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The British
are very polite and have good manners - they are never tired of saying "Thank
you", "I'm sorry", "Excuse me" or "I beg your pardon".
They like spending their leisure time at home with the family, pets (dogs, cats, caged
birds) in their houses ("My house, my castle").
The British talk about the weather a lot. For example, "Isn’t it
a beautiful morning?" or "Very cold today, isn't it?" They talk about the
weather because it changes very often. Wind, rain, sun, cloud, snow - they can all happen
in a British winter - or a British summer.
At British banks, shops, cinemas, theatres or bus stops you can always
see people in queues. They stand in a line and wait quietly, often for a long time. Each
new person stands at the end of the queue - sometimes in rain, wind or snow.
Hundreds of years ago, soldiers began a custom of shaking hands. They
shook hands to show that they didn’t have a sword. Now, shaking hands is a custom in
many countries. In Britain you don't shake hands with your friends and family. But you do
shake hands when you meet a person for the first time. You also say "'How do you
do?" This is not really a question, it is a tradition. The correct answer is exactly
the same "How do you do?"
The British send birthday cards and often give birthday presents. There
are cards for other days, too: Christmas cards, Valentine's Day cards, Mother's Day cards,
Father's Day cards, Easter cards, Wedding Anniversary cards, Good Luck cards,
"Congratulations On Your New Baby" cards, and "Get well Soon” cards.
It's the custom to have a party to celebrate a person's birthday, a new
house, Christmas, an engagement (a promise to marry), a wedding, New Year's Eve, ....
