You and your friends are going to take a trip to London and you’re planning to visit some royal ceremony. Discuss which ceremony you would like to see and why.

Think of traditional British holidays and customs. What British festivals do you know? Do we have the same or similar festivals in Russia?

Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs which make it special. There is no other nation that clings to the past with the tenacity of the British. The Briton has a sense of the continuity of history. He loves to go through his ancient ceremonies as he has always performed them with the consciousness that he is keeping faith with his ancestors, that he is maintaining the community they created. You cannot really imagine Britain without all its traditions, this integral feature of social and private life of the people living on the British Isles that has always been an important part of the British way of life.

British traditions can be classified into several groups: traditions concerning private life (child’s birth, wedding, marriage); national holidays, religious holidays, public festivals, traditional ceremonies.

* You can find a complete list of “Holidays and Notable Special Days in the UK” in Unit 14. Supplements.