British culture

English or English?

The British often say that their country is "four nations, one kingdom". One kingdom is the United Kingdom, and four ethnic groups are English, Scots, Welsh and Irish today. British citizens from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland usually prefer to be called "British" rather than "British".

Orthodox British Victoria afternoon tea

The origin of afternoon tea

In the Victorian era of A.D. 1840, Lady Anna, Duchess of Bedford, England, was bored every afternoon, thinking that she would have to wear formal and complicated dinner clothes for a while, and she felt a little hungry. Just ask the maid to prepare some slices of toast, cream and tea.

Later, Ms. Anna invited several close friends to enjoy a relaxing afternoon, drinking tea and eating exquisite snacks. Unexpectedly, this became a fashion in the aristocratic social circle at that time, and ladies and gentlemen flocked to it. Today, an elegant and comfortable afternoon tea culture has been formed, and it has also become an orthodox "English black tea culture", which is also the origin of the so-called Victorian afternoon tea.

At first, drinking tea was only enjoyed at home with high-grade and elegant tea sets. Later, it gradually evolved into a social tea party to entertain friends, which led to various manners, but now the form has been simplified a lot. Although afternoon tea has been simplified now, the correct way of making tea and elegant and rich refreshments are regarded as the tradition of eating tea and continue to be handed down.

Create a completely Victorian atmosphere

In the tradition of afternoon tea in Victorian England, it is absolutely necessary to use the best rooms (such as Solon) and the best porcelain to receive guests, and first-class tea and exquisite snacks are the protagonists of afternoon tea; Melodious classical music as a foil, plus a relaxed mood and close friends to spend an elegant and leisurely afternoon.

Cultural Connotation of Orthodox Victorian Afternoon Tea in England

Britain was in the Victorian era (A.D. 1837? 190 1) is the most powerful era of the British empire, and culture and art are flourishing; People are obsessed with the pursuit of artistic and cultural connotation and exquisite life taste.

Victoria afternoon tea is a comprehensive art, simple but not shabby, gorgeous but not vulgar …

Although tea time and food are the most important parts of orthodox English afternoon tea, afternoon tea without good tea, porcelain, music and even good mood is a fly in the ointment.

With the progress of the times, there are more and more varieties of tea, and there are not only many varieties but also many choices for afternoon tea. If we spend an afternoon with our close friends, it is not a pleasant thing.

Basic etiquette of afternoon tea in Victorian England

(1) The most orthodox time for afternoon tea is 4 pm (commonly known as afternoon tea).

(2) In Victorian times, men wore tuxedos and women wore robes. At the formal afternoon tea party in Buckingham Palace every year, male guests still wear tuxedos, high hats and umbrellas. Women must wear hats when they wear daytime clothes.

(3) Usually, the hostess will wear formal clothes to serve the guests herself. You must ask the waiter for help to show your respect for the guests.

Generally speaking, the characteristics of afternoon tea are Darjeeling and earl grey, gunpowder green tea, or Ceylon tea. If you drink milk tea, you should add milk first and then tea.

(4) The snacks of orthodox English afternoon tea are packed in three layers of porcelain plates, one layer is a sandwich, and the other layer is a traditional English snack Scone, cake and fruit tower; Eat from the bottom up. As for Scone's way of eating, it is to spread jam first, then cream, take one bite and then wipe the next.

This is a gentleman's etiquette. Most importantly, at that time, because tea was almost imported from China, the British people had unparalleled love and respect for tea products, so it was inevitable to show a rigorous attitude in the process of drinking afternoon tea. Even, in order to prevent tea from being stolen, there are locked tea cabinets. Whenever it's tea time, entrust the maid to take the key and open the cupboard to get tea.

Orthodox British Victorian afternoon tea standard equipment

Porcelain teapot (double pot, four pot or six pot ... depending on the number of guests); Filter spoon and small dish for putting filter; Cup set; Sugar jar; Milk cups and bottles; Three-tier dessert plate; Teaspoon (the correct placement of teaspoon is at a 45-degree angle with the cup); Seven? Personal snack tray; Tea knife (for butter and jam); A fork for eating cakes; A bowl for putting tea dregs; Napkins; A potted flower; Heat preservation cover; Wooden mop (for serving tea). In addition, lace hand-embroidered tablecloths or tray mats are very important equipment for Victorian afternoon tea, because they symbolize the important household ornaments of Victorian aristocratic life.

The arrangement of drinking tea should be elegant.

In the orthodox English afternoon tea, Darjeeling black tea or earl grey is the first choice, but even the flavored tea has evolved to this day. As far as formal afternoon tea in Britain is concerned, we are very particular about the decoration of tea table, tableware, tea set and dessert plate. Props include cups, teaspoons, tea knives, saucers and saucers? Pack snacks? Forks, sugar cans, milk cups, napkins, teapots, spoons and sandwich plates. Put these tableware on the round table, the tablecloth can also be embroidered or lace, and then play a beautiful music. At this time, the atmosphere of afternoon tea was created.

With these atmospheres, you need to decorate them with beautiful decorations, such as flowers, funnels, candles, photos or satin flowers tied on napkins, which are all good ways to decorate, but now the tea set has been simplified a lot, and many complicated details are no longer so important.

The Development of Mother's Day in Britain

In17th century England, in order to show respect for English mothers, the fourth Sunday of Lent was designated as "Mothering Sunday", on which people went home to visit their parents and pay their respects. (Note: Lent means 40 days before Easter Eve, except Sunday).

At that time, many poor people had to help the rich make a living and were forced to leave home to stay with their masters. On Mothering Sunday, the host will give them a holiday and encourage them to go home and reunite with their mother. In order to increase the joyful atmosphere, a special cake called "mothering cake" came into being.

With the spread of Christ in Europe, this festival has become a reverence for the "mother church": to express people's gratitude for the spiritual power that gives them life and protects them from harm. Since then, church ceremonies have been combined with mother's day celebrations, and at the same time, people's feelings for their mothers and the church have been conveyed.

The headband of British judges may be cancelled.

According to the Guardian, the traditional wig of British judges may soon become history. According to a survey approved by Supreme Court judges, two thirds of people think that this kind of wig should be abolished, except in criminal cases. According to the article, a survey of 2,000 people shows that from the18th century, judges and lawyers will no longer wear this kind of wig, or only wear it in the courts of criminal cases.

According to The Independent, at present, it is believed that there are 100 craftsmen employed by manufacturers of wigs, and if such wigs are cancelled, these people will lose their jobs.

The Glory and Controversy of British Museum

Today (June 7th) is the 250th anniversary of the famous British Museum. The British Museum is the first large museum open to the public in the world.

However, in its proud history, there are also many controversial moves, including the sovereignty requirements of some countries for some exhibits in the British Museum.

The British Museum is the first large-scale museum in the world. It was established on June 7th, 753 by a resolution of the British Parliament.

At that time, the central part of its exhibits was Hans? 70,000 cultural relics collected by Sir Si Long. At present, the British Museum has 7 million cultural relics. It receives 5 million tourists every year.

The British Museum is open to visitors free of charge from beginning to end. Originally established as a so-called global museum, it aims to publicize and display the cultures of all nationalities in the world.

With the continuous development of the British Empire, its influence as an education center is increasing day by day. However, after World War II, with the shrinking territory of the British Empire, it is currently facing controversy.

The greatest museum

Some countries, including Greece and Nigeria, have asked the British Museum to return the cultural relics they think belong to their own countries.

In addition, the museum is also facing a financial crisis caused by the strike of staff and the decrease in the number of tourists.

However, in recent months, the British Museum took the lead in restoring and supporting the damaged museums in Iraq, which further improved its image as a friend of world culture.

Although the British Museum is facing a series of difficulties, its staff are still optimistic that it is still one of the greatest museums in the world.

The 75th Anniversary of Oxford English Dictionary

Today (June 6th) marks the 75th anniversary of the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary is an authoritative English dictionary with historical significance. There are 440,000 to 590,000 words, and it has the reputation of "the king of dictionaries".

Oxford English Dictionary can be compared with China Kangxi Dictionary as early as 150 years ago.

The Oxford English Dictionary was proposed by the British Language Institute in 1857 and published in 1928, which lasted for 7 1 year. It is recognized as the greatest English dictionary of all times.

What's special about this dictionary?

Simpson, editor-in-chief of the Oxford English Dictionary, said: "The Oxford English Dictionary is used to define English not only in Britain, but also in any English-speaking place in the world. This is also the purpose of compiling the Oxford English Dictionary. In addition, it attempts to include not only modern English words, but also 165438+ old English words after the Norman conquest of Britain 0 century ago. "

The Oxford English Dictionary has 500,000 words and 2.5 million example sentences. Each entry includes a related etymology.

Simpson said that in the early19th century, people became more and more interested in science. This led to the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary from 65438 to 0857.

He said: "Germany also started the same dictionary compilation work at that time, but the time was earlier. The compilation of German dictionary was finally completed in 1960. This project takes 140 years. At the same time, other European countries have begun to compile similar dictionaries. "

What is the purpose of compiling these dictionaries? Who can use these big dictionaries on the bus?

Historians may need to know the meaning of a word in the last century, while lawyers need to determine the legal definitions of certain words.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) also often uses the Oxford English Dictionary to check the pronunciation of certain words.

Sangster, a linguist at the Institute of Phonetics of the BBC, said that she is a fan of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Sangster said, "I have been a fan of the Oxford English Dictionary since I was a child. The first book I bought after I found a job was the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, a set of two. I still cherish these two dictionaries. I especially like etymology. And I am particularly interested in the phonetic symbols marked in the dictionary. I often say that if I am stranded on an island and can only have one book, then what I want is the Oxford English Dictionary. "

In the past 150 years, the Oxford English Dictionary has been revised again and again. The second edition published by 1989, with 20 volumes and 590,000 words, has the reputation of "the king of dictionaries".

Almost all the words seen in the literature since 1 150 are included. If a person proofreads, it will take 60 years to complete.

So, does this academic masterpiece contain words that parents are unwilling to use in front of their children?

Simpson said, of course.

He said, "What we are trying to describe is the language itself, not what words people should use. Therefore, when we find a word, whether it is modern or past, we will put it in the Oxford English Dictionary. "

He added, "These words may be labeled as slang or foul language. You may be warned not to use it in formal occasions. However, we found that people don't just look for a word in the Oxford English Dictionary and use it indiscriminately. "

The Lord of the Rings was chosen as the best novel in Britain.

A reading contest of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was announced, and the most popular novels in Britain were selected. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings (also translated into The Lord of the Rings) topped the list, followed by British woman writer Austin's Pride and Prejudice.

About half a million people voted in this national competition in Britain.

The BBC launched a campaign called "Big Reading" nine months ago to encourage people to read. At that time, 1.4 million people selected 1.000 British favorite novels. As a result, the sales of these books increased nine times in summer.

In the next round of activities, people selected 2 1 novel from this 100 novel. Then every novel is interpreted by a celebrity.

Among the most popular novels selected by the British, apart from British classics, there are American literary works such as Gone with the Wind, Little Women and Good Girl, as well as children's literary works such as Wind in the Willows, Harry Potter and Winnie the Pooh.

In addition, according to the report of Amazon Online Sales Company, the sales of DVD and video of film and television works adapted from these literary works have also increased significantly. For example, the sales volume of the novel Catch-20 increased by less than 20%, but the sales volume of DVD and video tape of the same name filmed 30 years ago increased by nearly 60 times.

The BBC said it was nice to see the audience and readers choose the greatest literary works in different ways. However, film professor Johnson believes that film and television literature works are like frozen convenience foods, and cannot be compared with "delicious" reading materials.