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II. Let’s talk about customs and traditions of an English-speaking country

British customs and traditions are famous all over the world. When people think of Britain, they often think of people drinking tea, eating fish and chips and wearing bowler hats, but there is more to Britain than just those things.

In Britain customs and traditions play a more important part in the life of people than in other countries. A custom is the usual way of be­having or acting. A tradition is a custom, opinion or belief handed down from one generation to another, often orally or by practice. The British '* are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Some of them are very old games or plays. There is the Marbles Championship where people in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells on them dance to tradi­tional music with handkerchiefs or big sticks. The British Champion wins a silver cup known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing,

May 1st isn't a public holiday in Britain, but the 1st Monday after it is. There are many May Day Celebrations, especially in the country. People erect a maypole then, a tall pole with ribbons hanging from the top. Young children dance round it, holding the ribbons. Teenage girls sometimes enter for the May Queen competition.

Halloween is a day on which many children dress up. The day was originally callcd All Halloween's Eve, because it fell on October 31, the eve of all Saint's Day. Nowadays children dress up in costumes and go from door to door where they knock on the door, or ring the doorbell, and yell ‘Trick or treat!’ The idea being that the owners of the house give the children a treat (sweets or money) or the children will play a trick on them.

‘Remember, remember the 5th of November’ are the words of an old English song. In 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes had planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill James I. But he was caught and hanged. And still the British remember Guy Fawkes' Night or Bon­fire Night. On November 5th children put their 'Guys', figures made of sacks and straw dressed in old clothes, on the bonfire, bum them and light their fireworks.

A popular Scottish event is the Edinburg Festival for music and drama held each year. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best new poem in Welsh and for the best choir.

Some ceremonies are traditional, such as a Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parlia­ment. The Ceremony of Trooping the Colour is one of the most fasci­nating. It is staged in front of Buckingham Palace. It is held annually on the monarch’s official birthday on the second Saturday in June. The Queen is escorted by Horse Guards riding to the Parade. The ceremony is accompanied by the music of brass bands.

To know customs and traditions means to understand the people and their culture better. It has always been interesting for me to learn about Great Britain and its traditions. I hope one day I’ll be able to go there to see it with my own eyes.