Febbraio 2024 | The culture of the United Kingdom

The culture of the United Kingdom

The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by many factors including: the nation’s island status; its history; and being a political union of four countries, with each preserving elements of distinctive traditions, customs and symbolism. As a result of the British Empire, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies.

Literature

Most British literature is in English. The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist of all time. The 20th-century English crime writer Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. Scotland’s contributions include Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes) and the poet Robert Burns. Welsh literature includes work by Dylan Thomas, Roald Dahl and Ken Follett. Irish writers, living at a time when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, include Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker (who wrote Dracula).

Music and Visual Arts

According to a dictionary, the term “pop music” originated in Britain in the mid-1950s to describe rock and roll’s fusion with the “new youth music”. The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that artists such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones drove pop music to the forefront of popular music in the early 1960s.  The Royal Academy in London is a key organisation for the promotion of the visual arts in the United Kingdom. Important art galleries in the United Kingdom include the National Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern (the most-visited modern art gallery in the world).

Cinema and Media

The United Kingdom has had a considerable influence on the history of cinema. The British directors Alfred Hitchcock and David Lean are among the most critically acclaimed directors of all time. Some of the most commercially successful films of all time have been produced in the United Kingdom, including two of the highest-grossing film franchises (Harry Potter and James Bond).

The BBC, founded in 1922, is the UK’s publicly funded radio, television and Internet broadcasting corporation, and is the oldest and largest broadcaster in the world.

Cuisine

British cuisine developed from various influences reflective of its land, immigrants, trade and colonialism. British cuisine has absorbed the cultural influence of those who have settled in Britain. The British have embraced world cuisine and regularly eat recipes or fast food from Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. Afternoon tea is a light afternoon meal served with tea in tea rooms and hotels around the United Kingdom, with the tradition dating back to around 1840.

Sport

A 2003 poll found that football is the most popular sport in the UK. England is recognised as the birthplace of club football, and the Football Association is the oldest of its kind, with the rules of football first drafted in 1863. Birmingham hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the seventh time a constitute country in the United Kingdom hosted the Commonwealth Games (England, Scotland and Wales have each hosted the Commonwealth Games at least once).

Symbols

The flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Flag (also referred to as the Union Jack). It was created in 1606 by the superimposition of the flag of England on the flag of Scotland and was updated in 1801 with the addition of Saint Patrick’s Flag symbolizing Ireland. The national anthem of the United Kingdom is “God Save the King”. “Queen” replaces “King” in the lyrics whenever the monarch is a woman.

Glossary:

customs: costumi

former: ex, precedente

a playwright: un commediiografo

a dramatist: un drammaturgo

a crime writer: un giallista

a novelist: una scrittrice, una romanziera

a fusion: una fusione, una miscela

to drive (something) to the forefront: portare (qualcosa) in prima linea

of all time: di tutti i tempi, di sempre

highest-grossing: di maggiore incasso

franchises: delle franchise cinematografiche

broadcasting: radiotrasmissione

a cuisine: una cucina, una gastronomia

a recipe: una ricetta

The Caribbean: i Caraibi

to date back: risalire a

a poll: un sondaggio

to draft: redigere

a constitute country: una nazione appartenente a…

the superimposition: la sovrapposizione

a national anthem: un inno nazionale

the lyrics: le parole (di una canzone)

British Customs and Culture