Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs. Traditions make a nation special. Some British customs are known all over the world: bowler hats, 5 o’clock tea and talking about the weather, fish and chips. Englishmen have many traditional holidays, such as Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s Day, Easter and others. There’s also St Valentine´s Day in February and April Fool´s Day on April 1st. The English are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people. They are steady, easy-going and fond of sports. There are certain kinds of behavior, manners and customs which are peculiar to England. The English are naturally polite and are never tired of saying < Thank you > and < I am sorry >. They are generally disciplined, you never hear loud talk in the street. The English are a nation of stay-at-homes. There is no place like home. The Englishman says < My house is my castle > because he doesn't wish his doings to be overlooked by his neighbours. It is true that English people prefer small houses, built for one family. The fire is the focus of the English Home. The love of gardens is deep-rooted in the British people. Most men's conversations are about gardens. It may be a discussion of the best methods of growing cucumbers, a talk about the plot which differs from all the others. Britain is a nation of animal lovers. They have about five million dogs, almost as many cats, 3 million parrots and other cage birds, aquarium fish - and 1 million exotic pets such as reptiles. How do they spend their week-ends. Those who live in cities and towns like to go out of town. They may go to stay in the country. On Sunday after breakfast they may go to work in the garden take a dog for a walk, play a visit to a pub. Sunday is a day for inviting friends and relatives to afternoon tea. There are some traditions concerning food. English cooking is heavy, substantial and plain. The Englishman likes a good breakfast. To him a good breakfast means porridge with, fish, bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, tea or coffee. It is the same day to day. The English like their toast cold. Tea is part of the prose of British life, as necessary as potatoes and bread. Sunday dinner is a special occasion, it is a joint of beef or lamb with vegetables. Then goes a large heavy pudding with custard. From 4 to 6 there is a very light meal called 5 o'clock tea. It is a snack of thin bread and butter and cups of tea with small cakes. This became a kind ritual. At this time everything stops for tea. There are many customs and some of them are very old. There is, for example, the Marble Championship, where the British Champion is crowned; he wins a silver cup known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing. Morris Dancing is an event where people, worn in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells, dance with handkerchiefs or big sticks in their hands, while traditional music- sounds. Another example is the Boat Race, which takes place on the river Thames, often on Easter Sunday. A boat with a team from Oxford University and one with a team from Cambridge University hold a race. British people think that the Grand National horse race is the most exciting horse race in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Sometimes it happens the same day as the Boat Race takes place, sometimes a week later. Amateur riders as well as professional jockeys can participate. It is a very famous event. There are many celebrations in May, especially in the countryside.
Traditions and customs play a great part in the nation, which consists of many ethnic communities and is often called a nation of immigrants. Technically there are no ‘national’ holidays as each state has jurisdiction over its holidays but in fact most of the US holidays are celebrated nationally. The states observe federal public holidays. These are Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and some others. Thanksgiving is considered the most American of the holidays. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The holiday commemorates the first hard year the Pilgrims lived in the New World. When the English Pilgrims first came to the New World they had a very hard winter and it was questionable whether most of them would survive. When they began planting seeds they had to struggle with the rocky soil and bitter climate. Finally in the fall the fields produced a yield beyond expectations. They couldn’t have done it on their own. Thanksgiving also includes the native American Indians who helped them and showed them how to use fish heads as fertilizers. If it hadn’t been for the Indians, there might not have been the first Thanksgiving. In 1863 president Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring Thanksgiving a federal holiday. Today it is very much a family holiday celebrated with big dinners and happy family reunions. It is a time for families to get together for what is often a long weekend. The traditional food is Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie. In recent years the holiday has become even more popular. Independence Day is also very important because it celebrates the nation’s independence from Great Britain and the real founding of the United States as a country. The fourth of July is the day when back in 1776 the Declaration of Independence, a document which declared the 13 American colonies free and independent states, was adopted. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, who later became the nation’s third president.
Since Independence Day is a summer holiday and a day off from work, many families enjoy picnics or outings. In the evening there are always fireworks. The occasion is also commemorated by colorful and noisy parades. Christmas, December 25, is the most festive time of the year in the US. Students from elementary school through college have one to two weeks’ vacation beginning shortly before Christmas and ending after the New Year. Many families go away for the holiday and there are numerous parties. In the USA the spirit of Christmas arrives about a month before the holiday itself. Late in November, streetlights and store windows are decorated with the traditional Christmas colors of red and green. Families decorate their homes, inside and out, with colored lights and evergreen. The most beautiful and meaningful aspects of the holiday occur at home. Usually families gather around the Christmas tree, open their gifts and then sit down to enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner - turkey or ham, sweet potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and nuts. For dessert, there is usually fruit cake, plum pudding, or mince pie. Most of Christmas customs are variations of traditions brought to America by European immigrants. The most popular are: exchanging gifts, receiving toys from Santa Claus, decorating the home with evergreen (especially green wreaths), singing Christmas Carols (songs of joy and praise), making Christmas tree. All over the USA many communities make a large Christmas tree the center of their holiday activities. Several such trees become traditional: the one at Rockefeller Center in New York City, The “Nation’s Christmas Tree” in King’s Canyon National Park, California and the tree in Washington D.C. in front of the White House. Columbus Day.
Throughout most of the US Columbus Day, the anniversary of the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492 is celebrated on the second Monday in October. It is believed that the first celebration of the discovery of America occurred in New York in 1792 but it was not until 1934 that all states were asked to observe Columbus Day as a federal holiday. Columbus is admired for his courage, self-confidence and perseverance. American children love to retell and dramatize the exciting tale of his famous voyage in 1492.
The United States is sometimes described as a "melting pot" in which different cultures have contributed their own distinct "flavors" to American culture. There is no official language of the United States, according to the U.S. government. Nearly every known religion is practiced in the United States, which was founded on the basis of religious freedom. American cuisine has been influenced by Europeans and Native Americans in its early history. Today, there are a number of foods that are commonly identified as American, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and meat loaf. Although in the grand scheme of things, America is a relatively young nation, in its 237 year (as of 2013) history it has created and nurtured its own flourishing traditions and customs. Thanksgiving and the 4th July are known the world over, but there are other peculiarities that make up American culture. For example, the voting of the presidential election only ever takes place on a Tuesday. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, confused? Therefore November 2nd is the earliest date it can fall on and November 8th the latest. Groundhog Day, made famous by the 90s comedy film of the same name, is the 2nd February. Folklore has it that if, when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on the 2nd of February it is cloudy, then spring will come early. If it is sunny, however, the groundhog will upon seeing its shadow retreat back underground and winter weather will continue for another 6 weeks.