GREAT BRITAIN: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

GREAT BRITAIN: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

ACTUALITY OF THE PROJECTknow more from the history of Great Britain;find out information about British customs and traditions, their origin and history;revise territorial division of Great Britain;listen to points of view about customs and traditions; speak about associations connected with some customs and traditions;write about impressions;analyze school traditions in Britain and Ukraine;

TASKS OF THE PROJECTcreate multimedia presentation;inform the results of the investigation;socialize pupils;develop social norms and social values among the learners; involve the knowledge of different subjects in solving social problems;develop students’ skills in critical thinking;initial discussion of the idea;

AIMS OF THE PROJECTfind out the concepts;create mind-maps; publish bulletins;practicing language skills;displaying the result of the research;collecting information;decide form of the project;

REALIZATION OF THE PROJECTfind information;study vocabulary;analysis of the texts;draw a conclusion;search of interesting materials and pictures;publishing of bulletins;presentation for the pupils;

DEFINITIONCustom - a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time. Synonyms – tradition, practice, usage, way, observance, convention, procedure, ritual, ceremony, ordinance, form, formality, mode, fashion, manner

DEFINITIONTradition - the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. Synonyms – historical convention, unwritten law, oral history, heritage, folklore, lore

MONARCHYThe UK is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen is the head of state. The power of Queen is not absolute. It is limited by Parliament. The monarch can only reign with the support of Parliament. Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government, and the Monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.

PARLIAMENTThe oldest parliament in the world. Two-chamber system: the House of Lords (800) and the House of Commons (650). Political parties - the Conservative, the Liberal, the Labor and the Communist Parties. The Government and the Official Opposition. The Prime Minister and the leader of the “Shadow Cabinet”There is no written constitution, only customs and traditions. The ceremony of opening. All members wear traditional wigs and gowns. The Lord Chancellor sits on the woolsack. The Speaker turns on the light to tell that Parliament is in session. There is the Stranger’s Gallery in each House.

HOMEThe English are stay-at-home people. They say: “There is no place like home”, “East or West, home is best”, “Home, sweet home”, “My home is my castle”. They live in small houses. Englishmen are very fond of fireplaces. They spend their days off at home with their families. Their hobby is gardening. Britain is also a nation of animal lovers that’s why every family has a pet, which is paid much attention to.

EDUCATIONThe system of education is determined by the National Education Acts. It is divided into four categories: nursery, primary, secondary, tertiary. There are two types of schools: state and private. It is compulsory to wear a uniform. The timetable begins at 8.30 a.m. and finishes at 3.30 p.m. The school year is divided into three terms: autumn, winter and spring. The principal examination is the General Certificate of Secondary Education. Many schools also have a discipline system to punish low standards of work or unacceptable behavior and a commendation system to praise high standards of work.

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALSThere are many holidays in Great Britain. The main holidays are Christmas and Bank holidays. They are named so due to the fact that on those days the banks are closed. The bank holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, spring and late summer holidays and Boxing Day. There are some winter customs and traditions such as to organize parties ; to lay festive tables ;to wrap the presents ; to exchange the presents ; to sing songs (carols) ; to send greeting cards (1840) ;to give new year’s resolutions ; to decorate houses with wreaths, garlands, fir-trees, candles ; to kiss under the mistletoe . Many holidays are connected with the history of Great Britain such as Guy Fawkes’ Day, the Eisteddfod, Robin Hood Dance, Halloween and others.

SPORTThe British are proud that many sports originated from their country and then spread throughout the world. The national British sports are: football, golf, cricket, table tennis, lawn tennis, darts, racing. The most popular kind of sports in Britain is football. Golf is Scotland’s chief contribution to British sport. English people love cricket. Wimbledon is the centre of lawn tennis. The Wimbledon championship is held annually in the southern suburb of London. Englishmen like racing: horse-racing, motor-car-racing, boat-racing, dog-racing, donkey-racing. The most famous boat race is between Oxford and Cambridge.

TRAFFICThe traffic regulations in Great Britain differ from other countries. Cars and buses go on the left side of the street and not on the right. To cross the street you must look to the right and then to the left. The English buses are very high, because they are double-decked, all of them are red. All the buses have a conductor and people pay him a fare. The English taxi is black by colour. Very few trams and buses run in the streets of London on Sundays.

MEALSThe usual meals in Great Britain are breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. The English are very fastidious about their meals and keep to their meal times strictly. Porridge is one of the popular dishes. Tea is their national drink. The English like it strong and fresh made. They drink it with or without sugar, but almost always with milk. It is important to pour tea into milk, and not vice versa. The Englishmen always drink tea out of cups, never out of glasses. Scotch whisky is their national alcoholic drink.

PROVERBS ABOUT CUSTOMS

QUOTES ABOUT TRADITIONS

CONCLUSIONEvery country and every nation has its own customs and traditions. You cannot speak about Britain without speaking about its traditions and customs. British traditions are rather interesting and unusual. If you arrive in Great Britain, you’ll hear the word “tradition” everywhere. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and keep them up with great honor. They have a sentimental love for traditions and customs because they are old. They never throw away old things.

QUESTIONSDo you like customs? Why? Why not?What traditions do you know?What is your favourite custom?What are the most popular Ukrainian traditions?What are the main customs in the UK?What are the main traditions in the USA?How do people keep their customs and traditions all over the world?

LITERATUREThe Internet. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners

HOMETASKMake a theme crossword ;Write a short story or a fairy-tale about custom (s);Create a presentation about your favourite tradition (s);Write a letter to your English pen friend about the origin of Ukrainian customs and traditions;Make a table game about Ukrainian customs and traditions;Publish a bulletin about traditions in the English speaking countries;Your own variant;

PROJECT MANAGER