How to Learn English Traditions
The land of Shakespeare, Milton, Queen Elizabeth, Keats, croquet, cricket, crumpets and cucumber sandwiches is steeped in rich and varied traditions. Some are familiar---like sipping a spot of tea in the afternoon---while others, such as making ghastly faces at people attending the annual Egremont Crab Fair, are less commonly known. By jove, pull up your socks and tally-ho, let's hunt up some British traditions!
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Instructions
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There are as many English traditions as there are fish in the sea. Choose which ones you want to learn. For example, if you're into sports, you might want to learn about the great cricketing, derby and tennis traditions. Wimbledon, the Epsom Derby and the Lord's Cricket Ground are world-famous institutions. Look up the history of these places on the World Wide Web and, better still, pick a game for a hobby.
Say you want to invite a few friends over for afternoon tea; you might want to prepare a few traditional dishes, such as buttered scones, crumpets, jam tarts or cucumber and cream sandwiches, all washed down with a hot cup of Earl Grey---with a spot of milk and honey, of course. And don't forget the doilies. For recipes and serving etiquette, read "The Book of Afternoon Tea," by Leslie Mackley, and "The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea," by Helen Simpson. You could also purchase authentic English tea online from the English Tea Store. "Tea Gardens: Places to Make and Take Tea," written by Ann Lovejoy, contains a chapter on how to create an English tea garden and serve tea outdoors.
No amount of reading, however, can equate to learning by doing. Why not ask an English friend to show you how afternoon tea is served? Or visit an English Tea Garden Inn in your hometown. Here is a list to help you get going:
The Secret Garden Tea Room & Gift Shop (Washington)
Elizabeth & Alexander's English Tea Room (Washington)
English Tea Garden Inn B&B (California)
Alice's Tea Cup (New York)
Biddle's Victorian Tea (Ohio)
Marshall's Field (Illinois) -
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Boarding schools are a historic English tradition, glorified by the likes of Enid Blyton in "The Mallory Towers" and "St. Clare's" series, and more recently, by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter novels. The public schools Eton, Harrow and Rugby have educated British prime ministers, royalty, Nobel Laureates, economists, authors such as George Orwell, and poets such as P.B. Shelley and Lord Byron. A boarding-school experience complete with form masters (male teachers in a boys' school), prefects (head boy, head girl) and form captains (class monitor) is a genuine English tradition that must be experienced to be truly understood.
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When you speak of English traditions, you cannot but think of the great English novel. In a class lecture titled, "The English Novel," available online at the Teaching Company, Timothy Spurgin of the University of Virginia says there are three characteristics of the English novel: preoccupation with class and status; fixation with courtship, love and marriage; and moral endings where virtue is rewarded and erroneous ways are punished. Add to that a razor-sharp wit and dry, tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, and you have a typically English novel. To learn about the tradition of the novel and its themes, read the works of Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse. Or you could read "Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition---Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes," by a consortium of contributors. You can also learn about social traditions and customs by watching British television shows like "Mind Your Language," "Keeping Up Appearances" and "As Time Goes By."
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To get an overview of the English tradition in myriad fields, take a peek at the following books: "Sir Edwin Lutyens: Designing in the English Tradition," by Elizabeth Wilhide; "The Folk Handbook: Working with Songs from the English Tradition," by multiple authors; and "English Carols and Scottish Bagpipes: Two Victorian Romances Ignite New Holiday Traditions," by Pamela Griffin.
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