Andrea-Grade 9 Geography Traveller's Blog: England's Culture

England's culture is very unique. From their religion to their taste in food and choice of clothing, we can learn a lot about the English.

England's main religion is Christianity. Christianity then branches off into six main individual religions. Their names are Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, Methodism, Pentecostal, Eastern Orthodox Churches, like the Greek and Russian Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodoxy. The Christianity in England started when the Romans first came to England in the 200's and 300's. When the Romans left, the Christian culture stayed with the English and Roman Catholicism became the only religion in 664. Over the next few centuries more cathedrals and churches were built and some are still standing to this day! The Canterbury Cathedral (see picture) ,Wells Cathedral and the Bath Abbey are some of the main cathedrals in England.

The English has some interesting customs and traditions. For example, Queen Elizabeth II has TWO birthdays. Yes, you read that correctly, two birthdays. She has a formal birthday on April 21 and a public birthday on a day in June with preferable weather. Her birthday is marked by a gun is shot by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Hyde Park at 12:00. Gun shots are customary as they show respect or welcome. Guns are also fired on February 6 for Accession Day, April 21 for the Queen's actuall birthday, June 2 for Coronation Day, June 10 for The Duke of Edinburgh's birthday, November 14 for the Prince of Wales' birthday and The State Opening of Parliament that is normally in November or December. Another tradition in England is celebrating a holiday called May Day. This holiday is on May 1st and is celebrated because it is the time of year that the earth starts to warm up and flowers began to blossom. It is also believed that in May, romance is in the air once again. During the May Day ceremony, there is dancing around a Maypole, crowning a May queen and Morris Dancing.

England's food is not very different than ours here in Canada. The English love to eat roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips, and black pudding. Black pudding looks like a black sausage and is eaten sometimes at breakfast. The recipe can also vary from different regions. For example, in some places, it may be more peppery or fatty than black pudding from different regions. Yorkshire pudding is not eaten at desert like any other type of pudding. Instead, it is eaten as a main course. Yorkshire pudding is made out of flour, eggs, milk and is like a batter in the oven.To moisten the pudding, the English tops it with lots of gravy.

England's fashion is not that different than Canada's. As you can see in the picture on the left, lots of English people wear jeans, t-shirts, jackets, running shoes and scarfs. They also wear their formal suits for jobs,if required, and their best outfits for weddings. They also dress accordingly to the climate. They have overcoats, rain jackets and umbrellas for rainy weather, and anoraks (winter jacket) for the cold winter months. In Bradford, you will find lots of multicoloured silk. The English are also known for their choice in hats as you can see in the picture on the right. Popular stores for teenagers to shop at include TopShop, Miss Sixty, Kooaki,