Traditions, culture of Great Britain and language. Monuments of nature and culture of Great Britain. History of the UK culture

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the most significant states in Europe. Heir to the largest empire ever built, it is the focus of age-old cultural traditions. Great Britain is the place where many famous writers, artists and musicians were born and worked. Throughout its history, it has influenced the culture of the whole world and has not become less significant at the present stage of development.

Multilayered

The culture of Britain is often mistakenly associated with English. However, the latter is only a part of the whole, although quite impressive. The state unites England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The peoples that make them differ both in origin and tradition, and therefore the history of British culture is a constant interaction and penetration of national features into each other. In addition, the colonial past left a notable imprint on it. Traces of the influence of peoples and territories that were in submission are well felt in the culture of the state today. The reverse is also true: Great Britain has had a significant impact on the development and development of the language, certain art trends, as well as public institutions in Canada, Australia, South Africa, the United States, New Zealand and Ireland.

Foundation

Tribes of the Celts lived in the territory of present-day Great Britain. In the beginning of our era, the Romans came to the islands, then the Anglo-Saxons invaded. All these peoples laid the foundation of the modern culture of the state, ensured its original multilayeredness. The descendants of the Celts are the Scots and the inhabitants of Wales, and the Anglo-Saxons are the English. Great influence on the emerging cultural traditions was also provided by the Normans and Vikings.

Familiar everywhere

UK culture and language are inextricably linked. As in any state uniting several nationalities, one can hear different speech here. The official language is English. About its prevalence in the world, perhaps, is known to all. English is being negotiated internationally, tourists are communicating. It is studied all over the world as a second language. This almost universal prevalence is the result of the past influence of the British Empire.

Active in the UK are also used Scottish and two Celtic languages, Welsh and Gaelic. The first is well recognized in Europe, the others are more often within the borders of the state. Scottish and Gaelic are the national languages of Scotland. Welsh has long been used in Wales.

Architecture

The culture of Great Britain was largely reflected in the buildings of ancient cities. Many tourists plan a trip to the United Kingdom with the aim of admiring the architecture of the island state, to feel the special atmosphere inherent in the northern countries.

Interesting as the ancient buildings of England and the buildings of the times of the Roman conquest, preserved in the territory of Scotland, and the modern architecture of cities. The UK holds a whole palette of styles. Here, walking along the streets, you can study samples of classicism, Romance, Gothic and Anglo-Saxon directions. Famous architectural monuments of the UK culture:

• Westminster Abbey is a magnificent example of late Gothic. It is here that the British monarchs are crowned.
• Tower - a fortress, founded in the second century AD, which was once a prison, and a zoo, and a mint. Its walls are remembered by William I and Richard the Lionheart.
• Trafalgar Square is one of the symbols of London.
• Big Ben is the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which dates back to 1859.
• The ruins of the abbey in Glastonbury.
• Ancient palaces of Scotland.
• Buckingham Palace.

It should be noted that such an abundance of architectural monuments should not be attempted to cover for one trip - the impressions will turn out to be blurry. Great Britain is worthy to return to it more than once.

The greatness of nature

The United Kingdom is not only a place for man-made masterpieces. Here a large number of places of interest were created by nature itself, and the cultural and historical life of the state is inextricably linked with them. The famous white cliffs of Dover from ancient times meet travelers coming from the continent by sea. Sung in many works, they gave the second name of England. The name "Albion" was formed from the Latin word for "white".

Cape Bichy Head, towering a hundred and sixty meters above the sea, is also famous. Unfortunately, this beautiful chalky rock is notorious: it ranks third in the world in the number of suicides.

Literature

The culture of Great Britain is also a significant contribution to world poetry and prose. The works of English, Scottish and Irish authors are translated into many languages and are, without exaggeration, in all libraries.

England gave the world to Shakespeare. And although the opinions of scientists about his personality diverge, his contribution to literature is invaluable. At different times, it was here that John Milton, Thomas More, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, Bronte sisters, Herbert Wells, John Tolkien, Somerset Maugham and many others were born here. Scotland is the birthplace of Arthur Conan Doyle and Walter Scott, Robert Lewis Stevenson and Robert Burns. Only the enumeration of these names demonstrates all the greatness of the contribution of Great Britain to the world literature. Many genres originated here, and some plots captured the minds of millions of people around the world (the legend of King Arthur, works of Shakespeare, Tolkien's worlds).

Music

The culture and traditions of Great Britain are inconceivable without "musical accompaniment". A variety of destinations are popular in the state. On the streets you can hear both rock, jazz and heavy metal, as well as national music of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The classical trend developed in the UK thanks to composers such as William Bird, Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Arthur Sullivan, Ralph Vaughan-Williams and Benjamin Britten.

United Kingdom - the birthplace of the famous Liverpool four. The Beatles had a huge impact on pop music all over the world. They still remain the best-selling group of all time. The idols of many music lovers of different countries appeared exactly here: Queen, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and so on.

Visual art

The culture of Great Britain is also numerous art galleries, a considerable place in which is allocated to the works of authors who were born and worked here. Their names and works are an integral part of European art. William Turner, John Constable, Samuel Palmer, William Blake - representatives of the romantic trend in painting. No less famous is the landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough, as well as portrait painters Joshua Reynolds and Lucien Freud. On the territory of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the last days worked masters of various genres. All of them are represented at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

National Features

Monuments of nature and culture of Great Britain are not the only thing that it is famous for. Residents of the country are attributed special qualities that create a national character. True, in most cases, when describing the mentality, they mean the British, although they extend it to all British citizens. The Scots, the Irish, and the inhabitants of Wales are far from being similar in all respects to each other, and to the main nation of the state.

So, the English are very polite people who do not tolerate familiarities and discussions of personal topics during, for example, lunch. They are a little stiff and tend to always follow the tradition. The inhabitants of England in literature are often described as elegant, subtly feeling style, preferring classics and somewhat conservative. However, this portrait is rather conditional and corresponds more to a certain collective image than to any particular person.

Great Britain: the country's culture, features of its art and national character - attracts many researchers. About England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales written a lot of scientific works and works of art. However, none of them compare with the impression of a trip to the United Kingdom. The charm of old streets and quiet suburbs, the speed and lights of business centers, the beauty of nature and the secrets of ancient ruins - all this is worth returning to the UK again and again.