Wedding customs and traditions of great-Britain
Have you ever watched the acclaimed British comedy called “Four Weddings and a Funeral” staring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell? If you haven’t rent it! If you’ve seen it, this should give you a pretty good idea of what goes into a traditional British wedding… No one throws a wedding like the Brits !… lots of tradition, inordinate amounts of flowers, lots of people, the mandatory extravagant hats, big old beautiful churches and great old castles. Although this award winning movie was a comedy, the British people are known as strict followers of tradition. Should you be lucky enough to be invited to a Destination Wedding in Great Britain, this will undoubtedly make this wedding ceremony a memorable event to watch and remember for years to come. Below are a few British wedding traditions, customs and superstitions, have fun with these and perhaps incorporate them into your own wedding ceremony!
The Proposal: Although proposals of marriage were the responsibility of the men, believe it or not, women were traditionally allowed to propose to men once every 4 years on leap year, February 29th, . Keep that in mind ladies…
The Hen and Stag Parties: In the U.K. there is no rehearsal dinner, but rather the bride will hold a “Hen Party” the night before. The groom will reunite with his friends who will cheer his good luck with a “Stag Party”.
Surnames: It was thought unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as hers. The sentiment was summarized in the following rhyme: To change the name and not the letter, Is to change for the worst and not the better … and, the bride should not practice writing her new name before the wedding as this is thought to bring bad luck to tempt fate.
The Bride and Bridesmaids: As in the U.S. and the rest of Europe a traditional English wedding ceremony starts with a little flower girl throwing daisies or flower petals along the path to the church followed by the bride and her bridesmaids. The flowered path and symbolic walk meant hope for the bride’s path through life to be happy and loving. The bridesmaids sometimes wear dresses similar to the bride’s, this was thought in ancient times to act as decoys to confuse evil spirits and thus protect the bride.
Good Luck Charms: Brides sew a good luck charm, such as the silver horse shoe of royal British brides, to the hem of their wedding dresses. Old English tradition calls for the bride to carry a horseshoe, streaming with ribbons for good luck. The groom must carry a lucky mascot in his pocket.
The Ceremony: Traditionally, an English couple getting married will exchange vows outside of the chapel doorway in order for the ceremony to be witnessed by anyone who may want to watch.
The Bridesmaids Ribbon Pull: An elegant Victorian wedding reception event is called a “ribbon pull”. A sterling silver charm is purchased for each bridesmaid and engraved with a wish for the future, such as” next to marry” or “lucky in life” and “ hope and adventure in your life”. Each charm is tied to a ribbon; the baker then places the charms between layers of the wedding cake as it is being assembled. Before the bride and groom share their first slice of wedding cake, the bridesmaids gather around the cake so that each can pull one ribbon, hence the “ribbon pull” that holds the promise of her future. What a lovely tradition!
The Wedding Cake: A Traditional English wedding cake is a “fruit cake”, usually made of raisins, almonds, cherries and marzipan. The top layer of the wedding cake is called the “christening cake” which the couple saves for the christening of their first child.
Choosing the Day: Here is an old pagan verse, which tells of people when was best to marry. I have read quite a few versions of them, each varies slightly but you will get the idea…
Married when the year is new, he’ll be loving, kind & true.
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you’ll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you’ll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labor for their daily bred.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see
Marry in September’s shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
Shoes: Wedding guests often tie objects, usually shoes to the wedding getaway car; this is a tradition which originated in England during the Tudor period. Originally, wedding reception guests threw shoes at the newlyweds as they left the church for good luck.
The Honeymoon: The term “honeymoon” originates from the times when a man captured the bride. The bride and groom would hide from the bride’s parents before the wedding. The couple remained in hiding for the next cycle of the moon after the wedding. During this period they drank honey wine. So this is the old custom of having a “honeymoon”, is that cool or what?
These are just a few English traditions and superstitions, there are many more which are all very charming. I would like to sneak-in a Scottish tradition here, where the custom was for a woman with milk in her breasts to prepare the marital bed, hence to encourage fertility in the newlyweds. Also a glance in the mirror before the fully dressed bride leaves for her wedding is considered good luck, but should she return and look again, this is considered bad luck!
Speaking
Answer the following questions and express your opinion.
Is there anything common between Kazakh and English wedding traditions?
What Kazakh wedding tradition do you like best and why?
What is your opinion about the bridal payment (kalym)?
What post wedding ceremonies and other wedding traditions do you know?
Put questions to the text.
Grammar
We use reported speech to report what someone has said without using their exact words. [3]
When we change direct speech to reported speech, we often make the verb form go one tense back.
‘Tom lives in Germany,’ said Claire.
Claire said that Tom lived in Germany.
Direct speech |
Reported speech |
Present continuous→ |
Past continuous |
‘She’s sleeping,’ he said. |
He said she was sleeping. |
Past simple→ |
Past perfect |
‘He fell over,’ he said. |
He said he had fallen over. |
Present perfect→ |
Past perfect |
‘They’ve lost their money,’ he said. |
He said they had lost their money. |
Can→ |
Could |
‘She can swim,’ he said. |
He said she could swim |
Will→ |
Would |
‘ They will be late,’ he said |
He said they would be late. |
Exercise 1 Rewrite the direct speech as reported speech.
‘I didn’t finish the report yesterday,’ said Rebecca
Rebecca said .
‘I’m having problems with my computer,’ she said/
She said .
‘I haven’t been able to log onto the Internet this week,’ she told Ben.
She told .
‘I’ll look at it for you some time today,’ said Ben
Ben said .
‘If you can mend my computer, I’ll cook you dinner,’ said Rebecca
Rebecca told Ben .
‘That sounds fine by me,’ said Ben
Ben said .
Exercise 2 Complete each sentence using reported speech.
‘Peter will be back soon,’ Tom said.
Tom said that ___________________ back soon.
‘Do you live far away?’ asked Fiona.
Fiona asked me _________________ far away.
‘Simon likes you a lot,’ said Roz.
Roz told me ____________________ a lot.
‘I have never been to Mexico,’ said Toni.
Toni said ____________________ to Mexico
‘I think Sheila’s working at home,’ said Graham.
Graham thought that ______________________ at home.
Exercise 3 Rewrite the sentences in the reported speech.
1. "Go home," said the teacher to us. 2. "Buy some meat in the shop," said my mother to me. 3. "Sit down at the table and do your homework," said my mother to me. 4. "Don't forget to clean your teeth," said granny to Helen. 5. "Don't sit up late," said the doctor to Mary. 6. The doctor said to Pete: "Don't go for a walk today." 7. "Don't eat too much ice-cream," said Nick's mother to him. 8. "Explain to me how to solve this problem," said my friend to me. 9. The doctor said to Nick: "Open your mouth and show me your tongue." 10. "Don't be afraid of my dog," said the man to Kate. 11. "Take this book and read it," said the librarian to the boy.
Listening [1.128]
Before listening give the definitions or translations of the following words and word combinations.
to check in, to be a complete mess, to be filthy, to ask for the bill, to charge, to take the ravioli off the bill |
After listening answer the following questions:
1. Why did he ask the taxi driver to stop the taxi then he get out of it?
2. Why did she ask the receptionist to give another room?
3. Why did he require the waitress to take the ravioli off the bill?
4. What do all three people complain about?
5. Can you remember a time when you complained to someone? What was the problem?
Read the text below. Rachel, Allison and George are talking about parties. Complete sentences 1 to 6 with a word or short phrase.
(R = Rachel; A = Alyson; G = Geoff)
R: What do you think makes a good party then?
A: Um … I think the place is really important. It should be big enough but not too big.
G: Yes, it needs to be quite crowded to make an atmosphere … and dark.
R: Oh, I don’t like it when you can’t see who you’re talking to.
G: No… no, I mean soft lighting. I like it when there are some decorations too. You know a few balloons and things, just to make it special.
A: What like a children’s party?
G: Yeah, I suppose so – or candles and things on the wall.
R: Candles make a nice atmosphere, but you have to be careful the house doesn’t catch fire.
G: W … well, you can get those candle-holders. But the most important thing is the food and drink.
A: Oh, yes. There must be lots of drink and enough food. It’s terrible when there isn’t enough food.
R: What sort of food do you think is good for parties?
A: Um, the sort of thing you can eat with your fingers. I mean, you don’t want to have loads of washing-up at the end of the party.
R: Actually, I think the music is the most important thing. Loud, but not too loud, and the sort of music you can dance to.
G: I think the best thing is to prepare party tapes with all the best dance tracks, then you don’t have to worry about it.
A: But what about people? That’s quite important, isn’t it?
G: Um, yes, you do need people for a party!
A: No, I … I mean the right people. You need some party animals who get up and start the dancing.
R: And you need a mix of men and women. I went to a party recently where there were five women for every man.
G: Sounds all right to me.
A: Oh, shut up. So what do we think are the three most important things?
R: Food and drink, music and the right mix of people.
G: Right.
(1) George thinks for atmosphere parties should be ____________________ and dark.
(2) He likes decorations like _____________ .
(3) For Allison, the quantity of ________ is the most important thing.
(4) She likes to eat with her ____________ .
(5) Rachel and George like to ____________ at parties.
(6) Rachel thinks there should be a balance of ____________________ .
Read the text and do the exercises given below.