BRITISH AND AMERICAN STEREOTYPES

THE BRITISH - The natural politeness of all people of all classe

- Famous for their dry humour - khiếu hài hước khô
- for some people the british seem cold, reserved, formal and distant
- Traditions are still observed, ther are said to be conservative

THE AMERICAN - American enjoys their flags ( stars and stripes as popular design anywhere and everywhere)
- 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
- most Americans are very religious and hard-working people who value progress, success and prosperit.
- 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 1 st New Year´s Day – titles and decorations (vyznamenání) are conferred (uděleny) by the sovereign
January 5 th Twelfth Night – the traditional end of the celebrations of Christmas and New Year
January 25th Burns´ Night – a celebration of the birthday of Robert Burns, Scotland’s great national poet. Traditional
Scottish dishes are eaten (haggis, mashed potatoes and turnips) and Scottish pipers play, wearing Highland dress.

February
February 14th Valentine´s Day – a lovers´ day ( send cardes to a person they love, exchange presents) - 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
March 17th 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. St Patrick - born in britain at the end of the 4th
century, 16 old, he was sold as a slave in Ireland and worked as a shephed,escaped and spent twelve years at a
monastery in France,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 17 th March 461.
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April
April 1 st 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 – spring feast of the Christian Church; on Good Friday people commemorate Jesus´ crucifixion and eat hot
cross buns, 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), celebrated on Easter Sunday
in Britain.

May
May 1 st May Day – comes from ancient celebrations of spring, children usually dance round the Maypole, weaving
their coloured ribbons. Political parties of the left hold processions and public meetings celebrating Workers’ Day -
commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world ( 80 countries)
2 nd Sunday Mother´s Day
Last Monday Spring Bank Holiday – 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
2 nd Saturday The King´s Official Birthday – various ceremonies associated with it, such as Trooping the Colour ( on
Horse Guards Parade, Lodon) It is a military parade during which the chosen regiment carries (“troops”) the regimental
flag (“colour”) before the Sovereign ceremonially
OCTOBER
October 31st Halloween - It is connected with witches and ghosts. dress up in strange costumes (masks), 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“, bobbing for apples, visiting a haunted house in some amusement park.
- The first people to celebrate Halloween were the Celts ( lived in Europe, France, Britain and Ireland) - built big fires,
they wore strange clothes, they played tricks on each other, and they made a lot of noise.
- 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.
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November
November 5 th Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) – the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 is celebrated with
bonfires, fireworks and the burning of guys, eat traditional food, such as baked potatoes and caramel apples.
November 11th Remembrance Day – there is a ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, 2 min silence
honours people who sacrificed since the start of the World War I . The symbol - red poppy (a symbol the blood spilled
in the war)

December
December 25th Christmas Day - the most important festival in the USA and England (not in Scotland).
- in England, the Christmas tree is often put up and decorated - tinsel and glass balls (stays up until Twelfth Night).
English children go to bed on Christmas Eve (hang up Christmas stockings at the end of their beds)
- in Britain are decorated with fairy lights and bright coloured ornaments.
- In the rooms holly and ivy is hung as a decoration, sprig of mistletoe is hung in a central position or over the door
(girl under it, you kiss her). r. In the last days before Christmas there is the Christmas rush - the shops are packed
with shoppers trying to buy last minute presents.
- Dec. 25th, in the morning children unwrapping presents and at midday Christmas dinner is a great occasion (roast
turkey or goose with chestnut stuffing and roast potatoes and Christmas pudding)
- plenty of carols on the radio and TV. On Christmas Day the monarch addresses the nation and the
Commonwealth on radio and television.
December 26th Boxing Day - earlier times when rich people used to give presents or ‘boxes‘ to their servants and
poor people of the village. today is give a Christmas ‘box‘ (usually money) to postmen, milkmen, dustmen, newspaper
boys, visit relatives on this day.
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December 31st New Year´s Eve - the English people stay up till midnight and drink a toast.
- the Scots - long rich heritage associated with this event - own name for it HOGMANAY - sit down to dinner which
begins with haggis, Scotland´s national dish - minced heart, lungs, liver of a sheep, boiled in a sheep stomach with
oatmea, many people gather in the square, they sing and dance in the Scottish style. after midnight it is traditional
to sing Robert Burns' "Auld Lang Syne". Now no celebrated in scotland - from the end of the 17th century to the
1950s. traditions before midnight such as cleaning the house on 31st December, the superstition to clear all your
debts before "the bells" at midnight.
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AMERICAN HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

January
January 1 st New Year’s Day – 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 was
assassinated (shot) in 1968 beacause of his famous speech I HAVE A DREAM

February
February 14th Valentine’s Day - tradition from England, It commemorates an ancient Roman priest who secretly
helped lovers, passed love letters and illegally married couples
3rd Monday in February President’s Day – honours all presidents of the USA, held in honour of the birthday of thr
George Washington February 22
March
March 17th St. Patrick’s Day – Irish holiday, celebrated in the U.S.A, people wear green and go to pubs or give parties;
typically Irish symbols like shamrocks, leprechauns, rainbows

April
April 1 st All Fool’s Day –playing tricks on people
Easter - American children dye eggs and get chocolate bunnies, baskets with jelly beans and candy, Easter dinner
lamb or ham. some games : egg hunt, traditional Easter Egg Roll in the front of the White House in Washington on
Easter Monday.

May
2 nd Sunday Mother’s Day
Last Monday Memorial Day – originally soldiers who had died in the Civil War were honoured, nowadays a day to
remember all Americans soldiers killed in wars.
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June
June 14th Flag Day - This is the ‘birthday’ of the U.S. flag, their national symbol by flying it.

July
July 4 th Independence Day - honours the day the Declaration of Independence (1772) was signed by the 13 colonies,
independence from britian, United States of America was born, parades, picnics, BBQs, fireworks, partie

September
1st Monday Labor Day – celebrates working people

October
2nd Monday Columbus Day – commemorates the explorer Christopher Columbus and his discovery of America in
1492.
October 31st Halloween

November
November 11th Veterans’ Day – originally 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
4th Thursday Thanksgiving – 2 days off to commemorate the first harvest of the Pilgrims who came to Plymouth in
1620 – first celebrated in 1621, traditional dinner together - turkey, chestnut stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry
sauce and pumpkin pie for dessert

December
December 25th Christmas - Americans invite friends to join them at Christmas dinner, Santa Claus comes and leaves
presents for everybody, Christmas tree decorated garlands and wreaths and electric coloured lights, e American
Christmas is associated with mistletoe, eggnog, poinsettia flowers, gingerbread, listening to Handel’s “Messiah” or
seeing Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.
December 31st New Year’s Eve – dancing, singing, parties, enjoying champagne and fireworks; at midnight people
usually sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’
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CZECH NATIONAL HOLIDAYS
January 1 New Year This festive day celebrates the start of the New Year. big meal including pork for good luck stay
away from fish or poultry
April - Easter Sunday and Monday - Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus, on the first
Sunday after the spring full moon, 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. 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, in Chicago to protest against miserable working conditions.
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 - brought Christianity to the Slavic people of central Europe. They also wrote
down the standard Slavic language, brought new alphabet
July 6 Jan Hus Day 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 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. d. 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, protest against the Communists in 1989 (the Velvet Revolution)., Jan Opletal, was shot and killed. e Gestapo and
SS units attacked student hostels arresting more than 1200 students, Adolf Hitler ordered the closing of colleges.
Later, the day was proclaimed Student’s Day.
December 24 – 26 Christmas - Christian holiday, three days, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day.
decorate the house with advent wreaths, candles, springs and Christmas tree with chains, balls, chocolates, stars,
angles and other ornaments. dinner is soup, carp fillets with potato salad, On Christmas Day there is often a roast
goose or duck with sauerkraut and dumplings. floating walnut shells with candles in a basin or cutting apples

Some of the public holidays celebrated in other countries than the UK and US
in Australia, they celebrate Australia Day (celebrates the establishment of the first colony in Australia by the British)
on January 26 and Anzac Day on April 25 (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
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.