English Customs and traditions

No discussion on the English way of life, or indeed anything to do with England, is possible without taking into consideration such important aspects of the English character as their faithfulness to traditions, or as some people prefer to call this trait, conservatism. Indeed this desire to retain ways of life and behaviour, rituals and customs in their initial form sometimes leads to what are, from a contemporary and non-English point of view, absurdities. This desire is what differentiates the English from most other nations, and is the subject of sharp criticism from the latter but, at the same time, makes England an interesting place to visit as a tourist.

We can start with a well known fact that in English cars the steering wheel is on the right and they drive on the left. The English stick to their old system and do not want to become “like everybody else”. Theoretically, there is not a big difference. The problem starts when you get behind the wheel, because it is in completely different position from that to which you have grown accustomed. Two balancing factors should be noted. The first is that it is extremely inconvenient, a lot more so than you imagined. The second is that you get used to it very quickly. Your first experience of independent travel around England is probably going to be slightly unpleasant, amusing and sometimes sad, all at the same time, and so when you rent a car in England do not forget to take out good insurance.

The desire to keep everything the way that it is, sometimes taken to absurd extremes, has penetrated every aspect of English life and is rising noticeably year on year as a way of preserving the distinctive national character. The struggle against any kind of innovation affects English houses. It is forbidden to make any changes to them, unless they are modern buildings, but most English prefer to live in old houses. The ban on changing even windows and doors in these old houses forces the entire country to do without double-glazed windows, which can be cold.

Such loyalty to old traditions almost never fails to move you. But English piping, plumbing and the water supply system usually give rise to a number of inconveniences which never fail to cause surprise among foreign users. It is hard to understand how anybody could find it convenient washing under two separate taps, one with hot and the other with cold water. At home it is possible to imagine filling up the washbasin and then splashing yourself from there. But this separation is a complete mystery when it comes to stations, restaurants, hostels, in a word any communal place, and in this case the desire to wash yourself fades away completely.

The traditional English bath (and they are in the majority, with the only exceptions being hotels in large cities) has two separate taps and no shower. According to this surprising national idea you should fill it with water, and some sort of bath salts, luxuriate in that, wash his head and then get out without rinsing off. Note that hotels which have installed a modern shower instead are less popular among the locals and adverts will particularly play on the fact that the hotel has a traditional bathroom.

The French, who are the main opponents of the English and have had the bravery to criticize them, believe that all of this is done specially in order to inconvenience foreigners. The English themselves instinctively feel a deep-running link between form and content: change one and you will inevitably change the other. Preserving two taps, steering wheels on the right ultimately helps to ensure their national integrity and protects the distinctive national traits of their character in the face of total globalization.

3.1.3. Прочитайте текст ещё раз. Укажите, какие предложения соответствуют содержанию текста. Подтвердите свои ответы фактами из текста:

1. When you rent a car you can do well without insurance.

2. English faithfulness to traditions can be called conservatism.

3. It’s very difficult to get used to driving on the left.

4. The English put innovations to their old houses.

5. They prefer to live in modern new houses.

6. Any communal place in England has got the same sinks with two taps.

7. Most hotels have got traditional English bathrooms.

8. It is pleasant to get out of the bath without rinsing off.

9. Faithfulness to traditions helps the English to ensure their national identity.

10. The English wants to inconvenience foreigners.

3.1.4. Ответьте на следующие вопросы (работа в парах)

1. What should one take into consideration when discussing the English way of life?

2. What desire differentiates the English from most other nations?

3. Can one get used to drive on the left quickly?

4. What are you recommended to do if you rent a car to travel around England?

5. Where do most English prefer to live?

6. What is so special in the traditional English bath?

7. Who are the main opponents of the English?

8. Why does everybody except the French prefer to remain silent?

9. What do the Frenchmen believe?

10. What do the English instinctively feel?