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Culture of United Kingdom
United Kingdom (UK) is an industrialized country and a leading trading and financial center of the world. It is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in Europe. It is blessed not only with a treasure of spectacular landscapes including serene lakes and beautiful beaches but also has castles, mansions and cathedrals. United Kingdom has a number of other tourist attractions such as art galleries, royal palaces, national parks and museums; all of which add to the fascination that prompt people from all over the world to visit, every year. But, these are not the only attractions for the tourists. Many people visit United Kingdom to experience its interesting and distinctive culture. Have a look into the details of the culture of United Kingdom.
Culture of United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or just United Kingdom is made up of four countries such as England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. England, Wales and Scotland together form Great Britain. The culture of United Kingdom reflects the varied but distinctive influence of different customs and traditions of these four countries.
Language: United Kingdom has no official language as such; however, about 90% of citizens in UK communicate in English. Hence, English is considered as the official language. Individual countries in United Kingdom prefer their indigenous languages; so Welsh, Cornish and Scottish Gaelic are also commonly spoken along with English.
Religion: Majority of the people in United Kingdom follow Christianity; most of whom are Protestant Christians. While in United Kingdom, you will come across a number of world-famous churches and cathedrals. Other communities in UK are Roman Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.
Cuisine: British cuisine encompasses the cooking traditions of the British Isles. It reflects the cultural influence of the colonial era as well as post-war immigrations. British cuisine boasts of a rich variety of sumptuous dishes from its different regions. Staple foods include chicken, beef, pork, lamb and fish, served with potatoes and other vegetables. The most popular dishes are fish and chips, sandwiches, trifles, pies and roasts. Some of the geographically indicated foods are the Yorkshire pudding, Cheshire cheese, Welsh rarebit and Arbroath Smokie.
Festivals and Events: A number of festivals celebrated in United Kingdom are centuries old. Major festivals in UK are Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Halloween. Christmas is celebrated not only in the United Kingdom, but all over the world. Christmas in England started in AD 596, when St. Augustine brought Christianity to English shores. The traditional Christmas dinner in UK includes roast turkey and vegetables along with a sauce.
Thanksgiving is another important festival in UK. It is a form of harvest festival. The origin of Thanksgiving dates back to 1620. The custom of decorating the church, with home-grown products continues till date. The English Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries and olives.
Halloween is annually celebrated on October 31. This festival has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival, called 'Samhain' that marks the end of the harvest season. According to the beliefs of Gaels, the boundary between the live and the dead dissolved on October 31. People in UK arrange Halloween parties and dress up as ghosts, skeletons or other scary figures.
Besides these there are other festivals, for example: New Year and Plough Monday in the month of January; the Harvest Festival in September; during November, it is Remembrance Day and Bonfire Night.
There are also popular events which people from all over the world attend. In England, there are Aldeburgh Festival, Beached Festival in Scarborough, Brighton Festival, Castlemorton Common Festival, Greenbelt Festival, and Harvest Festival. Some famous events in Scotland include: Edinburgh Festival, Hebridean Celtic Festival and Shetland Folk Festival. Festivals held in Wales are Pontardawe Festival, National Eisteddfod of Wales, Llangollen International Eisteddfod and Urdd National Eisteddfod.
Costumes: There is no national dress code in the United Kingdom. A kilt is the national dress of Scotland. The national dress of Wales constitutes a long skirt, worn with a petticoat and a shawl. The customs and traditions regarding costumes are associated with particular people like the Queen's Guard or the Beefeater. Costumes for the Morris dance or May dance are considered as the examples of traditional English costume.
Literature: Most of the British literature is written in English language. However, some literary works have also been written in Welsh, Latin, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic, Jerriais and other languages native to United Kingdom. United Kingdom is home to a number of world-famous authors and poets such as William Wordsworth, William Blake, Lord Byron, John Keats, George Bernard Shaw, William Shakespeare, William Golding, Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy.
Music and Dance: Morris dance, May dance and Long Sword or Rapper Sword dance are the folk dances of England. The traditional dances of Scotland include Strathspeys, Reels, Waltzes and Jigs.
United Kingdom has made great contributions in the field of classical music. John Taverner, William Byrd, Benjamin Britten, Edward Elgar and William Walton are some well-known British composers. United Kingdom is also home to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. UK has also made significant contribution to the development of rock music. A number of world-famous bands like The Rolling Stones, Manic Street Preachers, Judas Priest, The Beatles and Black Sabbath originated in the United Kingdom.
The culture of United Kingdom is reflected in the customs and traditions, ethnic groups, religions and the way of living in the United Kingdom.