Cultural background of United Kingdom

The culture of the United Kingdom is the pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with the United Kingdom and its people. It is informed by the UK's history as a developed island country, liberal democracy and major power, its predominantly Christian religious life, and its composition of four countries !ngland, "orthern Ireland, #cotland and $ales each of which has distinct customs, cultures and symbolism. The wider culture of !urope has also influenced %ritish culture, and &umanism, 'rotestantism and representative democracy developed from broader $estern culture. %ritish literature, music, cinema, art, theatre, media, television, philosophy and architecture are influential and respected across the world. The United Kingdom is also prominent in science and technology. #port is an important part of %ritish culture( numerous sports originated in the country, including the national game, football. The UK has been described as a )cultural superpower), and *ondon has been described as a world cultural capital. The Industrial +evolution, with its origins in the UK, had a profound effect on the socio,economic and cultural conditions of the world. -s a result of the history of the formation of the United Kingdom, the cultures of !ngland, #cotland, $ales and "orthern Ireland are diverse and have varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness. Important parts of %ritish fol.lore include Robin Hood, the Arthurian myth and Jack and the Beanstalk. The !nglish language is the official language of the UK, and is spo.en monolingual by an estimated /01 of the %ritish population. Literature. -t its formation, the United Kingdom immediately inherited the literary traditions of !ngland and #cotland, including the earliest e2isting native literature written in the Celtic languages, -nglo,#a2on literature and more recent !nglish literature including the wor.s of 3eoffrey Chaucer, $illiam #ha.espeare and 4ohn 5ilton. $hile the %ritish national anthem )3od #ave the 6ueen) and other patriotic songs such as )+ule, %ritannia7) represent the United Kingdom, each of the four individual countries of the UK also has their own patriotic hymns. Cinema. The UK has had a large impact on modern cinema, producing some of the greatest actors, directors and motion pictures of all time including, #ir -lfred &itchcoc., Charlie Chaplin and others. -t the start of the 89st century, three major international %ritish successes were the romantic comedies Bridget Jones's Diary :8;;9<, se=uel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason :8;;><, and +ichard Curtis's directorial debut Lo e Actually :8;;?<. In 8;98, the twenty,third James Bond film !kyfall became the highest,grossing film of all,time in the UK.

Visual Arts. @rom the creation of the United Kingdom, the !nglish school of painting is mainly notable for portraits and landscapes, and indeed portraits in landscapes. -rts institutions include the +oyal College of -rt, +oyal #ociety of -rts, "ew !nglish -rt Club, #lade #chool of -rt, +oyal -cademy, and the Tate 3allery :founded as the "ational 3allery of %ritish -rt<. The %ritish 5useum in *ondon with its collection of more than seven million objects, is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world, sourced from every continent, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present. "ational 5useums of #cotland bring together national collections in #cotland. "ational 5useum $ales comprises eight museums in $ales. The Titanic %elfast museum, a visitor attraction in the Titanic 6uarter, east %elfast, "orthern Ireland on the regenerated site of the shipyard where Titanic was built, was officially opened to the public in 5arch 8;98.The architecture is a tribute to Titanic itself, with the e2ternal facades, a nod to the enormous hull of the cruise liner. The British Library in *ondon is the national library and is one of the world's largest research libraries, holding over 90; million items in all .nown languages and formats( including around 80 million boo.s. The "ational *ibrary of #cotland in !dinburgh, holds A million boo.s, fourteen million printed items and over 8 million maps. The "ational *ibrary of $ales is the national legal deposit library of $ales. Religion. The United Kingdom was created as an -nglican Christian country and -nglican churches remain the largest faith group in each country of the UK e2cept #cotland where -nglicanism is a tiny minority. @ollowing this is +oman Catholicism and religions including Islam, &induism, #i.hism, 4udaism, and %uddhism. British cuisine is the specific set of coo.ing traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom. &istorically, %ritish cuisine means )unfussy dishes made with =uality local ingredients, matched with simple sauces to accentuate flavour, rather than disguise it. %ritish cuisine has traditionally been limited in its international recognition to the full brea.fast and the Christmas dinner. !ach country within the United Kingdom has its own specialities. Traditional e2amples of !nglish cuisine include the #unday roast( featuring a roasted joint, usually beef, lamb or chic.en, served with assorted boiled vegetables, Bor.shire pudding and gravy. Cther prominent meals include fish and chips and the full !nglish brea.fast consisting of bacon, grilled tomatoes, fried bread, blac. pudding, ba.ed beans, fried mushrooms, sausages and eggs. Sport. 5ost of the major sports have separate administrative structures and national teams for each of the countries of the United Kingdom. Though each country is also represented individually at the Commonwealth 3ames, there is a single 'Team 3%' :for 3reat %ritain< that represents the UK at the Clympic 3ames.

The most popular sport in the UK is association football. The rules were first codified in !ngland in 9DE?, and the UK has the oldest football clubs in the world. The home nations all have separate national teams and domestic competitions, most notably !ngland's %arclays 'remier *eague and @- Cup, and the #cottish 'remier *eague and #cottish Cup. The first ever international football match was between #cotland and !ngland in 9DA8. The !nglish 'remier *eague :formed in 9//8 by member clubs of the old @ootball *eague @irst Fivision< is the most,watched football league in the world, and its biggest clubs include 5anchester United, *iverpool, -rsenal, Chelsea and current champions 5anchester City. ducation. !ach country of the United Kingdom has a separate education system. 'ower over education matters in #cotland, $ales and "orthern Ireland is devolved but education in !ngland is dealt with by the UK government since there is no devolved administration for !ngland. #ome research indicates that in the 89st century young people are tending to continue to live in the parental home for much longer than their predecessors. The high cost of living, combined with rising cost of accommodation, further education and higher education means that many young people cannot afford to live independent lives from their families. -s a multi,national state, the UK has no single national costume. &owever, different countries within the United Kingdom have national costumes or at least are associated with styles of dress. The sending and receiving of greeting cards is an established tradition in the UK, with card sending or card display in the home being an important part of %ritish culture. #ending Galentine's Fay cards became hugely popular in %ritain in the late 9Dth century, a practice that has since spread to other nations. Cther popular occasions for sending greeting cards in the UK are %irthdays, 5otherHs Fay, !aster and @atherHs Fay.