Swan Upping

There is a very special royal tradition. On the River Thames there are hundreds of swans. Traditionally a lot of these beautiful white birds belong to the king or queen. In July the young swans on the Thames are about two months old. Then the Queen’s swan keeper goes, in a boat, from London Bridge to Henley. He looks at all the young swans and marks the royal ones. The name of this strange but interesting custom is Swan Upping.

The Queen's Telegram

This fairly new custom is for very old people: on his or her one hundredth birthday, a British person gets a telegram with congratulations from the Queen.

Lord Mayor’s Show

The London calendar is distinguished by many picturesque events and ceremonies, the best known among which is the Lord Mayor's* Show.

The local power of the City of London is headed by the Lord Mayor who is elected every year from among the most prominent citizens. The splendid ceremony of election dates back more than six hundred years. The second Saturday in November is always the day for the ceremony known as Lord Mayor’s Show.

Today's show is a wonderful mixture of past, present and future. Starting from the Guildhall* at about 11.30 a.m., the newly-elected Lord Mayor travels in a gilded coach which dates from the mid-eighteenth century. The long colourful procession, made up of people wearing special costumes and acting stories from London’s history moves along the narrow streets of the City*.

It is always watched by many thousands of people, who crowd the streets of the City of London to see and admire this interesting procession.

________________

*Lord Mayor [ֽlƆ:d´mɛə] -лорд-мэр (титул главы муниципалитета некоторых крупных городов Англии, Уэльса и Северной Ирландии)

*the Guildhall - ратуша в Лондоне

*City — Сити, деловой и исторический центр Лондона

!!! Read more interesting information about the Queen and the royal family in Unit 14. Supplements.

Words, words, words…

Fill in the gaps:

1. Trooping the Colour is the ceremony which takes place on occasion of _______________.

2. _______________ is an everyday ceremony which goes on at Buckingham Palace at 11.30 and involves Royal Guard.

3. Every year, in November, the monarch opens _______________ in person and reads the ________________. During the ceremony the Queen sits on the _______________ in the _____________ and wears the _______________.

4. The Ceremony of the Keys takes place at the _______________.

5. A very special royal tradition of _______________ means marking royal swans on the River Thames.

6. Queen sends a telegram to a person on his or her ______________ birthday.

7. The ceremony known as ________________ is a colourful procession of newly-elected Lord Mayor and people wearing special costumes which takes place in November.

Time to speak

1. You and your friends are going to take a trip to London and you’re planning to visit some royal ceremony. Discuss which ceremony you would like to see and why.

2. Visit the official website of the royal family royal.gov.uk. and make a presentation of a royal event or ceremony at your choice. You can use different supports (videos, photos and the like).

   Unit XIII. HOLIDAYS IN BRITAIN

   QUESTION TIME

Think of traditional British holidays and customs. What British festivals do you know? Do we have the same or similar festivals in Russia?

Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs which make it special. There is no other nation that clings to the past with the tenacity of the British. The Briton has a sense of the continuity of history. He loves to go through his ancient ceremonies as he has always performed them with the consciousness that he is keeping faith with his ancestors, that he is maintaining the community they created. You cannot really imagine Britain without all its traditions, this integral feature of social and private life of the people living on the British Isles that has always been an important part of the British way of life.

British traditions can be classified into several groups: traditions concerning private life (child’s birth, wedding, marriage); national holidays, religious holidays, public festivals, traditional ceremonies.

* You can find a complete list of “Holidays and Notable Special Days in the UK” in Unit 14. Supplements.