Hello everyone!

In this article I will present you the different social rituals in England. You’ll learn all about the customs, the symbols, the events and the habits of England.

If I ask someone about what he knows on England, the words that come out will certainly be fish and chips, red buses, red telephone boxes, rainy weather, Big Ben, Queen Elizabeth II, black cabs, tea, English breakfast… But what is the reality of these social rituals?

Symbols:

Of course, the biggest symbol in England is the Queen Elizabeth II. She is the leader of the country since 1952. She is a symbol of durability and continuity of monarchy.

The rose: this flower is the emblem of England since the Wars of the Roses. This term is used to describe the different dynastic wars which happened in England between the houses of Lancaster and York (1455-1485). The emblem of Lancaster is a red rose and the emblem of York is a white rose. When the war ended, the two roses have been woven together forming the Tudor Rose.                                                                       

         Big Ben is one of the most popular bell in the world. The tower holds the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world. The building was renamed in 2012 to celebrate the 60^th jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and is now known under the name of Tour Elizabeth. Before, it was just called Clock Tower and Big Ben is, in reality, just a nickname.

The national anthem “God Save the Queen” written by Thomas Beecham.

National Celebrations and events:

On the 23rd of April, England celebrate the national day. This event is called St. George’s Day, St. George is the patron saint of England. A legend dating back to the 6th century tells that St. George saved a little girl who was imprisoned by a dragon. St. George’s name was also used by knights who fought for the one hundred years war and who were displayed the English flag banner (Red Cross on a white background).

Remembrance Day or Poppy Day is a memorial day in Commonwealth’s Nations members. Poppy Day is observed on November, the 11^th to recall the end of World War I in 1918. The poppy is a flower associated to this event in memory of those who died in the war. In England, many motorists wear the poppy on the front of their car.  

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday takes place on Tuesday, seven weeks before Easter. It is a Christian feast where people use to eat pancakes.

Habits and customs:

English love red… Red buses, red telephone boxes or red post boxes.

The famous English breakfast with bacon, sausages, eggs, beans… Actually, in England, the breakfast is the biggest meal in the day. English people use to eat snacks during the day because there is no real meal at midday. What surprise me is that every shop has a snack display (even drugstores!).

And what about the English tea custom? There are four special times for drinking tea in England. At first, there is the Early Morning Tea, took in the morning, it matches very well with the traditional English breakfast. Then, there is the Eleven Tea, took during the Eleven o’clock break. After, there is the Afternoon tea also called “five o’clock tea” which is very popular in England. To finish, there is the Night tea which is generally took at 7pm.

Is the weather really rainy? As I write this article, the sun is shining and there is no cloud to upset the blue sky. Yes, it’s true, sometimes it’s raining but I thought, before living France, that it will rain more than that.  

We always heard about ONE minute of silence to commemorate and remembering the contributions of those who have served the country but in England, there TWO minutes of silence. One for dead people and one for those who are alive.

Thanks for reading J See you in my next article !

Bibliography:

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