department may be combined under the roof

of one school.

Secondary education embraces the children from 11 years of age to 16 years of age. Until recently there were three main types of secondary schools: grammar schools,  technical schools and modern schools. Children were sent to one of these three types of school according to their abilities. These three types of school still exist, but their number is decreasing. They are being replaced by the so-called comprehen­sive schools. The comprehensive schools are the most modern development in secondary schools. The main advantages of the comprehensive schools are that these schools are open to children of all types of ability from the age of 11; they are large schools which give a much wider range of subjects than smaller schools, so that teenagers can choose a course of studies ac­cording to their individual inclinations and abilities.

 

Culture, Leisure, Entertainment

Annual festivals of music and drama are very pop­ular in Britain. Some of them are famous not only in Britain, but all over the world.

Burns' night. January 25 is the birthday of Scot­land's greatest poet Robert Burns1. There are hun­dreds of Burns clubs not only in Britain, but also throughout the world, and on the 25th of January they all hold Burns Night celebrations. In banquet halls of Edinburgh, in workers' clubs of Glasgow, in cottages of Scottish villages, thousands of people drink a toast to the immortal memory of Robert Burns. To the sounds of bagpipes there appear on the tables the traditional dishes of the festival dinner: chicken broth, boiled salt herring, and haggis — a typical Scottish dish made from the heart and other organs of a sheep. It is eaten with boiled turnip and potatoes. The dinner is fol­lowed by dancing, pipe music, and reciting selections from Burns' lyrics. The celebration concludes with sing­ing the poet's famous Auld Lang Syne.

Shakespeare's Birthday. Every year the anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare3 is celebrated in Strut ford-upon-Avon*, where be was born.on April 23, 1564. Flags are hung in the main street, people wear sprigs of rosemary* (for remembrance) in their button­holes. A long procession goes along the streets to the church where everyone in the procession puts a wreath or a bouquet, or just one flower at the poet's grave. In the evening there is a performance of the chosen Birth­day Play in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

In London, the Aldwych Theatre which has close ties with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Strat-ford-upon-Avon, holds international Shakespeare fes­tivals, during which famous companies from abroad, including the Comedie Francaise* from Paris, the Moscow Art Theatre, the Schiller Theatre of Berlin, the Abbey Theatre from Dublin, and others, perform Shakespeare's plays.

The Edinburgh International Festival. The Edinburgh International Festival is held annually during three weeks in late August and early September. The Festi­val is quite international in its character, as it gives a varied representation of artistic production from many countries. Leading musicians of the world and world-famous theatre companies always take part in it.

The idea of the Festival originated in the first post­war year. All over Europe rationing and restrictions were the order of the day, and hundreds of towns lay in ruins, and it seemed a good idea to shift people's attention from everyday needs to eternal values.

The first Festival was held in 1947. And since that time the Edinburgh International Festival has firmly established its reputation as one of the important events of its kind in the world.

The weekend. People in Britain work five days a week, from Monday to Friday. From Friday evening till Monday morning they are usually free. Leaving work on Friday, people usually say to each other, "Have a nice weekend", and on Monday morning they ask, "Did you have a nice weekend?"

Saturday morning is a very busy time for shop­ping, as this is the only day when people who are at work can shop without hurrying. On Saturday after­noon the most important sporting events of the week take place: football, rugby (in summer — cricket and tennis), horse-racing, car and motor-cycle racing and other sports. A lot of people go and watch the sports events, others stay at home and watch the sports pro­grammes on TV. In the late afternoon the sports re­sults are announced on TV.

Saturday evening is the best time for parties, danc­es, going to the cinema or theatre.

Having gone to bed late the night before, many people don't hurry to get up on Sunday morning, so they usually have a late breakfast. Some people like to have breakfast in bed. While having breakfast, people start reading the Sunday papers. It is quite usual for a family to have two or three Sunday pa­pers, and some families have more. These people have little time for anything else on Sunday morning.

Sunday dinner (some people call it Sunday lunch), which is at 1 o'clock or at 1,30, is traditionally the most important family meal of the week. Most people have a joint (a piece of meat roasted in the oven) which is served with roast or boiled potatoes, some other vegetables, and gravy. Then comes the pud­ding and finally tea or coffee. This heavy meal makes most people feel sleepy and passive, and they sit talking, reading newspapers, watching television until tea time. In summer they sit in the garden. More energetic people go out for a walk or to see friends.

Tea-time is 5-5,30. The 5 o'clock tea is another traditional meal, during which they don't just drink tea, but also eat sandwiches, sometimes cold meat and salad, fruit and cream, bread and butter and jam, and cakes.

As to Sunday evening, some people spend it quiet­ly at home, others go to see friends, go to a concert or film, or go out for a drink.

 

Sport

British people are fond of sports, perhaps more fond than any other nation in the world. Almost everybody is actively engaged in this or that kind of sports. Among the most popular sports are foot­ball, of course, then cricket, boat racing .and horseracing.

Football. Football is a very popular sport in Brit­ain, played between August and May (the football season). Many people support a particular team and often watch the games that their team plays. Profes­sional football is controlled by the Football Associa tion (the FA), Teams play regularly against other teams according to a fixed programme. A very im­portant competition is the FA Cup. The FA Cup is also open to amateur teams that belong to the Foot­ball Association. The two teams which are the win­ners of the FA Cup competition, play in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London. This is a very important national sporting event, and it is always watched by millions of people on TV.

Cricket. Cricket is another very popular sport in Britain, played mainly in summer (May — Septem­ber). Many people consider cricket to be England's national game and to be typical of the English style of behaviour, which includes above all a sense of hon­our and fairness.  ..

The Roat Race. The Boat Race is a rowing race on the River Thames held every year at the end of March or the beginning of April between teams from Ox­ford University and Cambridge University. It is a popular national event and is shown on TV.

The Henley Regatta. The Henley Regatta is a meet­ing for races between rowing boats at Henley1, a town on the Thames. It is an important social event for upper-class and fashionable people.

The Derby. The Derby is a very important annual horse race held at Epsoms in England in May or June, on a day which is known as Derby Day.

The Royal Ascot. It is a four-day horse-racing event held at Ascot4, a suburb of London, every June, and is one of the most important race meetings in Brit­ain. It is especially popular with upper-class people. Members of the royal family always attend it. One of the days is called Ladies' Day, and some of the wom­en like to wear very big and unusually looking hats.

 

Holidays

New Year. New Year is not such an important day in England as Christmas. Some people don't cel­ebrate it at all.

Many people have New Year parties. A party usu­ally begins at about eight o'clock and goes on until early in the morning. At midnight they listen to the chimes of Big Ben, drink a toast to the New Year and Sing Auld Lang Syne.

In London crowds usually gather round the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus and welcome the New Year.

St. Valentine's Day. St. Valentine is considered a friend and patron of lovers. For centuries St. Valen­tine's Day, February 14th, has been a day for choos­ing sweethearts and exchanging Valentine cards. At first a Valentine card was hand-made, with little paintings of hearts and flowers, and a short verse composed by the sender. In the 19th century Valen­tine cards appeared in shops, complete with verses and decorations, brightly coloured and gilded. The tradition of sending Valentine'cards is widespread all over the country, and lots of Valentine cards are posted and received every year on February 14th.

Easter. Easter is a Christian holiday in March or April, when Christians remember the death of Christ and his return to life. The holiday is marked by go­ing to church and then having a celebration dinner. Easter is connected in people's minds with spring, with the coming to life of the earth after winter. The most popular emblem of Easter is the Easter egg: a hard-boiled egg painted in different colours. Easter eggs are traditional Easter presents for children. Nowadays Easter eggs are usually made of chocolate.

Idrea get chocolate Easter eggs, and also choco­late Easter rabbits. They are either hollow or have aling, and are usually covered with brightly col­oured silver paper.

Each year, on Easter Sunday, London greets spring with a traditional spectacular Easter Parade in Bat-tersea Park. The Parade is a great procession of many richly decorated floats, that is large moving plat­forms on wheels, on which actors and amateurs per­form shows. The most beautifully decorated float moves at the back of the procession and carries the Easter Princess and her attendants.

May Spring Festival. The May Spring Festival, which is celebrated on the 1st of May, has to some extent retained its old significance — that of a pagan spring festival. Nowadays it is celebrated mostly by children and young people in many schools in dif­ferent parts of Britain. It is celebrated with garlands of flowers, dancing and games on the village green, where they erect a maypole — a tall pole decorated with flowers and ribbons. The girls put on their best summer dresses, put flowers in their hair and round their waists, and wait for the crowning of the May Queen. The most beautiful girl is crowned with a garland of flowers. After this great event there is dancing, and the dancers wear fancy costumes repre­senting characters from the Robin Hood legends.

Spring Bank Holiday. Spring Bank Holiday is cel­ebrated on the last Monday in May. It is an official holiday, when all the offices are closed and people don't go to work. Many people go to the country on this day and have picnics.

Late Summer Bank Holiday. It is another official public holiday, and it is celebrated on the last Mon­day in August. During the August Bank Holiday townsfolk usually go to the country and to the sea-coast. If the weather is fine,.many families take a picnic lunch or tea with them and enjoy their meal in the open. Seaside towns near London are invaded by thousands of Londoners, who come in cars and trains, on motor-cycles and bicycles.

The August Bank Holiday is also a time for big sports meetings at large stadiums, mainly all kinds of athletics. There are'also horse races all over the country, and, most traditional, there are large fairs with swings, roundabouts, Punch and Judy shows1 and every kind of other entertainments. Traditional on this day is the famous Henley regatta.

Guy Fawkes Night. Guy Fawkes Night is one of the most popular festivals in Britain. It commemo­rates the discovery of the so-called Gunpowder Plot, and is widely celebrated all over the country.

The story goes that there was a plot to destroy the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I during the ceremony of opening Parliament on November 5, 1605. The plot was organized by a group of Roman Catholics. In 1604 the conspirators rented a house near the House of Lords. From this house they dug a tunnel to a vault below the House of Lords and put into the vault 36 barrels of gunpowder. The plot was discovered because one of the conspirators wrote a letter to his relative, a member of the House of Lords, warning him to stay away from the House of Lords on the 5th of November. On November 4, a search was made of the parliament vaults, and the gunpowder was found, together with Guy Fawkes, who was to set off the explosion1. Guy Fawkes was hanged.

The historical meaning of the event is no longer important, but this day is -traditionally celebrated with fireworks and a bonfire, on which the figure of a man called Guy is burnt.

November 5 is a day on which children are allowed, under proper supervision» to let off fireworks, to make a bonfire and to burn on it a guy made of old clothes, straw and — if possible — one of father's old hats. On the days before November 5, one may see groups of children going about the streets with their faces black­ened and wearing some fancy clothes. Sometimes they have a little cart with a guy in it. They ask the pas­sers-by to give them a penny for the guy. With this money they buy fireworks for the festival.

Christmas. Christmas is the main public holiday in Britain, when people spend time at home with their families, eat special food and drink a lot. Christ­mas is a Christian festival to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.

Long before Christmas time shops become very busy, because a lot of people buy Christmas presents. A lot of money is spent on the presents, but many people enjoy it. Every day television and newspapers say how many days are left before Christmas. People also buy Christmas cards to send to their friends and relatives. The cards have the words Merry Christmas and pictures of the birth of Christ, Santa Claus, a Christmas tree, a robin, or scenes of old-fashioned Christmases.

In churches people sing Christmas carols — spe­cial religious songs. Sometimes groups of people walk about the streets and sing carols at the doors of hous­es. One of the well-known carols is "Silent Night".

Houses are usually decorated with lights and branches of needle-leaf trees2. Many people have a decorated Christmas tree in their houses.

Young children are told that Santa Claus will bring them presents if they are good. Before going to bed on Christmas Eve the children hang stockings at the back of their beds, for Santa Claus to put the presents in when he comes in the middle of the night through the chimney.

On Christmas Eve (the 24th of December) some peo­ple go to a special church service called Midnight Mass1 which starts at 12 o'clock at night.

Christmas is the day when people stay at home, open their presents and eat and drink together. The most important meal is Christmas dinner. The typi­cal meal consists of turkey with potatoes and other vegetables, followed by a Christmas pudding. Other traditional foods include a special Christmas cake and mince pies — small round cakes filled with a mixture of apples, raisins and spices.

The day after Christmas, the 26th of December, is also a publio-holiday. It is called Boxing Day. The name goes back to the old tradition: some time be­fore Christmas, boxes were placed in churches for the people to put some money or presents for the poor. On the day after Christmas, the 26th of Decem­ber, the priest opened the box and gave the contents away to poor people.

 

Traditions

Clubs. One of English traditions is clubs. A club is an association of people who like to meet together to relax and discuss things. These people are usually upper-class men or men connected with the govern­ment or other powerful organizations which control public life and support the established order of soci­ety. However, there are clubs of people not connect­ed with the ruling circles, for example cultural clubs, whose members are actors, painters, writers and crit­ics and their friends. In a word, clubs are organiza­tions which join people of the same interests. A club usually owns a building where members can eat, drink, and sometimes sleep. Gardening. Gardening is very popular with many people in Britain. Most British people love gardens, and this is one reason why so many people prefer to live in houses rather than flats. In suburban areas you can see many small houses, each one with its own little garden of flowers and shrubs. For many people gardening is the foundation of friendly rela­tions with neighbours. Flower-shows and vegetable-shows, with prizes for the best exhibits, are very popular.

Traditional ceremonies. Many traditional ceremo­nies have been preserved since old times and are still regularly observed.

Changing of the Guard. The royal palace is tradi­tionally guarded by special troops who wear colourful uniforms: scarlet tunics, blue trousers and bearskin caps. The history of the Foot Guards goes back to 1656, when King Charles II, during his exile in Holland, recruited a small body-guard. Later this small body­guard grew into a regiment of guards. Changing of the guard is one of the most popular ceremonies. It takes place at Buckingham Palace every day at 11.30. The ceremony always attracts a lot of spectators — Londoners as well as visitors — to the British capital.

Mounting the Guards. Mounting the Guard is an­other colourful ceremony. It takes place at the Horse Guards, in Whitehall, at 11 a.m. every weekday and at 10 a.m. on Sundays. It always attracts sightseers. The Guard is a detachment1 of Cavalry troops2 and consists of the Royal Horse Guards and the Life Guards. The Royal Horse Guards wear deep-blue tu­nics and white metal helmets with red horsehair plumes, and have black sheep-skin saddles. The Life Guards wear scarlet uniforms and white metal hel­mets with white horsehair plumes, and have white sheep-skin saddles. Both the Royal Horse Guards and the Life Guards wear steel cuirasses — body armour that reaches down to the waist and consists of a breastplate and a backplate fastened together. The ceremony begins with the trumpeters sounding the call. The new guard arrives and the old guard is relieved. The two officers, also on horseback, salute each other and then stand side by side while the guard is changed. The ceremony lasts fifteen minutes and ends with the old guard returning to its barracks.

The Ceremony of the Keys. The Ceremony of the Keys dates back 700 years and has taken place every night since that time. It was never interrupted even during the air-raids by the Germans in the last war. Every night, at 9.53 p.m. the Chief Warder1 of the Yeomen Warders (Beefeaters f of the Tower of Lon­don lights a candle lantern and goes, accompanied by his Escort, towards the Bloody Tower1. In his hand the Chief Warder carries the keys, with which he locks the West Gate2 and then the Middle Tower^. Then the Chief Warder and his Escort return to the Bloody Tower, where they are stopped by the sentry^. Then comes the following dialogue.

SENTRY. Halt!5 Who goes there?

CHIEF WARDER. The keys.

S. Whose keys?

CR. W. Queen Elizabeth's keys.

S. Advance, Queen Elizabeth's keys; all's well. Having received per­mission to go on, the Chief Warder and his Escort walk through the Arch­way of the Bloody Tower and face the Main Guard of the Tower, who gives the order to present arms1, which means to hold a weapon upright in front of the body as a ceremo­nial greeting to an offic­er of high rank2. The Chief Warder takes off his Tudor-style cap and cries, "God preserve Queen Eliz­abeth!" "Amen", answer the Main Guard and the Escort.

The Lord Mayor's Show. The local power of the City of London is headed by the Lord Mayor6 who is elected every year from among the most prominent citizens. The splendid ceremony of election known as the Lord Mayor's Show dates back more than six hundred years. It is al­ways watched by many thousands of people, who crowd the streets of the City of London on the second Sat­urday of November to see and admire its interesting procession. The ceremony begins at the Guildhall, the seat of the municipal gov­ernment2 in the City of Lon­don. Starting from the Guil­dhall at about 11.30 a.m., the newly-elected Lord May­or travels in a gilded coach which dates from the mid-eighteenth century. His body-guard is a company of Pikemen and Musketeers. The long, colourful proces­sion, made up of liveried footmen and coachmen, moves along the narrow streets of the City. At about noon the Lord Mayor arrives at the Royal Court of Justice, where he takes the oath before the Lord Chief Justice and Judges of the Queen's Bench to perform his duties faithfully. The bells of the City ring out as the festive proces­sion leaves the Court of Justice after the ceremony and heads for the Mansion House, the official resi­dence of the Lord Mayor. During the evening the traditional Banquet takes place at Guildhall. The Banquet is attended by many of the most prominent people of the country, and is usually televised. The Prime Minister delivers a political speech8, and a toast is proposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.