Over 3 million people participate in basketball in the UK

Activities outside the home

Saturday is traditionally the day for shopping and watching sports.

A newspaper survey found that 20 per cent of women are compulsive shoppers.
Saturday is the main day when we go shopping. Sometimes we will go into town after school.

Sports and physical recreation have always been popular. Local governments provide cheap sport and leisure facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, parks and golf courses. People go to watch other people play sports like football or take part in sports themselves.

Going to the pub is the most popular leisure activity outside the home.

34. What are the most popular sports in the country?

Sports play an important part in the life in Britain and is a popular leisure activity.

Many of the world's famous sports began in Britain, including cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and rugby

England's national sport is cricket although to many people football (soccer) is seen as our national sport. Football is our most popular sport. Some of England's football teams are world famous, the most famous being Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Cricket is played on village greens and in towns/cities on Sundays from April to August

The rules of cricket became the responsibility, in the 18th century, of the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC), based at Lord’s cricket ground in north
London.

Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in England, and has been played for hundreds of years.

In the English Football League there are 92 professional clubs. These are semi-professional, so most players have other full-time jobs. Hundreds of thousands of people also play football in parks and playgrounds just for fun.

The highlight of the English football year is the FA (Football Association) Cup Final each May.

Rugby originated from Rugby school in Warwickshire.It is similar to football, but played with an oval ball. Players can carry the ball and tackle each other. The best rugby teams compete in the Super League final each September.

For many years Rugby was only played by the rich upper classes, but now it is popular all over the country. There are two different types of rugby - Rugby League, played mainly in the north of England, and Rugby Union, played in the rest of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, together with France and Italy, play in an annual tournament called the Six Nations.

American Football derived from our game of Rugby also Baseball derived from the old English game of Rounders.

The world's most famous tennis tournament is Wimbledon.It started at a small club in south London in the nineteenth century. It begins on the nearest Monday to June 22, at a time when English often have the finest weather. Millions of people watch the Championships on TV live.

It is traditional for visitors to eat strawberries and cream whilst they watch the tennis.

Netball

Netball is the largest female team sport in England.The sport is played almost exclusively by women and girls, although male participation has increased in recent years.

Basketball

Over 3 million people participate in basketball in the UK.

Golf

Scotland is traditionally regarded as the home of golf.There are over 400 golf courses in Scotland alone. The most important golf club in Scotland is in the seaside town of St. Andrews, near Dundee.

Horse racing

Horseracing, the sport of Kings is a very popular sportwith meetings being held every day throughout the year. The Derby originated here, as did The Grand National which is the hardest horse race in the world.

Horse racing and greyhound racing are popular spectator sports. People can place bets on the races at legal off-track betting shops. Some of the best-known horse races are held at Ascot, Newmarket, Goodwood and Epsom.

Ascot, a small town in the south of England, becomes the centre of horse-racing world for one week in June. It's called Royal Ascot because the Queen always goes to Ascot. She has a lot of racehorses and likes to watch racing.

Polo

Another equestrian sport is polo, brought to Britain from India in the 19th Century by army officers. It is the fastest ball sport in the world.

Polo is played with four men on horses to a team. A ball is hit with a stick towards the goal, one at each end of a 300 yard long by 160 yard wide field...
Find out more here ....

Table Tennis (ping pong)

Table tennis was invented in England in 1880. It began with Cambridge University students using cigar boxes and champagne corks.
Although the game originated in England, British players don't have much luck in international championships.

Badminton

Badminton takes its name from the Duke of Beaufort’s country home, Badminton House, where the sport was first played in the 19th century.

University Boat Race

In the nineteenth century, students at Oxford and Cambridge, Britain's two oldest universities, were huge fans of rowing. In 1829, the two schools agreed to hold a race against each other for the first time on the Thames River. The Oxford boat won and a tradition was born. Today, the University Boat Race is held every spring in either late March or early April.

Fishing (Angling)

Angling is one of the most popular sports in the UK, with an estimated 3.3 million people participating in the sport on a regular basis. Fishermen can be see sitting beside rivers and lakes.

Bowls

The two main forms of bowls are lawn flat green (outdoor and indoor) and crown green.

Boxing

Boxing in its modern form is based on the rules established by the Marquess of Queensberry in 1865. In the UK boxing is both amateur and professional, and strict medical regulations are applied in both.

Swimming

Swimming is also a popular pastime and enjoyed by people of all ages.

Martial arts

Various martial arts, mainly derived from the Far East, are practised in the UK, such as judo and karate.

Darts

Darts is a very popular pub game.The game of darts, as it is today, was invented in the north of England in a town called Grimsby. However, the origins of the game date back to at least the Middle Ages.

Boxing Day Hunts

Traditionally Boxing Day is a day for fox hunting. The huntsmen and huntswomen ride horses. They use dogs too. The dogs (fox hounds) follow the smell of the fox. Then the huntsmen and huntswomen follow the hounds.

Before a Boxing Day hunt, the huntsmen and huntswomen drink hot wine. But the tradition of the December 26th is changing. Now, some people want to stop Boxing Day hunts (and other hunts too) They don't like fox hunting. For them it is not a sport - it is cruel.

35. What holidays do people in Britain have?

Christmas on the 25th Dec

Boxing day 26th Dec

New Years Day st Jan

Easter 6th 8th 9th April

Great Britain is an old country and it has a lot of holidays and interesting traditions. Holidays in the country are historic and public. Most public holidays are called bank holidays because banks, companies and most shops do not work on these days. Such holidays include New Year's Day, Easter Monday and others.

At Easter, the British give each other chocolate eggs, which they eat on Easter Sunday.

Christmas is on the 25-th of December. Families spend this day together. For many people this is the most important holiday of the year. Family members wrap up their presents and put them under the Christmas tree. Children hang colourful socks at the end of their beds for presents. They believe that Father Frost puts presents inside the socks.

New Year's Day is not as important in Britain as it is in Russia. People usually make promises to themselves such as to give up smoking, to change their lifestyle and others.

St. Valentine's Day is celebrated on the 14-th of February. This is the traditional day for those who are in love. Young people give flowers and greeting cards to their Valentines and celebrate this day together.

Halloween is a holiday loved by all children. It takes place on the 31-th of October. There are a lot of parties and people dress up in costumes of witches and ghosts and make lanterns of pumpkins with a candle inside. People also play different games and have fun. Children usually go from one house to another with empty baskets or bags, knock on doors and say: Trick or treat. People should give them something, or they will play a trick on them.

Among historic holidays, Guy Fawkes Night can be mentioned. In the 15-th century, a group of people with Guy Fawkes as their leader decided to blow up the Houses of Parliament. They did not manage to do this and Guy Fawkes was caught and hanged. Since then the British celebrate this day burning a doll made of straw and dressed in old clothes on a bonfire. Children dress in old clothes and beg in the street saying: A penny for the Guy.

There are a lot of customs in Great Britain. One of the most famous is gardening. Most of the English keep small gardens full of flowers behind their houses or around them. In spring, there are a lot of flower-shows and vegetable-shows with prizes for the best exhibitions.

In Northern Ireland there is a holiday called St. Patrick's Day. It is celebrated on the 17-th of March. On this day people wear green clothes and drink Irish beer. There are carnivals and barbeques all over the country.

36. What are the Christmas traditions in Britain?

Christmas is Britain's most popular holiday. Its traditions and early ceremonies were rooted in pagan beliefs and date back hundreds of years. They are still part of contemporary Christmas celebrations.

The custom of sending Christmas cards to friends and family originated in Britain. Every year more than a billion Christmas cards are now sent in the United Kingdom. Many of them are sold in aid for charities.

decorated and illuminated Christmas tree has gained popularity in England. Prince Albert brought this rite over from Germany. In 1848 the Illustrated London News published a picture of the Royal Family around one. The English families followed the Royal example and it can truly be called a Victorian innovation. Each year a giant Christmas tree is set up and decorated near the statue of Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square. It commemorates Anglo-Norwegian cooperation during World War II.

On Christmas Eve carols are often sung by groups of singers walking from house to house, and children hang a stocking on the fireplace or at the foot of their bed for Father Christmas to fill. Caroling dates back to the Middle Ages when beggars were seeking for money, food or drink wandering the streets singing holiday songs.

On Christmas Day gifts are opened in the morning. Later the family will gather for the traditional Christmas dinner consisting of Brussels sprouts, fried potatoes with roast turkey, roast beef or goose. Sweet mince pie or Christmas pudding is served for dessert.

The pudding might contain coins or lucky charms for children. For afternoon tea Christmas cake is offered. It is rich baked fruit cake with marzipan and icing. A party favourite are Christmas crackers. There will be one to each plate on the Christmas dinner table. A Christmas cracker is a brightly coloured paper tube, twisted on both ends and filled with a party hat, a riddle and a toy.

Boxing Day is on December 26th. This day takes its name from a former custom giving a Christmas box to delivery men and trades people called regularly through the year. Nowadays dustmen, milkmen, or postmen get a tip for a good service at Christmas time.

37. What happens on Bonfire Night?

The tradition of Guy Fawkes-related bonfires actually began the very same year as the failed coup. The Plot was foiled in the night between the 4th and 5th of November 1605. Already on the 5th, agitated Londoners who knew little more than that their King had been saved, joyfully lit bonfires in thanksgiving. As years progressed, however, the ritual became more elaborate.

Soon, people began placing effigies onto bonfires, and fireworks were added to the celebrations. Effigies of Guy Fawkes, and sometimes those of the Pope, graced the pyres. Still today, some communities throw dummies of both Guy Fawkes and the Pope on the bonfire (and even those of a contemporary politician or two), although the gesture is seen by most as a quirky tradition, rather than an expression of hostility towards the Pope.

Preparations for Bonfire Night celebrations include making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, which is called "the Guy". Some children even keep up an old tradition of walking in the streets, carrying "the Guy" they have just made, and beg passersby for "a penny for the Guy." The kids use the money to buy fireworks for the evening festivities.

On the night itself, Guy is placed on top of the bonfire, which is then set alight; and fireworks displays fill the sky.

The extent of the celebrations and the size of the bonfire varies from one community to the next. Lewes, in the South East of England, is famous for its Bonfire Night festivities and consistently attracts thousands of people each year to participate.

Bonfire Night is not only celebrated in Britain. The tradition crossed the oceans and established itself in the British colonies during the centuries. It was actively celebrated in New England as "Pope Day" as late as the 18th century. Today, November 5th bonfires still light up in far out places like New Zealand and Newfoundland in Canada.

38. Where do the celebrations of songs, poetry and literature take place? What are the most famous festivals of drama, music and arts in Britain?

The London Literature Festival at Southbank Centre is the culmination of year round literary events at the heart of London's foremost literature venue. With a whole host of events taking place and plenty of exciting and vibrant authors involved, the London Literature Festival is now a significant part of the literary calendar in the city.

Cheltenham Festivals is a registered charity that organises four festivals every year in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: the Jazz, Science, Music and Literature. In addition to this it promotes the use of several venues for private and commercial use (eg. weddings and parties, presentations, conferences etc).

It also runs an extensive education programme, with events linked to each Festival. With the aim of involving the local community, such events range from family activity days to performances out and about in the local area.

Glastonbury
Of course. The famous Somerset Festival won the title of Best Major festival at the 2009 UK Festival Awards, and Blurs performance grabbed the top spot for best headline act. The 2010 line-up includes U2 and Jack Johnson and runs from Wednesday June 23rd to Sunday June 27th. Tickets are sold out.

Bestival
Known for its eclectic line up, Bestival on the Isle of Wright won the best medium sized festival award at the 2009 UK Festival Awards. This years line-up includes Dizzee Rascal and Fat Freddys Drop. Runs from the 9th to the 12th of September, tickets cost £150.

Creamfields

Creamfields is synonymous with dance music, picking up the award for best dance event at the 2009 UK Festival Awards. The Cheshire festival runs over the 28th to the 29th August and tickets cost £100.

T- In the Park
Scotlands T- in the Park always offers an impressive line-up. Kasabian are set to headline at the 2010 festival, which runs from the 9th to the 11th of July. Tickets run £180 for an entire weekend of camping.

Reading
The ever-popular rock festival Reading will run from Friday 27th - Sunday 29th August, and tickets will go on sale in March and usually run about £180. The line-up hasnt been announced, but expect some of the top names in rock, indie, alternative and punk.

The Festival of Britain opened on 3 May 1951. It was a summer-long, nationwide festival celebrating Britain's contribution to civilisation past, present and future, in the arts, in science and in industrial design. Events ranged from the London South Bank Exhibition with its futuristic 'Skylon' structure and 'Dome of Discovery' to village fetes and local arts festivals. The records of the Festival of Britain Office in WORK 25 document all stages of the organisation and planning of the Festival, from minutes of meetings to photographs and colourful artwork. This podcast uses these records to explore the events and key themes of the Festival.

THE PROMS
Do you like classical music? Every summer in London there are two months of special concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. These are the "Proms". Sir Henry Wood started the Proms in the 19th century. Now they are a tradition in British musical life.

A lot of young people go to the Proms. They buy cheap tickets and stand up for the concerts. They are the "promenaders" There are also seats, but the tickets for these cost more.

The music at the Proms comes from some of the best singers and orchestras in the world. And on the last night there is a big party at the Royal Albert Hall. People bring balloons and paper hats. The orchestra plays popular classical music and at the end everyone sings "Rule Britannia".

THEATRE TRADITIONS

Actors have lots of traditions and superstitions. For example they don't say "Good Luck" to an actor. You say "break a leg". It is strange but true, because wishing someone "good luck" brings in fact bad luck. They also call Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" "The Scottish Play" because it also brings bad luck to the theatre.

A third tradition is about whistling. You must never whistle in a theatre dressing room. Someone who does this must go out of the room and turn around three times. Only after that, can they knock on the door and come in again.

THEEDINBURGH FESTIVAL

Every August, Edinburgh has the biggest art festival in Europe. There are plays, concerts and exhibitions from countries all over the world. That's the "official" festival. But there is also the "unofficial" festival, which is called the Edinburgh Fringe. At this festival tourists can see cheaper concerts and plays by students.

PANTOMIME

Pantomimes are traditional British plays, made for children, which can be watched at Christmas. A lot of these stories are very old as Cinderella, Aladdin, Peter Pan.

EISTEDDFODS

An Eisteddfods is an arts festival in Wales. People sing and read their poetry in the Welsh language. The Welsh name for these poets is "bards". People also play music, and one of the most popular instruments is the harp. It is also a competition to discover new talents in music or theatre industry.
Arts in Britain written by Herminne Tonita for FamousWhy.com
FamousWhy.com - Famous People ... Famous Regions, a Lot Of Articles and Free Software Downloads
Arts in Britain Image Source : freedigitalphotos.net

39. What do you know about British food?

The first meal of the day in the morning is breakfast (usually eaten between about 7:30 and 9:00). Many British people eat toast with butter or margarine and jam (often strawberry, raspberry, apricot or blackcurrant jam), marmalade (a type of jam made from oranges) or Marmite (a dark brown spread made from yeast). Melon, grapefruit or fruit cocktail are popular. Others eat a bowl of cereal; for example, cornflakes or muesli with milk, or porridge (a mixture of oats, hot milk and sugar). A traditional English breakfast (also known as a cooked breakfast or a fry-up) is a cooked meal which may contain food such as sausages, bacon, kippers (herring - a type of fish - which has been covered in salt and smoked), black pudding, scrambled or fried or poached egg , mushrooms, fried tomatoes, baked beans, hash browns and toast. People sometimes eat a boiled egg, dipping (dunking) strips of toast (soldiers) into the egg yolk. A continental breakfast is a small meal and is not cooked; for example, a bread roll or croissant with cheese or ham and a cup of coffee. The most common drinks at this time of day are orange juice or a cup of breakfast tea.

Many people have a tea-break at about 11:00 in the morning (elevenses). If a meal is eaten in the late morning instead of both breakfast and lunch, it is called brunch.

Lunch (sometimes called more formally luncheon) is the meal eaten in the middle of the day (usually between about 12:30 and 2:00). Many people eat a sandwich (also known as a butty or sarnie in some parts of the UK). Some people have a simple meal such as cheese and biscuits or soup and bread. A ploughman's lunch is a traditional lunch for farmers: a bread roll, Cheddar cheese, Branston pickle and salad, perhaps with a pork pie. It is also traditional for people to go to a pub with some friends for a pub lunch and a drink.

A Sunday roast is a traditional meal eaten by a family at Sunday lunchtime; for example, roast beef with roast potatoes, parsnips, peas, Brussels sprouts, green beans, Yorkshire pudding, bread sauce and gravy. Mint sauce or redcurrant jelly is often eaten with lamb, apple sauce with pork, and horseradish sauce (a type of mustard) with beef, cranberry sauce with turkey. Stuffing may be eaten with chicken or turkey.

Tea-time is a small meal eaten in the late afternoon (usually between about 3:30 and 5:00). People may drink tea, and often eat biscuits (American English: cookies), cakes or savoury foods such as sandwiches, crumpets or tea-cakes. Occasionally people may have a full afternoon tea or a cream tea: this includes a scone with jam and cream (usually either whipped cream or thick clotted cream) as well as a selection of sandwiches and cakes.

High tea is a light meal eaten in the early evening (for example, 6 o'clock) served with a pot of tea; this is popular in north England and Scotland. Supper is the most common name for the meal eaten in the evening (usually between 7:00 and 8:30). Dinner is another common name for supper, but sometimes it is also used to refer to lunch, especially when this is the main meal of the day. A dinner party is a formal evening meal to which guests have been invited. A common type of cooked meal in Britain is meat and two veg. This is a meat dish served together on the same plate with two types of vegetable, one of which is often a type of potato. It is common to eat a dessert (also known as a pudding, or informally as afters) after the main dish.

40. What are the most popular tourist destinations in Britain?

Stonehenge

Consisting of a ring of monolithic stones, complete in some cases with heavy stone lintels, argument has long waged between historians and scholars as to both the site's construction and its purpose. The Neolithic period in which Stonehenge was erected was initially thought to have lacked the means of transporting and lifting the 25-50 ton stones that now stand and lie at Salisbury Plain. Built over a period of 650 years, both supernatural and methods deemed out of their time have been suggested as being behind the construction, although more recent claims have argued that it could actually have been carried out by hand using primitive technology and the principles of leverage. Theories as to Stonehenge's function have ranged from a Druidic place of worship and sacrifice; an observatory; a burial ground; an extraterrestrial landing site; right through to the latest evidence that it was in fact a place of healing in the vein of a stone-age Lourdes.

York Minster

Breathtaking Jewel of the North

Regardless of religious belief, anybody who has witnessed York Minster firsthand can't help but be bowled over by its sheer magnificence.

Located in the ancient walled city of York, there has been a place of worship on the site since around 630AD. After being repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, the Minster building we know today began construction somewhere around 1230 and reached completion in 1472. This meant that stonemasons and workers starting out on the initial venture did so in the knowledge that they'd never see their work completed. The plan view of York Minster reveals the cruciform to which a lot of Christian churches were built. The building consists of a nave, a chapter house, a transept, an east wing, a crypt, and three towers. It is also host to some of the most spectacular stained-glass windows in the whole of the UK, some dating back to the twelfth century.

There have been a number of fires at York Minster throughout its turbulent life, completely obliterating various sections. Perhaps the most famous of these - or notorious at least - was in 1984 when the roof of the south transept was destroyed by a bolt of lightning, three days after the consecration of the new Bishop of Durham, Dr. David Jenkins. He had been widely reported in the press as saying the resurrection was a 'conjuring trick with bones', which had lead to accusations of harbouring heretical views. The bolt of lightning was seen by some as a divine show of disapproval.

The London Eye

The London Eye (originally called the millennium wheel) is an instantly recognisable landmark sitting on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is also currently the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe standing a proud 135 meters in height.