Great Britain

Great Britain

1. General

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland. The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244 square kilometres. His the 75th place among other countries in the world. The population is over 55 million. About 80% of the population is urban. The capital of the country is London.

2. Geographical position and physical features:

The surface of Great Britain varies greatly. The northern and western part of the country is mountains and is called the Highlands. All the rest (south, east and centre) is a vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not long. The most important of them are the Severn and the Thames. There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country.

3. Climate

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain.

The weather in GB is very changeable. A fine morning can change into a wet afternoon and evening and the wrong side out. The English people say: "Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather." The English also say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when it rains all day long.

The best time of the year in GB is spring(of course, it rains in spring too). The two worst months in Britain are January and February. They are cold, damp and unpleasant. Summer months are rather cold and there can be a lot of rainy days. So most people who look forward to summer holidays, plan to go abroad for the summer.

4. National economy

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centres are Oxford and Cambridge universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centres of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.

5. Politic system

The United Kingdom is a monarchy and the Queen is the head of state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the London, the Conservative and the Liberal parties, The Conservative party is the ruling party nowadays.

 

 

 

 

 

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Holidays in Great Britain

 

There are many holidays in Great Britain. They are Christmas day, Boxing Day, New Year's day, Easter, May Day, Spring bank holiday and Summer bank holiday. Public holidays in Great Britain are called bank holidays because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed. The most popular holiday is Xmas. Every year the people of Norway make a present to the city of London. It is a big Xmas tree which is placed on Trufalger square. Central streets are beautifully decorated. During Xmas groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. Many churches hold carol services on the Sunday before Xmas. The fun starts the night before, on the 24 of December. This is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings above their beds, hoping that Santa Claus will come at night and fill them with toys and sweets. Xmas is a family holiday. Relatives prepare for the big Xmas dinner of turkey and Xmas pudding and everyone makes and receives presents. The 26th of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Xmas. This is the time to meet friends or sit at home and watch TV. New Year's day is less popular in Britain then Xmas. Besides public holidays there are some special holidays in Britain. One of them takes place on the 5th of November. On that day in 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the House of Parliament and to kill King James I. But he didn’t succeed. The King’s men found the bomb and took Guy Fawkes to the Tower. Since that day the British celebrate the 5th of November.

There are also some smaller and lesser known holidays in Great Britain.

 

 

Kazakhstan Holidays

 

Kazakhstan is a large multinational country which is rich with its both old traditions and new ones acquired for the period of Independence. The Republic of Kazakhstan observes international holidays such as New Year, 8 March but it also has holidays specific only for this country such as Unity Day, Capital Day etc.

 

All the holidays of Kazakhstan may be divided into national, state and professional ones. The national holidays are the holidays in honor of the events having a special historical importance for the development of Kazakhstan. Celebration of the national holidays is accompanied with holding of official events. Such holiday is considered Independence Day of Kazakhstan.

 

The state holidays are the holidays devoted to the events having social and political importance, they also include traditional Kazakh holidays. This category of the holidays includes New Year, 8 March, Nauryz, Unity Day, Capital  Day, Constitution Day etc.

 

In addition to these holidays Kazakhstan has another type of holidays – professional ones celebrated by some categories of citizens:

 

• Fatherland Defender’s Day – 7 May

• Political Repression Victims Memory Day -31 May

• The Republic of Kazakhstan National Symbols’ Day – 4 June

• Police Day – 23 June

• Health Professionals’ Day (third Sunday of June)

• Press, Television and Radio Day (last Sunday of June)

• Diplomatic Service Day - 2 July

• Tax Service Day – 6 July

• Metal-Maker’s Day (third Sunday of July)

• Transport and Communication Workers’ Day (first Sunday of August)

• Builders’ Day – (second Sunday of August)

• Sports Day (third Sunday of August)

• Miner’ Day (last Sunday of August)

• Knowledge Day – 1 September

 

The holidays of national and state nature are days off for the whole Kazakhstan population. These days Kazakhstan holds open-air merrymaking and official events. Various festive events and festive concerts with participation of both Kazakh and foreign stars are arranged for the country’s population.

 

Traditional customs in Kazakhstan

Kazakh culture and national traditions

Zharys Kasan is a celebration on behalf of a long-expected and desired baby. Children have always been highly prized by the Kazakhs. Kazakhs have always been known as a very generous people. For example, when an unexpected guest came to the house, the host would often butcher the only horse he owned in honor of the visitor. The same practice might be followed if the household was blessed with a child.

 

Shildekhana

A second celebration of new life in the Kazakh tradition was called the Shildekhana, and this gathering also included the participation of many young people. All participants donned their best clothes and rode their horses to the event if they had one. Others rode their bulls, and sang songs en route to the celebration. Elders came to give a "Bata", or blessing. Invited participants ate, had fun, and sang songs to the tune of the dombra, a traditional two-stringed instrument. Young people playing this instrument were expected to compose and improvise songs during the singing.

 

During the Shildekhana, the godmother sliced the boiled fat from a sheep's tail and put it in the baby's mouth. In this way it was believed that the baby would learn how to suck. And the baby who was trained in such a manner was believed would never have stomach trouble.

 

Besik Toi

The arrival of new birth, whether it be of a foal, calf, or baby also involved another celebration called Besik Toi. For babies, the tradition of Besikke Salu was practiced and involved placing the baby in the cradle for the first time. Special foods are prepared, and all the relatives, neighbors, and nearby children are invited. Guests to the feast brought "Shashu," or candies, kurts, and coins. The baby's cradle is made by a special master carver. Only women who have conceived their own children are allowed to place babies in their cradles, and any woman who would place a friend's baby in this place of honor must sew and present a new itkoiiek to the baby's mother.

 

The symbolism of the cradle is important in Kazakh tradition, which may be one reason that the Kazakhs often call their native place "Golden Cradle." When a mullah would be present for the Besik Toi, he would shout the baby's new name into his ears. And in ancient times, seven items - including a whip, a bridle, a fur coat, and a blanket would be placed in the cradle. Each of these items meant something to the family. A bridle and a whip signified family hopes that the baby might ride a horse, be brave or even become a batyr.

 

Tusau Kesu

After the baby's cradle and crawling stage, the scene is set for another celebration: when the baby begins to walk for the first time. Wealthier parents would butcher a cow for this celebration; less wealthy parents, a sheep. For the ceremony, black and white thread was prepared in advance to tie the baby's legs. The mother would ask one of the more energetic woman first to bind the baby; and then to cut the string. In this way the baby's first step would be toward his mother. Everybody would then wish the family great success for the baby's future. Here the reader might ask a question: Why use black and white thread instead of red or green? White is symbolized in this case to mean hopes for success without any obstacles. Black and white is associated with the concept of honesty, even to the level of taking a thread which does not belong to you. Cutting of such a thread meant if you see a person stealing something or an unpleasant situation, the watcher should try immediately to intervene.

 

Sundet toi (Circumcision)

If the baby was a boy, four or five was the age for circumcision and another toi. It was one of the remarkable days of a boy's life. Again relatives and friends of the family gathered, ate, and had fun. All the above mentioned traditions, except Sundet, were celebrated in honor of both son and daughter. From this point on we'll talk about boys and girls upbringing separately, because a son's upbringing was accomplished by the father, and a daughter's by the mother.

 

 

 

 

Customs and traditions in GB

 

I am going to tell you about English customs and traditions. First of all it concerns United Kingdom political system. In Great Britain there is no written constitution, only customs, traditions and precedents. After the English Revolution of Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy headed by King (now Queen, Elizabeth the second). Traditionally the queen acts only on the advice of her Ministers. She reigns but she does not rule.

 

Englishmen have traditions not only in political, but in social life. For example, London , the capital of England , is traditionally divided into three parts: the West End , the East end, and the City. The City is a historical, financial and business center of London . The East End is the district inhabited by the workers, and the West End is a fashionable shopping and entertaining center. English people like to spend their free time in numerous pubs where they can have a glass of beer and talk about different things with their friends.

 

The English are traditional about their meals. They eat eggs and bacon with toasts for breakfast, pudding or apple pie for dessert. Every English family has five o'clock tea. A typical feature of an English house is a fireplace, even when there is central heating in the house.

 

English people like domestic animals. Every family has a pet: a dog, a cat or a bird.

 

Politeness is a characteristic feature of Englishmen. They often say "Thank you", "Sorry", "Beg your pardon". Russian people, I think, have to learn this good custom.

 

Englishmen have many traditional holidays, such as Christmas, St.Valentine's Day, Mother's day, Easter and others.