CULTURE AND TRADITIONS OF GREAT BRITAIN.

Plan:

1) State symbols of the country.

2) National Emblems

3) Patron Saints

4) England: the City of London, Westminster, the West End, the East End.

5) Holidays

1) The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. “Union” reflects the union of England and Scotland in 1606. “Jack” means the flag on the jack staff of ships to show their nationality. The Union Jack is made up of 3 crosses on a blue ground. The blue color refers to the seas surrounding Britain. The central red Cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross (with the arms going into the corners) is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. David is the patron saint of Wales, but this symbol isn’t reflected in the Union Jack, because when the flag first appeared Wales was united with England. The Welsh flag is a red dragon in a white and green ground.

2) The Rose

The red rose was the emblem of the Lancastrians, the white rose that of the Yorkists, the two contending Houses for the English throne in the Wars of the Roses (1455-85). All rivalry between the Roses ended by the marriage of Henry VII, the Lancastrian with Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV, the Yorkist. The red rose has since become the national emblem of England.

St George the Martyr is the patron saint of England and his cross is the symbol of England and the Church of England. In ancient days the standard of St George was borne in battle before the kings of England. In his name the highest order of English knighthood the Order of the Garter* was instituted by Edward III about 1348.'

The Thistle

The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. This is how, according to a curious legend, that homely plant came to be chosen as a badge, in preference to any other.

In very ancient times the Norsemen* once landed somewhere on the east coast of Scotland, with the intention of plundering and settling in the country. The Scots assembled with their arms and took their stations behind the river Tay, the largest in Scotland, at the only practicable ford. As they arrived late in the day, weary and tired after a long march, they pitched their camp and rested, not expecting the enemy before the next day.

The Norsemen however were near; noticing that no guards or sentinels protected the camp, they crossed the river Tay, intending to take the Scots by surprise and slaughter them in their sleep. To this end, they took off their shoes so as to make the least noise possible. But one of the Norsemen stepped on a thistle. The sudden and sharp pain he felt caused him to shriek. The alarm was given in the Scots' camp. The Norsemen were put to flight, and as an acknowledgement for the timely and unexpected help from the thistle, the Scots took it as their national emblem.

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