Religion
The UK is officially a Christian country. The Church of England (Anglican) is the established church in England — meaning it is the state church. The monarchis its head; the Archbishop of Canterbury is its spiritual leader.
Scotland has the Church of Scotland — a Presbyterian church which has no bishops. There is no established church in Wales or Northern Ireland.
The UK is multi-faith and has a strong tradition of religious tolerance. Major religions practised include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism. Everyone has the legal right to choose their religion or to have no religion.
Patron saint days
- 1 March — St David's Day (Wales)
- 17 March — St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland — a public holiday there)
- 23 April — St George's Day (England)
- 30 November — St Andrew's Day (Scotland)
Customs and traditions
Public holidays and festivals
| Date | Festival | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Public holiday |
| 14 February | Valentine's Day | Cards and gifts between lovers |
| 1 March | St David's Day | Welsh patron saint |
| 1 April | April Fool's Day | Jokes played until midday |
| March/April | Mother's Day | Sunday 3 weeks before Easter |
| March/April | Easter | Christian festival — Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays |
| June (3rd Sun) | Father's Day | Cards/gifts for fathers |
| 31 October | Halloween | Costumes; trick-or-treating |
| 5 November | Bonfire Night | Commemorates Guy Fawkes' failed Gunpowder Plot, 1605 |
| 11 November | Remembrance Day | Honours those who died in war; poppies worn |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Birth of Jesus Christ |
| 26 December | Boxing Day | Public holiday |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve / Hogmanay | Big celebrations especially in Scotland |
National flowers
- England — rose
- Scotland — thistle
- Wales — daffodil and leek
- Northern Ireland — shamrock
Sport
Sport is a huge part of UK life. Football is the most popular sport (rules first drawn up in 1863). Other major sports include:
- Rugby — England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland compete with France and Italy in the Six Nations Championship.
- Cricket — Britain's traditional summer sport. The Ashes is the famous test series between England and Australia, dating from 1882.
- Tennis — Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
- Golf — originated in Scotland. The "home of golf" is St Andrews.
- Horse racing — famous events at Royal Ascot, the Derby (Epsom) and the Grand National (Aintree). Newmarket is the centre of racing.
- Motor racing — the British Grand Prix is held at Silverstone. Lewis Hamilton is a multiple F1 world champion.
Famous British sportspeople
- Sir Roger Bannister — first man to run a mile in under four minutes (1954).
- Sir Steve Redgrave — gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games (rowing).
- Sir Mo Farah — Olympic gold in 5,000m and 10,000m at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
- Bobby Moore — captained England to the 1966 football World Cup.
- Sir Andy Murray — Wimbledon champion 2013 and 2016.
London hosted the Olympic Games three times — 1908, 1948 and 2012.
Arts and culture
Literature
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616) — playwright and poet, born in Stratford-upon-Avon. Plays include Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- Jane Austen (1775-1817) — author of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility.
- Charles Dickens (1812-1870) — Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities.
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — created Sherlock Holmes.
- Robert Burns — Scotland's national poet ("The Bard").
Art and architecture
- JMW Turner — Romantic painter; The Fighting Temeraire voted Britain's favourite painting.
- John Constable — landscapes of the English countryside.
- George Stubbs — paintings of horses (e.g. Whistlejacket).
- Sir Christopher Wren — architect of St Paul's Cathedral after the 1666 Great Fire of London.
- Henry Moore — 20th-century sculptor known for abstract bronze figures.
Music
- Gustav Holst — composed The Planets.
- Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten — major British classical composers.
- The Last Night of the Proms is an annual classical music event at the Royal Albert Hall.
Cinema
British cinema has produced many classics — Ealing comedies of the 1940s/50s, Lawrence of Arabia, the James Bondfilms (the first was Dr. No, 1962). Awards: the BAFTAs (the British equivalent of the Oscars).
Leisure
- Pubs are at the centre of UK social life. You must be 18 to buy alcohol.
- Traditional British foods: roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips, shepherd's pie, Sunday roast, haggis (Scotland), Welsh cakes (Wales), Ulster fry (Northern Ireland).
- The most popular pets are cats and dogs.
- Gardening is popular. The Chelsea Flower Show is the world-famous annual gardening event.
Places of interest
- The Tower of London — built by William the Conqueror; home of the Crown Jewels.
- Big Ben — the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament.
- The National Gallery — Trafalgar Square, London.
- Edinburgh Castle — Scotland.
- The Lake District — England's largest national park (north-west England).
- Snowdonia — national park in north Wales.
- Loch Lomond — biggest lake in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Scotland.
- The Giant's Causeway — volcanic rock columns on the north coast of Northern Ireland.
- The Eden Project — Cornwall; biomes containing plants from around the world.
- The National Museum Cardiff and Stormont (Belfast).
The National Trust
The National Trust is a charity (founded 1895) that preserves important buildings, coastline and countryside in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.