Etiquette in England

1, European countries -- England etiquette (customs and taboos) Back to the top

Happy Funeral Etiquette

English wedding customs are rich and colorful, from the marriage proposal to the honeymoon are carried out according to their own traditional way. In the city of York in the north of England, the way of marriage proposal is quite peculiar, inherited from the ancient folk tradition, the girl after maturity, need to get married, they put on different colors of tight clothing, to the male sign. Different colors mean different things, just like traffic lights. The green color means, "Come on! I'm willing to fall in love, boldly pursue it!" Yellow means, "Opportunities are there, if it suits me there is still a chance of success." Red indicates, "I don't want to fall in love at the moment, don't pursue me." The brave young man will be based on the other side of the dress color, according to their own choice to boldly pursue, will never be labeled as misbehavior.

Once a relationship is established, the man gives the woman an engagement ring and performs a ceremony. This custom is practiced throughout the United Kingdom. Marriage or engagement ring is a traditional custom of many nationalities, the English people in the church wedding ceremony, the groom to the bride to wear a ring is an important and indispensable element. People even consider a marriage without a ring to be invalid. When the priest asked a couple whether they are willing to be each other's wives or husbands, whether they can respect each other and grow old together, the groom puts a ring on the bride's ring finger. It symbolizes the husband's pure love for his wife, while the wife expresses her acceptance and fidelity to that love.

The custom of wearing a ring can be traced back to ancient Egypt and China, where it was used not only as a token but also as an ornament. Originally, marriage rings were not set with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and other ornaments, and the pure round shape symbolized the unity of the two people who were joined together by marriage. In some ethnic groups it symbolizes a magical power that blesses the couple with a long and happy life, while the giver expresses trust in the receiver and the receiver expresses loyalty to the giver.

Gold rings symbolize the innocence of love, silver rings mean emotional tenderness. The British with the same Western countries, the betrothal ring is made of gold and not inlaid with any gemstone, the wedding ring should be added to the decorations, as for the quality of the ring according to the individual's financial conditions are different and different. The engagement and wedding rings can be worn on the same ring finger, or the engagement ring can be replaced by the wedding ring.

In England, in the 16th century, the inside of wedding rings were often engraved with family motifs or mottoes, such as "God has made me so-and-so's wife," and a bishop's wife's ring was engraved with a hand, a heart, a bishop's crown, and a skull, with an inscription that reads, "The first three I give to thee, the fourth makes me transcendent." Most inscriptions on rings today are engraved only with the opening letters of the bride and groom's names.

The British marry in a dress; the bride wears a white shirt, a white dress, a white wreath on her head, and a long white veil, holding a white bouquet. In short, the British revered white, it symbolizes the purity of love, good luck. The custom of wearing a veil can be traced back to the 10th century BC, when the two river valleys have been prevalent in women wearing a veil. In Ancient Greece, the wedding ceremony, not only the bride to wear a linen or woolen veil, and a pair of couples have to wear a flower crown. To the Roman era, different religious beliefs to wear different colors of the veil to show the difference. After the Middle Ages, the court nobles appeared among the flower crown decorated with pearls. Later, the development of white veil, and the size is increasingly extended, and all over Europe.

When the wedding is held, wearing a white gown, the head of the white veil of the bride holding her father's arm, accompanied by female guests, in the wedding march into the church. The groom in a dress, accompanied by male guests standing at the altar waiting for the bride. British people at home someone died, often in the newspaper published a small announcement, friends and relatives to see the announcement to go to the funeral, in order to show respect for the deceased and greetings to their families.

Once the wedding is over, the bride and groom come out of the church, people want to congratulate the new couple, this congratulation is not kissing, hugging and shaking hands, but to sprinkle them with colorful confetti. The custom of sprinkling confetti originated from the sprinkling of wheat grains. 1491 King Henry VII of England traveled to Bristol with his queen. While traveling, they were seen by a baker's wife, who sprinkled them with grains of wheat from a window and shouted, "Welcome, Your Majesty! I wish you happiness and long life." This became a popular story, and by the 16th century the custom had become widespread, with people scattering grains of wheat on the bride and groom, sometimes dyed in various colors. The grains of wheat symbolize a good harvest and a rich life, and also congratulate the newlyweds on their happiness and longevity, as well as their children and grandchildren.

Honeymoon is also an important part of the marriage of young people across the UK. They save up money for traveling, and traveling after marriage is called honeymoon. This is an ancient custom, in the newly married must drink a special drink with honey, used to symbolize the family, sweet love and happy life. And this drink from the beginning of marriage to drink 30 days, so the first month of marriage is called the honeymoon.

In Britain, wedding anniversaries are taken very seriously and are celebrated every year with a different title. The first year is the paper wedding, the second year is the cotton wedding, the third year is the leather wedding, the fourth year is the Yi wedding, the fifth year is called the wood wedding, the sixth year is called the iron wedding, the seventh year is called the copper wedding, the eighth year is called the pottery wedding, the ninth year is the willow wedding, the tenth year is the tin wedding, and later on is the steel wedding, the winding kernel wedding, the lace wedding, the ivory wedding, and the crystal wedding. From the fifteenth year onward, there is a title for each of the five years, in order, enamel wedding, silver wedding (the twenty-fifth year is a great celebration), bead wedding, coral wedding, ruby wedding, sapphire wedding, gold wedding (the fiftieth year is the second great celebration), emerald wedding, and diamond wedding. This last is the third major celebration, but few people get to celebrate this one.

Main Taboos - Three Taboos

No Jams The British have a habit of queuing. You can see them queuing one by one to get on a bus**** bus, train or to buy a newspaper. Queuing is a disgraceful behavior.

No asking a lady's age The English are very uncomfortable talking about a man's salary or a woman's age, and even how much the furniture in his house is worth is something you shouldn't ask. It would also be inappropriate to ask a lady her age, as she considers it her own secret, and as everyone wants to look young forever, there is no better compliment than to say "you look so young" to a middle-aged woman. There is no doubt that every woman's hair, make-up and clothes are designed to make her look beautiful and young, but if she looks too intentional, she will be criticized for "looking tacky".

No haggling The worst thing about shopping in the UK is haggling. The British don't like haggling and consider it a disgrace. You also need to be careful to agree a full price with the seller if you are buying a valuable piece of art or a large quantity of goods. The British rarely haggle; if they think the price of an item is right, they buy it, and if not, they walk away.

The British consider 13th and Friday to be unlucky, and it is especially taboo for 13th to meet Friday, a time when many people prefer to stay at home and not go out. In Britain, it is taboo to talk about a man's salary, a woman's age, political leanings and so on. They abstain from shaking hands in a four-way cross pattern, and also abstain from lighting cigarettes three times in a row.

Source: JC Logistics

2, British customs and etiquette Back to top

The full name of the United Kingdom is "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" referred to as the United Kingdom, referred to as Britain.

The United Kingdom is an archipelago country in western Europe, with an area of 254,000 square kilometers and a population of 56.5 million, of which 83% are English. The main religions are Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The capital, London, is known as the "fog capital of the world. Sometimes the fog stays on for days. You can't see or hear anything more than a few steps away.

The present British government is a constitutional monarchy with a responsible cabinet system. The Parliament is divided into two houses, the upper and lower houses. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the people for a five-year term. The House of Lords is composed of hereditary or ordained nobles, clergymen, or social sages. In addition, the Cabinet, whose members were nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed with the consent of the King, held power. In addition, the Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons and has the power to dissolve and re-elect the House of Commons. Succession to the throne is by the eldest daughter in case of childlessness. The current King is Elizabeth II.

Britain is known as the "workshop of the world". Britain was the first country in the world to industrialize. By 1850, Britain's industrial production accounted for 39% of the world's total output, trade volume accounted for 21% of the world's trade volume, both ranked first in the world. The total production of coal and iron and steel accounted for more than half of the world's total production.

Currently, Britain is the world's fourth largest trading nation, is dependent on foreign trade to develop their economies, is one of the world's largest importers of industrial raw materials and food.

The national identity of Britain is closely related to its cultural background. Britain's early economic development, in the eyes of most foreigners, the British "pretentious" and "difficult to approach". However, in fact, this is not entirely true. They are good at understanding each other and sympathizing with others. No matter what they do, they always try not to leave a bad impression, and their gentlemanly demeanor can be seen everywhere. They know how to create a coordinated environment, so that everyone can live in harmony and happiness. A strong sense of professionalism is another major characteristic of the British. After choosing a profession, they must make their own business excellence. Business contacts, they value friendship, not deliberately pursue material, not weighing pounds, a everyone's style. Business negotiations, they often do not make adequate preparation, the details do not pay attention to, seem a little loose. But British businessmen are very kind, friendly, easy to get along with. Therefore, it is easy to solve problems. They are sociable, adaptable and flexible, and reflect constructive ideas positively. In the UK, "appearance is everything", so try to avoid showing your feelings when socializing with the British. Be sure to thank them for their hospitality, write to them afterward to express your gratitude, which will attract more attention, and give them small gifts to increase their friendship. Doing business in Britain, must be a trustworthy, promised things, must go all out to complete without fail.

British etiquette colorful, each other for the first time to know, generally to shake hands as a gift, unlike Eastern Europeans often embrace. Casual patting of guests is considered rude behavior, even after the end of business. The British have some taboos to pay attention to, such as they never walk under the ladder, in the house without an umbrella, never put your shoes on the table, and portraits to do decorating and so on.

British people pay attention to clothing, wear to different times. They tend to judge people by their appearance, grooming attitude must pay particular attention. British people pay attention to dress, as long as the door, you have to be well dressed. Although the British are no longer as powerful as they used to be, they have a strong sense of self-importance. Middle and upper class people because of the comfortable life, therefore, developed a traditional "gentleman", "lady" style. But they are old-fashioned, generally keen to follow the rules, reserved and dignified. Generally families love the old furniture, old furnishings, old clocks and clocks passed down from previous generations to show off to others. The capital city of London has many "century-old stores", and the more famous the store, the more the original style or arrangement to maintain the more complete. Although automobile engines have been replaced with new models, the models are kept as old as possible. There are two post offices in London that are open 365 days a year, day and night, never resting, which is said to follow the old English tradition and preserved.

British people are aloof, stereotypical life, serious, not interested in outside things, often reticent, cautious attitude to new things, with a unique cool humor. They are conservative, indifferent, feelings of light will not be exposed, even if there is a very sad thing, but often do not show. They seldom lose their temper, patience, not willing to make unnecessary arguments with others. The British people are very patient, under any circumstances, they never show the color of anxiety.

The British people treat people courteously, speak very politely, "thank you", "please" word is not out of mouth. To the British speech should also be polite, whether they are a waiter or a driver, should be treated with courtesy, please ask him to do things to speak politely, do not make people feel that there is a commanding tone, otherwise, you may be cold. British for women is more respect, in the United Kingdom, "ladies first" social atmosphere is very strong. For example, when you walk, let the lady go first. Take the elevator to let women first. Take the bus **** car, tram, to let the woman first. Pouring wine to the female guest or hostess first. When walking on the street, men should walk on the outside to protect women from harm in case of danger. Husbands usually have to accompany his wife to participate in a variety of social activities, and it is always customary to first introduce his wife to the guests of honor to know. According to British business etiquette, it is always appropriate to wear a three-piece suit, wearing a traditional conservative tie, but do not play the striped tie, because the British will be associated with that is the old "Legion" or the old school uniform tie. The British have a very strong sense of time, to visit or negotiate business, before the visit must be pre-appointment, punctuality is very important, it is best to arrive a few minutes in advance as well. The way they get along is to strictly abide by the time and keep their promises.

British people still follow the traditional custom, it is advisable to avoid the old "English" word to indicate "British". If you meet two businessmen, one is Scottish or Welsh, you say he is "English", then, he will correct you that he is "Scottish" or "Welsh?quot;, it is appropriate to use the word "British". Be conservative and discreet in your approach to business. Shake hands for the first time or on special occasions, or to express approval and congratulations. In Britain, it is not popular to invite each other to breakfast to discuss business. Generally speaking, their lunch is relatively simple, and dinner is more important, as the main meal.

Therefore, the most important events are held at the dinner table. When you go to a British home, it is best to bring a few gifts of low value, because if you don't spend too much, you won't be suspected of paying a bribe. Gifts are generally: high-grade chocolate, wine, flowers, especially our national characteristics of folk arts and crafts, they are particularly appreciated. And there are guests of the company mark souvenirs are not interested. In the United Kingdom, clothing, soap and other items are not too involved in the private life of individuals, so the help is generally not used to send people. Chrysanthemums are only used for Halloween or funerals in any European country and are generally not suitable for gifting. White lilies symbolize death in the UK and are not suitable for gifting. All other flowers can be given as gifts. Potted plants are usually sent after a party. If you are invited to someone's home as a guest, it is important to note that if it is a social occasion, not business, it is impolite to arrive early as the hostess will have to make preparations for you, and if you go early and she is not ready, it will embarrass her. It is better to arrive 10 minutes late. In accepting gifts, the British and our habits are very different. They often open the gift in front of the guest, regardless of the value of the gift, or whether it is useful, the host will give warm praise to show appreciation. Scotch whisky is a very common gift, strong whisky is not.

British businessmen generally do not like to invite to home banquets, parties are mostly in hotels and restaurants. British people's drinking, in a sense, is the main frugality. They hate wasteful people. For example, to make tea for guests, if there are three guests, must only burn three copies of the water. The British are very particular about tea drinking, people from all walks of life like to drink tea, especially women who are addicted to tea. The British also have the habit of drinking afternoon tea, that is, in the afternoon at 3-4 o'clock, put down the hands of the work, a cup of black tea, and sometimes eat a piece of confectionery, rest for a quarter of an hour, known as the "Tea Break". Hosts often invite you *** with the afternoon tea, in this case, there is no need to push back. In formal banquets, smoking is generally not allowed. Smoking at meals is considered rude.

In Britain, invitations to lunch, dinner, a drink in a pub or to watch a play, ballet, etc., will be treated as the equivalent of a gift. Drinks provided by the host, the guest to drink no more than 3 cups is appropriate, if you feel enough to drink, you can turn the empty glass quickly, and then handed to the host, which indicates that enough to drink, thank you. Taverns are usually open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and from 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. There are usually more thirsty people in the pubs, and at peak times, the later customers have no seats, so they just buy a change of wine and stand around drinking.

British businessmen respond positively to constructive comments. Well-dressed, well-presented, attending banquets or parties, used to wear black dresses, pants must be ironed straight. Visit Britain to pay attention to some of their taboos: avoid talking about personal affairs, family matters, marriage, funeral, age, occupation, income, religious issues. For religious reasons, they are very jealous of the number "13", which is considered to be an unlucky number. They try to avoid the number "13" in their daily life and do not allow 13 people to share the same table during meals, which is considered to be doubly inauspicious if the 13th falls on a Friday. The back of the hand should not be turned outward, and the fingers should not be used to indicate "two", as this "V" shaped gesture is a hostile way of treating others with contempt. When walking on the street, pay attention to traffic safety and drive on the left side of the road. Business activities are best conducted from February to June and from mid-September to November. It is best not to go before or after Christmas and Easter. In the UK, there is a bank spring vacation (Pentecost) in June (the first weekend) and a bank summer vacation in August (the last weekend). Drinking water is safe. Medical care is free in the UK, even for foreigners who come to the UK temporarily and have an emergency.

Source: World Manager

3, European countries - British etiquette (dining etiquette) Back to the top

Dining etiquette

Hospitality and table manners

If you are invited to someone else's home to be a guest, it is necessary to koohu such a few situations. For example, what time should you arrive at the host's house? If it's not a serious conversation, just a social gathering, it's rude to arrive early. The hostess is getting ready and it would be very embarrassing for her if you arrived before she was completely ready. Arriving 10 minutes late is best. Arriving half an hour late is too late and requires an apology to the host. When should you leave? There's no rule for this, but it's rude to sit too late in your host's home. If you are just invited to **** for dinner and a chat, then it's best if you leave between 10 and 11pm or say goodbye an hour after the meal. If you are invited to stay for a few days or a weekend, make a point of buying a bouquet of flowers for your hostess before you leave; this will make her very happy. Also, the day after you leave, send a note to thank your host and include a small gift such as a box of chocolates or some flowers.

There are many different ways of entertaining in Britain, mainly tea parties and banquets, including formal and informal tea parties. The British do not cloth food and wine, all depending on the interest of the guests to take. Generally take the dishes to eat all the courtesy, do not drink in the waiter poured wine, will put his hand to the mouth of a cup on the line. Guests can say goodbye to each other shaking hands and nodding their heads.

British people generally more favorite cooking methods are: braising, grilling, frying and deep-frying. Meat, seafood, game cooking have a unique way; however, they have a special preference for beef, such as barbecued beef (ROASTED BEEF), not only attached to the consumption of seasonal vegetables, roasted potatoes, will be added to the steak with a little mustard sauce; in the use of condiments is preferred to the cream and wine; in the spices are preferred to the meat koumou, cinnamon and other fresh spices.

More people know the name of the British cuisine dishes are: beef cashew pie (STEAK KIDNEY PIE), fish and chips (ENGLISH FISH CHIP), the Royal Cream Chicken (CHICKEN A LA KING) and so on. The British like to hunt, only once a year in the hunting season, there are many hotels or restaurants will launch a game meal, such as wild deer (VENISON), hare (HARE), pheasants (PHEASANT), wild goats (WILDSHEEP) and other cooking. The general cooking game, are used some juniper berries or berries and wine, this practice is to remove the food itself stinky flavor.

British people are very concerned about breakfast! British restaurants serve a wide variety of meals, fruit juice, fruit, eggs, meat, wheat porridge, bread, jam and coffee. The popular afternoon tea (HIGH TEA) is also from the United Kingdom, the more well-known Victorian style VICTORIAN STYLE), the content can be said to be all-encompassing, including a variety of desserts, muffins, fruit tarts (TARTE) and sandwiches and so on. Dinner is also the most important part of daily life for the British, they choose to eat usually later, and are eating and drinking and chatting to promote the friendship between the diners, it can be imagined that they belong to a very autonomous people, and a meal for them may take several hours!

Scotch whisky or gin is where all of these well-known drinks come from. There are many local drinkers in the UK, mainly because it is a wine-producing country itself. The British spend more money on alcohol than on anything else.

Source: JC Logistics

4, European countries - British etiquette (social etiquette) Back to the top

Grooming etiquette

In the UK, people in the speech or other occasions to stretch out the right hand's forefinger and middle finger, the palm of the hand to the outside, constituting a V-shaped gesture, indicating victory; in the United Kingdom, if someone sneezes, it will be a good idea to sneeze, but it is not a good idea to sneeze. Britain, if someone sneezes, the bystanders will say on the side of the blessing you, to show good luck.

Meeting etiquette

In England, when the baby is born, parents and friends generally according to the baby's characteristics, the father's occupation for the baby's name, some mothers have prominent families, they use the maiden name as the baby's second name. In the UK, children only call their parents' siblings uncle. The elderly in Britain are independent and do not like to be called old, and do not have to assist them when they walk.

Business etiquette

Business activities in the United Kingdom should be avoided in July and August, which is a period of time when many people in the business community are on vacation, and in addition, it is not appropriate to carry out business activities at Christmas and Easter. In the UK, gifts should not be sent to avoid the suspicion of bribery. In business meetings, you should come at the appointed time in advance, and should not arrive early or late. British business people are serious, not easily moved by emotion and position, they regarded as boastful, boasting as a lack of education.

Travel etiquette

Traveling to the United Kingdom, you need to pay attention to all the local vehicles along the left side of the road. British people are disciplined, even if a few people get on the bus, they will consciously line up to get on the bus. In the United Kingdom cab, generally about 10% tip, the tip will be included in the service charge bill of the hotel does not have to pay another tip. In the host's home as a guest for a few days, depending on the circumstances of the service provided to the maid some tips.

Source: JC Logistics

5, the three taboos of the British tour Back to top

Hate to ask about private matters

If you go to the United Kingdom to travel, do not ask people, "where are you going", "dinner? " This kind of question, Chinese people think it is very enthusiastic, the British will think you are very rude, they hate people ask about their personal life, can not ask the lady's age. The British are very uncomfortable talking about a man's salary or a woman's age, and even how much the furniture in his house is worth is something you shouldn't ask. It would also be inappropriate to ask a lady her age, as she considers it her own secret, and as everyone wants to look young forever, there is no better compliment than to say "you look so young" to a middle-aged woman.

No queuing

The British have a habit of queuing, and you can see them lining up one by one to get on a bus or train or to buy a newspaper. Squeezing queues is an offensive behavior.

No haggling

The most taboo thing about shopping in the UK is haggling. The British don't like haggling and consider it a loss of face. You also need to be careful to agree a full price with the seller if you are buying a valuable piece of art or a large quantity of goods. The British rarely haggle; if they think the price of an item is right they buy it, if not they walk away.

Source: Asian Business Online

6, the British bank's common language Back to top

If you are about to travel to the United Kingdom, it is recommended that you first familiarize yourself with the following English words, in order to better deal with the British bank, and to integrate into British society.

British banking slang

When you arrive in the UK, you should open a bank account as soon as possible. Britain's financial industry is very developed, the service is also very perfect, the use of their various "card", you will enjoy some of the current in the country is not yet the bank services. The following is a list of some of the common language in dealing with banks, familiarize yourself with it, you will find it very useful.

Cash Card: You can withdraw cash from banks or ATMs.

Cheque Guarantee Card (支票保证卡)：When you use a check, the merchant will ask you to present this card as a guarantee of payment. The Cheque Guarantee Card states the amount of the guarantee, which is the maximum amount that can be written on each check.

Debit Card: You can use this card to make purchases directly at the store, and the charges will go through the bank's billing system and be deducted directly from your account. (In practice, these three cards are often combined into one card, which is very convenient to use.)

Credit card: If you have good credit, the bank may offer you a credit card if you apply for one. A credit card allows you to spend first and pay later, and you will receive regular bills from the previous month asking you to make payment arrangements.

Current Account: Used for Deposit, Withdrawal, Daily Expenses, usually with low or no interest.

Saving Account: Interest-bearing, usually cannot be used to pay checks, and sometimes requires advance notice for withdrawals.

Overdraft (overdraft): overdraft is not permitted, if you really need to overdraft, it is recommended that you negotiate with the bank in advance, some banks will agree to students in a certain amount and within a certain period of time gratuitous overdraft, but usually you need to overdraft the amount of interest paid. In order to avoid this situation, it is recommended that you frequently check the balance in your cash account (Balance), and transfer the expected expenses from the deposit account to the cash account in advance.