British and American culture
History and celebrations

Next in a series of articles on the English language and
British and American culture.

What do you know about the United Kingdom?

Names

The history of the United Kingdom is reflected in the history of the country's names: the Anglo-Saxons invaded and called the colony Angles Land. Then it formed part of the Roman Empire under the name of Britannia. When it was united as a monarchy, England gained political control of the rest of the British Isles and large territories around the world, giving rise to the British Empire, one of the largest empires in history. Nowadays, the United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Who governs the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Laws are passed in parliament which is made up of two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The three main political parties are: The Labour Party, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrat Party. Scotland and Northern Ireland currently have their own regional parliament and Wales has a National Assembly.

The famous five o'clock tea

A popular song in the United Kingdom has the line 'everything stops for tea'. Even though this is no longer true and nowadays people drink as much or even more coffee, tea continues to be the drink inextricably linked with British culture. The word tea not only refers to the drink but also to the late-afternoon meal, or afternoon tea, which people traditionally ate around five.

What do you know about the United States?

The Colonies

The United States emerged from the British colonization of America, led by waves of principally English immigrants who founded the Colonies. All types of people arrived: adventurers, criminals, fervent believers, builders, dreamers etc. America offered all of them a new start and a chance to prosper.

Celebrations

Independence Day is celebrated on the 4th of July with fireworks, parades and all manner of events. The American flag decorates the streets, shops and homes.

Thanksgiving is celebrated in November to commemorate the first Pilgrims who arrived in the country in 1620. According to legend, a group of English people set sail towards America. Those who survived reached the coast where they were greeted by the natives who took them in and helped them get through the winter. The English people helped with the bountiful harvest the following year and as a sign of their gratitude held a celebration in which the Native Americans cooked turkey.

The celebration of Halloween dates back to a Celtic festival held in Ireland more than 3,000 years ago. People believed that on the night of the 31st of October through to the morning of the 1st of November, the thread which separated the living from the dead disappeared and the souls of the dead returned to Earth. To appease them and keep the evil spirits from their homes, the Celts would leave food or sweet things outside their homes. This tradition is what over the years has developed into the famous trick or treat when children dress up and go round knocking on doors asking for treats.

One president for fifty states

The United States of America is a Federation of 50 states governed by a president elected for a four-year term. The main political parties are the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. There are two Chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both Chambers, known as Congress, need to pass a bill before it can become law but the President can veto it or refuse to sign it.

Next in the series

Next month you can read about education in the UK and US.

A Spanish language version of the text above is available in the 'Guía Cultural' section of Macmillan Diccionario Pocket, a brand-new bilingual English-Spanish/Spanish-English dictionary.
Spanish text written by Paz Blanco Castro
Translated into English by Sinda Lopez