Customs, Celebrations and Holidays

What are the most common British and American customs, traditions and celebrations?

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.

Do they have roots in the cultural heritage of the people or do they emphasize the modern problems and aims?

Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values, so we can say that some of the traditions and holidays have their roots in the cultural heritage of people. But on the other hand, there are some modern customs and holidays on which large companies earn a lot of money, making those holidays fully commercial due to the advertising that people should give expensive gifts to each other on those occasitions. Take St. Valintines Day for example. Another problem is that it is just fashionable to celebrate some holidays that do not belong to your culture. People who adopt (перенимают) those traditions do not think about the origin of these holidays, the meaning of them. All of this points out how arrogant (наглый), ignorant and led (ведомый) our society is.

Do you believe that customs are fraught with (череваты) superstitions?

I do believe so. Let me explain myself. A very long time ago people used to clang their glasses (чокаться) as to make sure that the drink wasn’t poisoned. You see, when they clanged their glasses, the drink from one glass could easily get into another. And that was a very good insurance. It wasn’t a tradition or a custom back then, but eventually it became one. But what is interesting, is that nowadays, in our Slavic countries, it became some sort of a superstition – the glasses are not clanged only at the funeral and one should always clang his glass during the celebrations, otherwise, it will bring bad luck.

What is the difference between customs and superstitions?

A custom is something that is standard through out either the country of your heritage or the country you live in. For e.g. in Italy, sugar coated almonds are wrapped in netting and given out at the reception. In Poland money is pinned to the bride’s gown to help the couple set up their new home. In Belarus, the guests receive small thank you gifts for attending the wedding. A flower girl throwing rose petals as she walks down the aisle before the bride is an old custom in Britain. These are only a few examples of some customs in different countries. They may have been brought over generations ago and have now branched out and become family traditions. Traditions are customs or symbols that hold special meaning to each culture, family or individual. Superstion is irrational belief or practice, either cultural, personal or religious, usually founded on ignorance or fear, and characterized by obsessive reverence for omens, lucky charms, etc.; it is also any irrational belief, esp. with regard to the unknown. Superstition is a traditional belief that a certain action or event can cause or foretell an apparently unrelated event.

What are the most common superstitions? What is their role in everyday life?

Kinds of superstitions. Many superstitions deal with important events in a person’s life, such as birth, entering adulthood, marriage, pregnancy, and death. Such superstitions supposedly ensure that a person will pass from one stage of life to the next. For example, a person born on Sunday will always have good luck. A bride and groom will have bad luck if they see each other on their wedding day before the ceremony. A pregnant woman must eat the right food, or she will give her child an unwanted birthmark. After a person dies, the doors and windows of the room should be opened so the spirit can leave. Some superstitions involve a type of magic. One form of such magic comes from the belief that similar actions produce similar results. Many people believe a newborn baby must be carried upstairs before being carried downstairs. In this way, the child will be assured of rising in the world and having success. The same principle appears in the custom of putting money in a purse or wallet being given as a gift. The giver wants to make sure the purse or wallet will always contain money. A number of superstitions involve someone’s taking a deliberate action to cause something to happen or to prevent something from occurring. Most of these causal superstitions involve ensuring good luck, avoiding bad luck, or making something good happen. For example, some people will not start a trip on a Friday, especially if it is the 13^th day of the month. Friday and the number 13 are both associated with bad luck. Such superstitions vary from country to country. According to a Japanese belief, the number 4 is unlucky. This is because shi, the Japanese word for that number, sounds like the Japanese word that means death. As a result, many buildings in Japan have no fourth floor According to another superstition, wedding guests throw rice at the newlyweds to ensure that the marriage will result in many children. Causal superstitions may involve actions intended to give bad luck to someone. Witches supposedly perform some of these actions. Other superstitions foretell an event without any conscious action by the person involved. Some of these sign superstitions foretell good or bad luck. For example, finding a horseshoe or a four-leaf clover means good luck. Breaking a mirror or spilling salt brings bad luck. Other sign superstitions foretell a certain event or condition. A ring around the moon means rain will soon fall. A howling dog means death is near. A person with red hair has a quick temper. Some sign superstitions may be changed into causal superstitions. If a person hangs a horseshoe over a door, witches cannot enter. If a young woman pins a four-leaf clover to her door, she will marry the first bachelor who comes in the door. In some cases, a person may avoid the bad luck involved in a sign superstition by taking immediate action. For example, someone who has spilled salt may cancel the bad luck by throwing a pinch of salt over the left shoulder.

The role of superstitions. Many people scoff at superstitions because they consider such beliefs to be unscientific. However, many scholars believe that some superstitions have a scientific basis. For example, people in England once used tea made from foxglove plants to treat some forms of heart disease. Today, doctors often prescribe digitalis, a drug made from dried leaves of the purple foxglove, for patients with weak hearts. Some superstitions have a practical origin. For example, many people believe that lighting cigarettes for three individuals from one match will bring bad luck. This superstition may have originated among soldiers during World War I (1914-1918). At night, a match that stayed alight long enough to light three cigarettes provided a target for the enemy. Another superstition involves hanging a bag of garlic around a child’s neck for protection from illness. The garlic-filled bag has no supernatural power. But its smell keeps away other children – including any who have a disease that the wearer of the bag might catch. Most people have fears that make them insecure. Superstitions help overcome such fears by providing security. They reassure people that they will get what they want and avoid trouble. For example, millions of people believe in astrology and base important decisions on the position of the sun, moon, planets and stars. Superstitions will probably have a part in life as long as people fear each other and have uncertainties about the future. Superstitions are related to amulet, augur, birthstone, Blarney stone, divination, evil eye, exorcism, fetish, fortunetelling, Friday, ghost, magic, mental illness, moon, necromancy, occultism, omen, palmistry, vampire, voodoo, witchcraft.