MONGOL ULAANBAATAR UNIVERSITY

BRITISH & AMERICAN CULTURE STUDY

LECTURE 13

Lecturer : Ts.DAGIIMAA, Ph.D, Prof

England

Map of England Flag of England Royal arms of England

London – the capital city of England and the United Kingdom lies on the River Thames, which winds through the city. Its many bridges, including London Bridge, are famous sight. The most distinctive is Tower Bridge, which was designed to blend in with the nearby Tower of London.

The Tower, which is guarded by the Yeomen Warders, was built in the 11th century. In the medieval period London grew rapidly in size and importance.

Westminster Abbey and the Guildhall date from this time, and the Palace of Westminster became the meeting place of Parliament. In 1666 many buildings were destroyed in the Fire of London. This provided an opportunity for architects like Christopher Wren to redesign much of the city.As London’s population increased, new streets, squares and parks were added, and many public buildings. London was heavily bombed in World War II, after which a new cycle of rebuilding began.

London is a busy commercial and cultrural centre. Many important financial organizations, including the Bank of England and the london Stock Exchange, are located in the area called the City. Part of the old port in east London has been redeveloped as a business centre, called Docklands. In the West End there are theatres, cinemas, museums and shops.Many people who work in London commute by train or bus from the suburbs because buying a house or flat near the centre is very expensive.

Different parts of the city are linked by the famous red London buses, black taxi cabs and the London Underground, often called the Tube.

People from all over the world have been attracted to London and it is now a cosmopolitan, multicultural city.

People from other parts of Britain sometimes think that it is very noisy and dirty.

Many go there only for the ‘bright lights’- the theatres round Shaftesbury Avenue or the shops of Oxford Street and Pegent’s Street.Others take their children to see the sights, such as Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lives, and the clock tower from which Big Ben chimes the hours. Young people are attracted to the bars and comedy clubs of Covent Garden, to live music concerts, and the stalls of Camden market and the cafes and pubs of Notting Hill and similar areas.

Festivals in Britain

In Britain, tickets of festival may be expensive. This tends to restrict the number and type of people who go to the main festivals, and many festival-goers are middle-aged, middle-class professional people. This in turn can affect the type of music or drama that the organizers put on.Some festivals, such as the Edinburgh Festival, have been running for many years.

A special feature of the Edinburgh Festival is the Fringe. Fringe events are usually avant-garde and attract a wide audience. They also get a lot of attention from the critics, and this can help the careers of younger performers. In Wales, several eisteddfods celebrate Welsh culture and include competitions for composers and artists.Many festivals concentrate on music. In Britain, the Aldeburgh Festival was founded by Benjamin Britten.

The most famous British music festival, however, is the Proms, held each summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Concerts contain a mixture of old favourities and new, specially commissioned pieces. Festivals of rock and pop music often huge informal open-air events attended by thousands of people, many of whom camp overnight in a nearby field.

The biggest rock festivals in Britain include Glastonbury, Reading and the Download festival, Donnington.

The main event in Britain is the London Film Festival, run by the BFI. There is also the Celtic Film and Television Festival, which promotes Celtic languages and cultures and takes place in a different town each year in Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, Wales or Brittany.

In Britain the town of Hay-on-Wye has a literary festival, and Stratford-upon-Avon has a poetry festival every summer.

Holidays & Vacations in Britain

Holiday in British English also means a period of time spent away from work or school, usually of a week or longer. This is called vacation in American English. So, the period of several weeks around Christmas when schools are closed is called the Christmas holiday in Britain and the Christmas vacation in the US. Holiday and vacation are also used to refer to the period when people go away for a time to a beach resort or to the country, or go travelling. British people have about four weeks’ paid leave from their jobs.

Most take their main holiday in the summer. People without children of school age often go on holiday in the off season when prices are lower and there are fewer other holidaymakers.

Some people stay in Britain for their holiday, but many rent a cottage in the country or go to beach resorts in Europe for one or two weeks. Some travel to the US or visit India, the Far East and other parts of the world.

Many British people going abroad buy package holidays sold on the internet or through high-street travel agents, which include transport, accommodation and sometimes excursions in the price.

Some people see their holidays as an opportunity to relax in the sun, but others prefer activity holidays during which they can visit famous buildings or go walking in the countryside.

A few go to a holiday centre, often called a holiday village, such as Butlin’s or Center Parcs, which provides entertainment for all the family.

People often arrange their holiday a long time in advance and look forward to it through the winter. Many people also have a short break, usually three or four days, e.g. at a country cottage in Britain or in a European city.

The New Year Holiday in BritainNew Year’s Eve is on 31 December, the last day before the New Year begins. In many places, people do the parties, bars or restaurants with friends in the evening. Sometimes they meet outside in a big square. In New York, thousands of people go to Times Square; in London, they go to Trafalgar Square. Just before midnight, people look at the clock, and together they count the last ten seconds before the New Year begins: ‘Ten, nine, eight… ’ At midnight they stand in a circle, join hands and sing an old song called ‘Auld Lang Syne’.

A Scottish man called Robert Burns wrote the words of this song about two hundred years ago. It is about remembering old friends. Many people drink a glass of champagne, light some fireworks, or dance until the sun comes up.In Scotland, New Year’s Eve has a special name: Hogmanay. At Hogmanay, there is a tradition called first footing. The first person to come into the house in the New Year is the first foot: if he is a tall, dark man, and someone you do not know, he will bring good luck. He must carry some food, some money, or a piece of coal for the fire.

New Year’s EveIn Edinburgh, there are house parties and

street parties, Scottish music and dancing, parades and lots of fireworks.

People often eat special food at this time.

HaggisThe traditional Scottish food for festivals

is haggis, which is like a large round sausage, usually made from sheep meat.

New Year’s Day is 1 January, the first day of the New Year. It is a holiday for most people, and the banks and many shops don’t open.

Many people stay at home on that day and rest. Most people go back to work on 2 January, but in Scotland they have two days’ holiday and go back to work on 3 January.

At this time of year, a lot of people make New Year’s Resolutions.

They decide to do something different to be a better person. For example, they say ‘I’m going to stop smoking’ or ‘I’m going to learn something new’ or ‘I’m going to work harder.’

The shops are very busy in January sales. This means things are cheaper than before Christmas, so it is a good time to buy winter clothes.

The first time people see friends in the New Year, they usually say ‘Happy New Year!’