What is the difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain?
The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Great Britain, on the other hand, comprises only England, Scotland and Wales.
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not part of the United Kingdom. They are largely self-governing with their own legislative assemblies and systems of law. The British Government is, however, responsible for their defence and international relations.
'Britain' is used informally to mean the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
What does the Union Flag stand for and how should it be flown?
The flag of Britain, commonly known as the Union Jack (which derives from the use of the Union Flag on the jack-staff of naval vessels), embodies the emblems of three countries under one Sovereign. The emblems that appear on the Union Flag are the crosses of three patron saints:
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The white diagonal cross, or saltire, of St Andrew, for Scotland, on a blue ground |
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The red cross of St George, for England, on a white ground; |
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The red diagonal cross of St Patrick, for Ireland, on a white ground. |
| The final version of the union Flag appeared in 1801, following the union of Great Britain with Ireland, with the inclusion of the cross of St Patrick. The cross remains in the flag although now only Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. |
| The Union Flag should be flown with the broader diagonal band of white uppermost in the hoist (near the pole). |
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The narrower diagonal band of white should be uppermost in the fly (furtherest from the pole). |
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Wales is not represented in the Union Flag because, when the first version of the flag appeared, Wales was already united with England. The national flag of Wales, a red dragon on a field of white and green, dates from the 15th century and is widely used throughout the Principality.
What are 'GMT' and 'British Summertime'?
GMT or 'Greenwich Mean Time' is the local time of the 0 degree meridian that passes through Greenwich in London. Since 1880 Greenwich Mean Time has been the standard time for Britain and it is from this that the standard times of different areas of the globe are calculated. GMT was adopted as the universal meridian in 1884.
Summer time or BST (British Summer Time) runs from the end of March to the end of October (the last Sunday in each month). In March clocks are advanced one hour ahead of GMT to gain maximum use of daylight hours and at the end of October they return to GMT.
BST dates from 1916 when an Act ordained that during a defined period of that year the legal time for general purposes in Great Britain should be one hour in advance of Greenwich Mean Time.
The Summer Time Acts 1922 and 1925 defined the period during which Summer Time was to be in force, stabilizing practice until the Second World War.During the war the duration of Summer Time was extended and in the years 1941 to 1945 and in 1947 Double Summer Time (two hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time) was in force.
The most recent legislation is the Summer Time Act 1972, but the duration of Summer Time can be varied by Order in Council and in recent years alterations have been made to bring the operation of Summer Time in Britain closer to similar provisions in other countries of the European Union.
How do the British celebrate traditional and religious holidays?
Christmas Day
In Britain, Christmas Day is normally spent at home, with the family, and it is regarded as a celebration of the family and its continuity. Preparations start well in advance, with the sending of Christmas cards and installation of a decorated Christmas tree in a prominent place in the home. Although it is now a firmly established tradition, the Christmas tree was first popularised by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who introduced the custom from his native Germany in 1840.
Some houses are decorated with evergreens, plants including a wreath of holly on the front door and garlands of holly, ivy and fir indoors.
Christmas is both a secular and a religious holiday, and many families like to attend a midnight service at church on Christmas Eve, or celebrate Christmas in church on Christmas morning.
The English Father Christmas or Santa Claus is first recorded in his traditional red and white outfit in a woodcut of 1653, but the story of Santa arriving in his reindeer-drawn sleigh and descending down the chimney to fill children's stockings with presents derives from the USA.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day (26 December) is so-called because it's a time when tradespeople traditionally received a 'Christmas Box' - a present in appreciation of the work they've carried out all year.
Boxing Day is a time for visiting family and friends and is also a popular day for football matches and other sporting fixtures.
The day is a public holiday so shops and banks are closed. More recently, some shops have broken with tradition and now open on Boxing Day to encourage shoppers who can't wait to spend their Christmas money!
New Year
New Year is often launched with a party - either at home with family and friends or a gathering in local pubs and clubs. The stroke of midnight is the cue for cheering, hooting, whistling, kissing and the drinking of toasts.
Tradition has it that the first person over the threshold on New Year's Day will dictate the luck brought to the household in the coming year. This is known as First Footing. At midnight on 31 December, particularly in Scotland and northern England, 'first footers' (traditionally a tall, dark good-looking man) step over the threshold bringing the New Year's Luck. The first footer usually brings a piece of coal, a loaf and a bottle of whisky. On entering he must place the fuel on 
the fire, put the loaf on the table and pour a glass for the head of the house, all normally without speaking or being spoken to until he wishes everyone 'A Happy New Year'. He must enter by the front door and leave by the back.
In Wales the back door is opened to release the Old Year at the first stroke of midnight. It is then locked up to 'keep the luck in' and at the last stroke the New Year is let in at the front door.
In Scotland the New Year remains the greatest of all annual festivals. Called 'Hogmanay' (a word whose meaning has never been satisfactorily established), it's marked by an evening of drinking and merrymaking, culminating at the stroke of midnight when huge gatherings of people at Edinburgh's Tron Kirk and Glasgow's George Square greet the New Year by linking arms and singing 'Auld Lang Syne'.
Easter
Traditionally Easter eggs, dyed and decorated or made of chocolate, are given as presents symbolising new life and the coming of spring.
Easter day is named after the Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre, whose feast took place at the spring equinox. Easter is now the spring feast of the Christian church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. It falls on a Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, according to the church calendar.
Egg rolling competitions take place in northern Britain on Easter Monday; hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a slope, with the winner being - according to local preference - the one which rolls the furthest, survives the most rolls, or is successfully aimed between two pegs! The best publicised event takes place at Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire.
Easter parades are also part of the Easter tradition, with those taking part wearing Easter bonnets or hats, traditionally decorated with spring flowers and ribbons.
What is haggis?
Contrary to popular opinion a haggis is not a wild animal roaming the highlands but Scotland's best-known regional dish, a rich, spicy concoction made from lamb's offal (lungs, liver and heart) mixed with suet, onions, herbs and spices, all packed into a skin made of a sheep's stomach.
Traditionally served on Burns' Night, when it is piped into the room by a piper in full dress kilt, the haggis is often accompanied by mashed potatoes and mashed swede or turnips.
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Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm,
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my airm.
-Burns: Ode to Haggis |
