BRITISH AND AMERICAN STEREOTYPES Hana Orlová

THE BRITISH - When you visit Great Britain you are pleasantly surprised by the natural politeness of all people of
all classes. People are never tired of saying “thank you”, “I´m sorry”, or “excuse me”. People do not shake
hands and kiss hello so often as on the continent, they are famous for their dry humour. To some people,
the British seem cold, reserved, formal and distant. Traditions are still observed, they are said to be
conservative (traditional system of weight and measures, driving on the left, traditional uniforms at some
schools etc.)

THE AMERICANS - Americans enjoy their flags – they use the stars and stripes as a popular design on
shirts, shoes, hats – anywhere and everywhere in fact. They honour values such as freedom,
individualism, self-reliance, and independence. They have a very strong concern for family, which is
regarded as a base of society and most Americans are very religious and hard-working people who value
progress, success and prosperity. The concept of the “American Dream” is very strong (you can be
whatever you want). Americans also respect different cultures and races as America is a multicultural and
multiracial country.
BRITISH HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

JANUARY
January 1st New Year´s Day – titles and decorations (vyznamenání) are conferred (uděleny) by the
sovereign
January5th TwelfthNight–thetwelfthdayafterChristmasDayandthetraditionalendofthe
celebrations of Christmas and New Year
January25th Burns´Night–acelebrationofthebirthdayofRobertBurns,Scotland’sgreatnational
poet. Traditional Scottish dishes are eaten (haggis, mashed potatoes and turnips) and Scottish pipers play,
wearing Highland dress.

FEBRUARY
th
February14
Valentine´s Day – a lovers´ day; on this day people send Valentine cards to a person they
love, usually anonymously and they exchange presents; the cards have funny loving or serious content such
as “I´ll be your sweetheart, if you´ll be mine I´ll be your Valentine”. Originally this day commemorated an
ancient Roman priest who gave aid to the persecuted Christians, secretly helped lovers, passed love letters
and illegally married couples. Finally he was put to death for his deeds.

MARCH
March17th St Patrick´s Day – the festival of Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland. Parades, drinking and
parties. Everybody wearing green colour. People often wear shamrocks. Saint Patrick was born in Britain at
the end of the 4th century. When he was 16, he was sold as a slave in Ireland and worked as a shepherd.
He
escaped and spent twelve years at a monastery in France. Later, he returned to Ireland to teach people
about Christianity. It is said that Saint Patrick banished (= vyhnat) all the snakes from the country. He
became Bishop of Ireland. He died on 17th March 461.

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 APRIL
April1st All Fools´Day – it is named after the custom of playing practical jokes and tricks on people
and than you can shout “April Fool!"
Easter Easter–springfeastoftheChristianChurch;onGoodFridaypeoplecommemorateJesus´
crucifixion and eat hot cross buns (cakes with a cross shape on the top), while Easter Sunday
commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus. It is connected with pre-Christian tradition, originally it was a
festival celebrating the spring equinox (rovnodennost); Easter eggs, dyed and decorated or made of
confectionery (sladkosti) symbolizing new life, are given as presents; it is celebrated on Easter Sunday in
Britain.

MAY
May1st MayDay–comesfromancientcelebrationsofspring,childrenusuallydanceroundthe
Maypole, weaving their coloured ribbons. Political parties of the left hold processions and public meetings
celebrating Workers’ Day. International Workers’ Day commemorates the historic struggle of working
people throughout the world, and it is a national holiday in more than 80 countries.

2ndSunday Mother´sDay

LastMonday SpringBankHoliday – bank holidays in England are also public holidays when banks and
shops are closed; people spend their holiday going for excursions, to the coast, if possible

JUNE
2ndSaturday TheQueen´sOfficialBirthday–variousceremoniesassociatedwithit,suchasTrooping the
Colour, which is performed on Horse Guards Parade, London. It is a military parade during which
the
chosen regiment carries (“troops”) the regimental flag (“colour”) before the Sovereign ceremonially.
OCTOBER
October31st Halloween-Itisconnectedwithwitchesandghosts.Peopledressupinstrangecostumes
(masks). They cut horrible faces in pumpkins and put a candle inside. Children dressed in white
sheets knock on doors and ask if you like a “trick“ or “treat“. If you give them something nice = “a
treat“, they go away. If not, they play “a trick“ on you, such as making a lot of noise or throwing
flour on your front doorstep etc. Other popular activities: bobbing for apples (i.e. trying to get an
apple from a bowl with water using just one’s own mouth) or visiting a haunted house in some
amusement park.
Most people think of Halloween as an American tradition, but actually, it comes from Europe. In fact
,Halloween has been celebrated in Europe for about two and a half thousand years. The first people to
celebrate Halloween were the Celts. The Celts lived in Europe, mainly in France, Britain and Ireland.
Halloween was the last day of their year before the long winter. On this day, the Celts believed that the
spirits of the dead visited people‘s homes and tried to enter people‘s bodies. The Celts were very afraid. So,
on Halloween they built big fires, they wore strange clothes, they played tricks on each other, and they
made a lot of noise. When we think of Halloween, we also think of witches. A witch is an evil woman, who
can fly on a broomstick, and can change into a black cat.
So how did Halloween get to America? During the 1840s, the people of Ireland could not grow any
potatoes. There was no food and many people died. During this time, many Irish people moved to America.
They took their culture with them, including Halloween and Jack-o-lantern making. In Ireland, people used
turnips to make Jack-o-lanterns, but in America, they began to use pumpkins.
NOVEMBER
November5th Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) – the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 is
celebrated with bonfires, fireworks and the burning of guys (old clothes or paper effigies of Guy Fawkes, an
English conspirator who, with Catholics, attempted to blow up the buildings of Parliament; the plot was
discovered and the conspirator executed). People eat traditional food, such as baked potatoes and caramel
apples.
November 11th Remembrance Day – there is a ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, in which
the 2-minute silence honours people killed in all major conflicts since the start of the World War I.
Politicians lay wreaths. The date refers to the anniversary of the end of WW I. The symbol of Remembrance
Day is a red poppy because poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flandres in World War
I; their brilliant red colour became a symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

DECEMBER
December25th Christmas Day - Christmas is the most important festival in the USA and England (but
not in Scotland). It has lost much of its religious significance and has become a commercial festival, although
many people still go to midnight mass on the evening of 24th.
Unlike many European countries, in England, the Christmas tree is often put up and decorated with tinsel
and glass balls several days before Christmas and it stays up until Twelfth Night, the 5th of January.
Christmas trees (conifers) in Britain are often decorated with fairy lights and bright coloured ornaments.
Sweets and fruit or sparklers are not hung on the tree. In the rooms holly and ivy is hung as a decoration. A
sprig of mistletoe is hung in a central position or over the door. If you catch a girl under it, you are allowed
to kiss her. In the last days before Christmas there is always the Christmas rush - the shops are packed with
shoppers trying to buy last minute presents.
Unlike the other European countries, the English have no traditional celebration on CHRISTMAS EVE
(Dec. 24th). Before English children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they hang up Christmas stockings at the
end of their beds and believe that Santa Claus or Father Christmas rides through the air on a sledge drawn
by 8 reindeer and comes down the chimney and fills up the stockings with presents and toys. Larger things
are found at the foot of their beds or under the Christmas tree.
The next day (Dec. 25th), in the morning children enjoy unwrapping presents and at midday Christmas
dinner is a great occasion. It consists of roast turkey or goose with chestnut stuffing and roast potatoes and
Christmas pudding. This is special rich pudding made with lots of dried fruit, eggs and very little flour. It is
eaten hot with whipped cream or brandy butter. There is also an old custom of stirring into the pudding,
when it is being prepared, a coin, a thimble and a ring to bring wealth, work and a wedding to those who
find it. Other traditional Christmas food includes mince pies, which are little pies filled with a kind of jam
made from dried fruit and spices, and Christmas cake, a rich fruit cake with marzipan and icing on it.
There are plenty of carols on the radio and TV. On Christmas Day the monarch addresses the nation and
the Commonwealth on radio and television.

December26th BoxingDay–thenamecomesfromthecustominearliertimeswhenrichpeopleused
to give presents or ‘boxes‘ to their servants and poor people of the village. Today it is customary to give a
Christmas ‘box‘ (usually money) to postmen, milkmen, dustmen, newspaper boys. People usually visit their
relatives on this day.

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 December31st NewYear´sEve-theEnglishpeoplestayuptillmidnightanddrinkatoasttotheNew
Year. While New Year's Eve is celebrated around the world, the Scots have a long rich heritage associated
with this event - and have their own name for it, HOGMANAY [hogmə‘nei] - it is more popular than Xmas
here. People sit down to dinner which begins with haggis, Scotland´s national dish /minced heart, lungs and
liver of a sheep, boiled in a sheep stomach with oatmeal/. Before midnight many people gather in the
square, they sing and dance in the Scottish style. Immediately after midnight it is traditional to sing Robert
Burns' "Auld Lang Syne".
It may not be widely known but Christmas was not celebrated as a festival and was banned (by the
Protestant Church) in Scotland for around 400 years, from the end of the 17th century to the 1950s. There
are traditions before midnight such as cleaning the house on 31st December (including taking out the ashes
from the fire in the days when coal fires were common). There is also the superstition to clear all your debts
before "the bells" at midnight.

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AMERICAN HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

There are 10 federal or national holidays in the US (underlined in the text bellow). These are designated
(ustanoveny) by the federal government, but each state can decide if they want to honour them, or have different
ones. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are observed in every state. In the US, most federal holidays don’t have
specific dates, but are celebrated on a certain day (to have a long weekend).

JANUARY
January 1st NewYear’sDay – a day off from work
3rd Monday in January Martin Luther King’s Day – M. L. K. was a black leader and civil rights
campaigner. He demanded racial equality. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for promoting
nonviolence and equal treatment for different races. He was assassinated in 1968.

FEBRUARY:
February14th Valentine’s Day – The tradition of celebrating this holiday was taken over from England.
It commemorates an ancient Roman priest who secretly helped lovers, passed love letters and illegally
married couples. Valentine’s Day is considered the day of all those who are in love.
3rd Monday in February President’s Day – honours all presidents of the USA. It was originally held
in honour of the birthday of the first president, George Washington, on February 22.

MARCH
March17th St. Patrick’s Day – originally Irish holiday; extremely popular and widely celebrated in
the U.S.A. due to the large number of Irish immigrants living there; parades, people wear green and
go to pubs or give parties; typically Irish symbols like shamrocks, leprechauns, rainbows and, of
course, lots of green.
 APRIL
April1st All Fool’s Day –playing tricks on people.
Easter - - traditionally associated with symbols of a new life such as rabbits, eggs or baby chicken.
Americanchildren dye eggs and get chocolate bunnies, baskets with jelly beans and candy. The typical
Easter dinner should consist of lamb or ham. In some families they organize an egg hunt – children
look for eggs which the adults hid somewhere in the house, yard or garden. There is a traditional
Easter Egg Roll in the front of the White House in Washington on Easter Monday.

MAY
2ndSunday Mother’s Day

LastMonday Memorial Day – originally soldiers who had died in the Civil War were honoured;
nowadays a day to remember all Americans soldiers killed in wars. It also marks the
beginning of the summer
season.

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JUNE
June14 Flag Day - This is the ‘birthday’ of the U.S. flag and citizens usually show their respect for
their national symbol by flying it.

JULY
July4 - Independence Day also known as the Fourth of July – honours the day the Declaration
of Independence was signed by the 13 colonies and the United States of America was born
parades, picnics, BBQs, fireworks, parties. It is always held on July 4 and if it falls on a weekend,
either the Friday or the Monday is a day off.
SEPTEMBER
1stMonday Labor Day – celebrates working people and also represents the official end of summer
and signals the beginning of school. Like on many similar occasions, people again go picnicking or have
barbecues.
OCTOBER
2ndMonday Columbus Day – commemorates the explorer Christopher Columbus and his discovery of
America in 1492.
October31st Halloween

NOVEMBER
November11th Veterans’ Day – originally established to honour people who served in World War I.
Now it honours everyone who has done military service in war time parades, flying of flags, visits to
cemeteries, religious services
4thThursday Thanksgiving–2daysofftocommemoratethefirstharvestofthePilgrimswhocameto
Plymouth in 1620 – first celebrated in 1621. Nowadays a big opportunity for families to meet and to
have the traditional dinner together. This dinner consists of turkey, chestnut stuffing, mashed
potatoes, corn, cranberry
sauce and pumpkin pie for dessert. These dishes are native to America and were introduced as a new
food source to the Europeans when they arrived. Religious people also say prayers and thank God for
all his blessings and the food they are about to enjoy. It also brings the unofficial start to the Christmas
shopping season.
DECEMBER
December25th Christmas – Unlike Christmas in our country, Christmas in the USA is not a family holiday.
Americans invite friends to join them at Christmas dinner. At night Santa Claus comes with his sleigh pulled by
nine reindeer and leaves presents for everybody. Besides the Christmas tree the Americans also decorate
their houses with garlands and wreaths and electric coloured lights inside and outside the house or on the
trees in their gardens. Christmas carols can be heard everywhere, people send cards to their friends and
family, go to church, mothers bake Christmas cookies, and the whole family usually takes part in decorating
the tree. The American Christmas is associated with mistletoe, eggnog, poinsettia flowers, gingerbread,
listening to Handel’s “Messiah” or seeing Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.

December31st NewYear’sEve–dancing,singing,parties,enjoyingchampagneandfireworks;at
midnight people usually sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ (according to Robert Burns´ poem, meaning old long-since or
old long-ago) and make New Year’s resolutions.

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CZECH NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

JANUARY 1 New Year

This festive day celebrates the start of the New Year. Many people prepare a big meal including pork for good
luck and lentils for prosperity. Stay away from fish or poultry today. Those meals may force your luck swim or fly
away.
April - Easter Sunday and Monday
Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. The date is different every year, as it falls on the
first Sunday after the spring full moon, so the first full moon after March 21. The symbols of Easter are much the
same as the symbols for spring: lamb and eggs, representing new life. The pagan Easter tradition is at the moment
stronger than the Christian one. In the Czech Republic boys prepare plaited willow canes and on Easter Monday
they go from house to house and whip girls using rattles as music. As a treat they receive an egg, money, a drink or
a ribbon. When whipping they have to recite a poem. There are many variations of decorating eggs – there are
straw ornaments stuck to the shell, ornaments can be engraved into the coloured eggshell. Houses are decorated
with catkins and people eat sponge cake in the form of lamb.

May 1 Worker’s Day (Labour Day)

- commemorates the efforts of labour unions to improve working conditions for all people. On May 1, 1886,
labour unions organized a strike in Chicago to protest against miserable working conditions. At the time, most
workers worked ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week. The strikers wanted an eight hour work day. The police
attacked the strikers for no reason, killing two and wounding several others. This led to protests in many other
places.

May 8 Liberation Day

- celebrates the end of World War II on May 8, 1945. On this day, the Germans surrendered and the country
was liberated from Nazi occupation.

July 5 St. Cyril and Methodius Day

On this day, we remember two priests who played an important role in our history. In 863, St. Cyril and St.
Methodius brought Christianity to the Slavic people of central Europe. They also wrote down the standard Slavic
language at the time, which was the forerunner of Czech, Slovak, Polish and Russian languages.

July 6 Jan Hus Day

July 6 commemorates Jan Hus, a Catholic priest and the rector of Charles University. He was burned at the stake
as a heretic because of his efforts to stop corruption in the Catholic Church.
September 28 St. Wenceslas Day
This Day is celebrated as Czech Statehood Day. It commemorates the anniversary of the death of Prince
Wenceslas, son of Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia. About 935 AD, the Prince was murdered by his brother. He soon
became St. Wenceslas, patron saint of the Czech Nation.

October 28 Czechoslovak Independence Day

On this day in 1918, the independent Czechoslovak Republic was founded. After World War I, the
Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrated and an independent country was established. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
became Czechoslovakia’s first president.

November 17 Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day

It honors the student demonstrations against the Nazis in 1939, as well as the protest against the Communists in
1989 (the Velvet Revolution). In 1939, huge demonstrations took place here against Nazi occupation. The Nazis
suppressed the protest, and a medical student, Jan Opletal, was shot and killed. On the day of his funeral,
hundreds of people, mostly students, demonstrated again, and the Germans violently suppressed the protests.
The tensions culminated on November 17 when the Gestapo and SS units attacked student hostels arresting more
than 1200 students and taking them to concentration camps. Nine students were executed without trial, and
Adolf Hitler ordered the closing of colleges. Later, the day was proclaimed Student’s Day.

December 24 – 26 Christmas
Christmas is a Christian holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus. It traditionally spans three days, Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day. Czech Christmas is about the same as English. We decorate the house with
advent wreaths, candles, springs and Christmas tree with chains, balls, chocolates, stars, angles and other
ornaments. However, there are a few differences: our dinner is soup, carp fillets (fried in flour with egg and
breadcrumb coating) with potato salad and we get our presents on Christmas Eve in the evening after Christmas
dinner.
In general you should fast until the dinner comes to see the golden pig or at least avoid eating meat. After the
dinner Baby Jesus rings a bell to announce that the presents are already there and children rush to the living room
to open them. On the following two days people visit their relatives and relax and eat. In every family there are
many kinds of home-made sweets. On Christmas Day there is often a roast goose or duck with sauerkraut and
dumplings.

There are some old traditions connected with Christmas. Girls used to toss the shoe on Christmas Eve and the
direction of the tip showed whether the girl would get married or not. The future used to be predicted from
floating walnut shells with candles in a basin or cutting apples, a regular seed star means good luck and health and
decayed cross means death. Going to a midnight mass is another Christmas tradition. People used to pour lead to
guess their future, they used to keep a scale of the carp in their purse to be richer in the following year. Hanging
the washing on 24th or 31st December or leaving the table during the Christmas dinner is considered to be bad
luck. It is believed that eating lentils in the New Year will make you rich.

Some of the public holidays celebrated in other countries than the UK and US

In Australia they celebrate Australia Day on January 26 and Anzac Day on April 25. Australia Day celebrates the
establishment of the first colony in Australia by the British. People mark the day by going to the beach, having a
barbecue and watching fireworks. Anzac Day is a serious day, which commemorates remembers the soldiers who
have died or served in wars.
In Canada on July 1 they celebrate Canada Day with various events like parades or carnivals.

An important public holiday in New Zealand is Waitangi Day on February 6. It marks the day the Treaty of
Waitangi was signed and the Maori people gained equal rights in the British Commonwealth.
Questions

What is a public holiday?

A public holiday is... a special day when we observe a significant historical or religious event / when people have a
paid day off work / when schools / shops are closed. Public holidays are also called bank holidays in the UK and
Canada.

What is your favourite holiday and why?

I enjoy Easter because... the weather usually starts to get warmer / I like decorating eggs. My favourite holiday is
Christmas because... it is when my whole family gets together / I like to bake cookies. New Year’s Eve is the best
because... of all the parties that happen / it’s like a new start. November 17 is a good day to remember the
country’s history.
Are traditions still kept or are they disappearing in your country?

I think traditions are disappearing here because... young people don’t care about traditions anymore / there is too
much commercialization of holidays / people are too busy to get together with friends and family to celebrate
traditional customs. I think traditions are still kept, especially in the country because people have closer
relationships there / our parents and grandparents spend time doing traditional things and pass them on to their
grandchildren.

What special occasions are important to people in their lives? Which event has been the red-letter day for you /
your family?

I think... a wedding / birthday / graduation / funeral / the birth of a baby / first communion / baptism /
wedding anniversary / class reunion are important events in one’s life. A red-letter day for me has been... my
graduation from high school / my 18th birthday / when I could drive.