Great Britain is most frequently associated with the royal family – Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles or Prince William. When we think of this country, beautiful pictures of London and Big Ben appear in our heads. The United Kingdom has also got an extensive history and a lot of outstanding people, such as William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. We cannot forget about the English language, which has become an international way of communication among people from different parts of the world. Great Britain is a place with a lot of traditions, some of which may be particularly shocking and unusual in other countries.
White wedding dresses
The practice of wearing a white dress to an altar has got its roots in the 19th century Great Britain. In those times and even earlier; when a woman was getting married she did not wear an outfit in this colour. The first person who did it was queen Victoria while marrying Prince Albert in 1840. Other wives-to-be followed her example and wearing a white dress on a wedding day is common until today.
Lack of a written constitution
One shocking fact is that in The United Kingdom there is no effective constitution, which would regulate functioning of the country. Instead, there are other regulations and standards applied, however not normalised, which results in a number of documents containing important and less important information. What is interesting, some of the laws are very old and require an update, for instance a ban on attending deliberations in a suit of armour – who in today’s times would wear such a garment?
How are you?
This fact concerns not only Great Britain but also The United States. “How are you?” which in Polish translation means “jak się masz?” is a question asked everyone on a daily basis, even strangers on the streets. In Poland it is a rare phenomenon to ask random passers-by about their mood. Even though it is universally accepted habit in the above mentioned countries, people asking do not expect that the answering person would start to confide their personal problems to them; it is more of a form of greeting, so an answer “thank you, good, and you?” is adequate.
The English Language
The topic of English is worth mentioning as it is used by millions of human beings. It enables people from completely different parts of the world and speaking other mother tongues to establish contact with one another. In reality, it does not come from the British Isles, but from the areas of today’s Germany and The Netherlands. English is being constantly expanded, and every year about 4 thousand new words appear. The most frequently used are “good” and “happy”, which in Polish translation means “dobrze” and “szczęśliwy”, making this language one of the happiest ones.
Afternoon tea
In spite of the fact that it is a habit less and less adhered to, Great Britain is still mostly associated with the afternoon tea drunk at 5 o’clock. The hour is due to the fact that in the past the aristocracy used to eat morning breakfast and evening dinner and the drink, served together with sandwiches and biscuits, was meant to appease the hunger appearing throughout the day. Presently, ordinary citizens do not have time for a teatime, however queen Elizabeth, for instance, does it.
As it is seen, The United Kingdom is a very interesting country with a lot of more and less surprising facts from everyday life. Surely, it is a place worth visiting in order to feel the specific cultural climate for oneself.
(translation K.B)
