Traditions in our motherland

Traditions of English-speaking countries


The subject of my work is to study the customs and traditions of English-speaking countries. And I want to say that life in these countries is full of traditions and customs. Some of them are very beautiful, colorful and picturesque and it seems very reasonable; others - are curious, sometimes funny, sometimes there are only a tourist attraction. Many traditions have appeared a long time ago and have been for centuries, while others - appeared relatively recently. But some of them long outlived itself and become cumbersome and are only due to the well-known British conservatism. There are many traditions associated with historical events, the Parliament, the Court of university life, and traditions and customs that occur in everyday life.
Approximately one third of the world's population speak English. For some, it is native, the other - because of historical circumstances, it became the second after the mother. In countries where English was introduced, it is distorted and transformed with the new for him, "living conditions", "adapted" to local customs and traditions, taking various dialectal forms.
 A similar thing happened with the native English tradition. In different areas they acquired their own interpretation and gradually changed and even to such an extent that the comparison is hardly possible to find similarities in the old English tradition and transformed.
One of the main traditions of the majority of the world is celebrating its national holiday. In France, Bastille Day, the United States - the Independence Day, in Germany two national holiday - Liberation Day and Republic Day. In our country - the Day of sovereignty. Introduction
Independence Day
On July 4 the Americans celebrate their national holiday-independence Day. The United States gained independence as a result of gradual and painful process. By the mid 1700’s it became difficult for thirteen British colonies in the New World to be ruled by a kind 3000 miles across the ocean. The British Empire imposed high taxes upon the colonies.
In 1774, the First Continental Congress drew up a list of grievances against the British crown. This document was the first draft of the document that would formally separate colonies from England. In 1755, the Revolutionary War began. On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress presented a second draft of the list of grievances. On July 4 the Continental Congress approved the declaration of Independence. But the War of independence lasted until 1783. After the war Independence Day became an official holiday.
On July 4, Americans have holiday from work. People have day-long picnic with favorite foods like hot dog, hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans. Lively music is heard everywhere. People play baseball or compete three-legged races or pie-eating or water-melon-eating contests. Some cities have parades with people dressed as the original founding fathers who march to the music of high school bands. In the evening people gather to watch firework displays. Wherever Americans are around the globe they will get together to celebrate Independence Day.
Sport. Americans’ interest in sport seems excessive to many foreign visitors. Television networks spend millions of dollars arranging to telecast sport events. Publications about sports sell widely. In the US professional athletes can became national heroes.
Sports are associated with educational institutions in a way is unique. High schools have coaches as faculty members, and school teams compete with each other. Nowhere else in the world are sports associated with colleges and universities in the way they are in the States. College sports, especially football, are conducted in an atmosphere of intense excitement and pageantry. Games between teams attract nationwide television audiences. The sport that is most popular in most of the world-soccer-is not well known in the US. The most popular sports are football and baseball, games that are not played in large number of countries.
Spots play such an important role in American life that the sociology of sport, sport medicine, and sport psychology have become respectable specializations. Many Americans jog every day, or play tennis or bridge two or three times a week. They go on ski trips and hunting expeditions that require weeks of planning and organizing. In Americans’ view, all these activities are worth the discomfort they may cause because they contribute to health and physical fitness. That is probably why Americans are known as a healthy nation.
Americans are very fond of sport. The most popular sports in USA are football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey. American football derives from the English game of rugby. It started at Harvard University in the1870’s. It is a game for two teams of eleven men on field. The object of the game is to have control of the ball and to score points by carrying it across the goal-line. Baseball is a team game derived from the English game of cricket. It is played with a bat and ball by two teams of nine players each, on a field with four bases. Baseball is the national game in the USA and it is very popular in Canada too.
Basketball is a game which nowadays is popular all over the world. It was invented in 1891. During the ‘20s the first US league championship was organized. In the ‘70s the American Championship was divided into two leagues: the ABA (American Basketball Association), which does not exist any longer and which played with a blue, red and white ball and NBA (National Basketball Association). The NBA is a professional league which still plays. There are more activities which Americans take part in such as golf, swimming, tennis, aerobics, wrestling, etc.