There is an old joke. Paradise is when you live in an English house with a Russian wife on an American salary, and a Chinese chef cooks. Hell is when you live in a Chinese house with an American wife on a Russian salary, and an English chef cooks. Why is the whole world laughing at English food, not understanding English humor and admiring English politeness?
Who are the British?
Queen, weather, tea, football - what the world knows about the English. And the inhabitants of the island state themselves admit that these values really play an important role in their lives. But adherence to traditions is far from all that makes up the national character and mentality of the British. The nation itself is a product of the fusion of many tribes that once lived on the island and the peoples who captured it. So, the ancestors of the British, the Saxons, gave their descendants practicality, efficiency and a craving for simplicity. From the Celts they inherited a belief in the supernatural, a penchant for mysticism and an attachment to the past. Britonsendowed their descendants with a passion for the hearth. Angles - pride and vanity. From the Scandinavian Vikings came a craving for travel and curiosity. And the last to invade Britain, the Normans, left behind a love of money and discipline. Today, thanks to the Internet, the British are no longer cut off from the whole world, but they have managed to preserve truly English national traits that are still recognizable even if you have never met an Englishman.
Stability and attachment to the past
Briefly, the national character of the English can be described by the word "tradition". They are extremely attached to the past and do not hide it. They find it difficult to adapt to new fashion trends, and if such changes occur, they affect only certain people, not affecting the nation as a whole. Traditional tea parties, football fanaticism and pride in their queen - this is what unites all the British, and this has not changed, not only for years, but for decades. From the English adherence to traditions grow the roots of all English character traits. Their automatic politeness is a tribute to traditional upbringing. Moderation and practicality are the gift of distant ancestors. Even their humor is also a child of the habit of laughing at themselves. The British have a strong family background. And although not all of them are lords, most can remember their great-great-grandfathers and even show their photographs. Keeping children's dresses, old school notebooks and diaries is quite in the spirit of the British. They like to get together every Sunday for a family dinner, wear the same sweaters and go to the pub in the evenings. And even what the whole world laughs at– eternal talk about the weather is also a tradition that the British have cherished for centuries.
Moderation
Moderation in everything, bordering on stinginess, is often noticed by foreigners in close contact with the British. The character of the Englishman was formed under the influence of many events that took place on the island. And the habit of saving, saving and living without frills appeared a very long time ago. Surprisingly, but a fact: having a friendly and hospitable character, the British will never set the table in excess, as is customary in Russia, for example. So, having invited three people to tea, the Englishwoman quite naturally puts on the table a saucer with four cakes and a teapot filled with exactly four cups. And this will not seem to her manifestations of stinginess or disrespect. On the contrary, such a manifestation of moderation, characteristic of all the British, just reflects the true essence, without a mask and pretense.
Practicality
About practicality as a feature of the national character of the British, perhaps only the deaf have not heard. The British know how to perfectly allocate time and resources. From childhood, they are taught to moderation and stamina - to endure cold and rain, withstand punishment and a very moderate dinner. Therefore, every English child learns very quickly how to use their skills and knowledge to achieve what they want and "survive" in a traditional English house with separate taps and carefully controlled heating. Thanks to their practicality, the British are excellent entrepreneurs. It is known thatit was the British who stood at the origins of the large-scale production of French wines. The inhabitants of the island liked the noble varieties so much that they built the first large wineries from the French, their eternal competitors, and earned a lot of money from this. Even before Christmas, when business life freezes in almost all of Europe, the British continue to make deals and trade in shops.
Courtesy
They say they apologize automatically. Even the British themselves often laugh at their eternal politeness, but are in no hurry to get rid of it. Politeness and tact - these are the character traits of the British, who have won hearts all over the world. It is believed that there is no better personal assistant than an Englishman who will know exactly what the boss needs, but at the same time pretend that he did not notice anything unusual. Politeness towards others is manifested not only in the use of certain words and attempts to hold the door, but also in behavior. The Englishman does not allow himself gossip (traditional clubs do not count, because what is said in the club remains in the club), rude statements, loud disputes and quarrels. The French once had a joke that an English wife is good because she is like good furniture - you can’t hear her. The character of English men also did not allow them to arrange family scandals. It is not surprising that children are accustomed to this from an early age. Being polite, keeping a face and knowing exactly what time it is are the virtues that students of English schools have.
Vanity
And yet there is no nation moremore conceited than the British. Living on a small island, the British are nevertheless sure that their country is the best in the world. They have the best political system, the strongest economy and the most valiant police. Together with adherence to tradition, such national vanity and unwillingness to accept other people's opinions make the character of the Englishman unpleasant for a foreigner. The main pride of the British to this day remains the English language, which has long become the world language. Historians believe that national vanity is due to the geographical position of the country as well. Having no other peoples and nations on the island, the British accepted themselves as a standard, and carried this love for themselves and for everything English through the centuries. Back in the fifteenth century it was said about the English that they do not see other peoples than their own. But that vanity, coupled with a love of travel passed down by the Vikings, helped Britain rule the seas for years to come.
Individualism
Describing the national character of the English, many authors note extreme individualism. Each Englishman has clear personal boundaries and is not inclined to violate strangers. Here, on the island, everyone knows the laws that protect personal honor and dignity and private property. Greeting or communicating with an unfamiliar person, the Englishman will always leave a sufficient distance so that "odors do not fly". But the point here is not in disgust, but in the boundaries that the Englishman knows how to respect and requires the same respect from others. Even children in school are not inclined to help the underachievers unless directed to do so.teachers. And it is by no means surprising that in English university dormitories there are much more individual rooms than common ones.
Self-control
The main feature of the national character of the British, which they themselves talk about, is the ability to keep a face. Self-control, as well as many other character traits, is brought up in the British from childhood, since their temperament - the result of the merger of many bloodlines - does not at all correspond to "decent". Gentlemanly behavior, even in the lower strata of the population, was elevated to a cult in the time of Queen Victoria. And since then, self-control has been one of the main virtues of the British, regardless of gender and age. The character of an Englishman - restrained, even cool - is the result of work on himself, and not a natural quality. Not to give vent to feelings, to be able to accept any situation and get out of it with dignity have created a certain reputation for the inhabitants of Foggy Albion, which they are proud of. Even nature works for it. Since childhood, young gentlemen and ladies have been accustomed to sudden changes in the weather, cold and the ability to endure all these hardships have tempered their character.
Paradoxicality
Description of the character of the Englishman and the peculiarities of their behavior would be incomplete without mentioning the other side of the coin. How can self-control, built into an unspoken law, and madness in the football stands coexist? Or national courtesy with punk culture, which has become hugely popular in England? The paradox and inconsistency of the English character was notedmany historians and sociologists. England, materialistic, practical, gave birth to world famous mystics, poets and philosophers. The most famous travelers and explorers were born in respectable and loving homeliness of England. The character of the Englishman, generally restrained and understandable, can be unpredictable and violent in certain circumstances. It was the most law-abiding nation that gave the world the best detective writers. The nation, where a woman traditionally more than in other countries, was the keeper of the hearth, enriched world literature with female names. And the paradoxical nature of English humor is legendary. Not always funny, but always on the brink of a foul, he is heavily criticized and yet has fans all over the world.
Curiosity and thirst for knowledge
Lewis Carroll believed that the British are an extremely curious nation. This is probably why the heroines of his books often got into interesting stories because of this. In describing the character of the English, this trait is rarely mentioned, but without curiosity, there would not have been that craving for knowledge that forced the construction of the first university back in the 12th century. It is generally accepted that English education is of the highest quality. Such a reputation is well deserved, as the UK education system skillfully combines traditions and new trends, which is also possible only thanks to national curiosity. And if earlier it was believed that the only deity of the British is money, which they love and know how to make, now it is knowledge and the desire for discoveries.
Familypride
Family for an Englishman is his fortress, stronghold and place of peace of mind. They build their houses based on a large family. It is not customary for the English to shout about it, but they adore children. And even the severity of education is explained solely by concern for the future of the generation. At the same time, in England it is not considered shameful to live with parents even after their own family has appeared. And the English mother-grandmother will not reproach her daughter-in-law for the fact that her children are destroying the whole house. She will just silently put things in order and will do it every time until the children get used to this way of life and begin to do it on their own. From the outside, it often seems that the British are restrained in showing feelings even within the family, but the fact that they always know exactly what happened to their most distant relatives, what shade of socks the grandfather prefers, and what kind of hydrangeas the great aunt wants to plant, only emphasizes how For the British, nepotism is important. Therefore, it is not at all surprising to see the walls, hung with photos of long-dead relatives, in an average English house. The British know how to be proud of their family. And even the most eccentric antics of "their" cause good-natured smiles.
Hospitality and friendliness
For all their isolation, individualism and national pride, the British are a very friendly and hospitable people. These features of the character of the English are most often manifested in their territory. More than once, tourists noted that, having lost their way, they quickly found help in the person of local residents or the police. ForFor a true Brit, it goes without saying that you will stay for dinner if you show up at his house in the evening. English housewives always have a "place for a guest" in their house. Well, hospitality is most clearly manifested in English pubs, where it is customary to pay in a circle for all those present.
And finally
The British themselves say that all their actions are driven by love. The love of gardening has turned the country into a beautiful flower garden. Love for dogs has allowed to breed a lot of decorative breeds. The love of travel once turned the country from an island nation into an empire with numerous colonies. The love of art has given rise to many masterpieces in the fields of literature, music and theatre. And until now, tourists go to England to see firsthand how harmoniously traditions are intertwined with the new time here.
