There is such an old joke. Paradise is when you live in an English house with a Russian wife for an American salary, and a Chinese cook prepares. Hell is when you live in a Chinese house with an American wife for a Russian salary, and an English cook prepares. Why does the whole world laugh at English food, do not understand English humor and admire English politeness?
Who are the British?
The queen, weather, tea, football are what the world knows about the British. And the inhabitants of the island state themselves recognize that these values really play an important role in their lives. But adherence to traditions is far from everything that makes up the national character and mentality of the British. The nation itself is the product of the merger of many tribes that once lived on the island, and the peoples that captured it. So, the ancestors of the English Saxons gave their descendants practicality, efficiency and a desire for simplicity. From the Celts they inherited a belief in the supernatural, a penchant for mysticism and an attachment to the past. The Britons endowed their descendants with an addiction to the hearth. Angles - pride and vanity. From the Scandinavian Vikings came a craving for travel and curiosity. And the last, who captured Britain, the Normans, inherited a love of money and discipline. Today, thanks to the Internet, the British are no longer divorced from the whole world, but they have managed to preserve the truly English national features that still remain recognizable, even if you have never met an Englishman.
Stability and attachment to the past
Briefly, the national character of the British can be described by the word "tradition." They are extremely attached to the past and do not hide it. They are difficult to respond to new fashion trends, and if such changes occur, they affect only certain people, not touching 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 for years or decades. From the English commitment to tradition, the roots of all English character traits grow. Their automatic courtesy is a tribute to traditional education. Moderation and practicality is a gift of distant ancestors. Even their humor is also a child of the custom of laughing at oneself. The British have a strong nepotism. And although not all of them are lords, most can remember their great-great-grandfathers and even show their photos. 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 that which the whole world makes fun of - 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 evolved under the influence of many events taking place on the island. And the habit of saving, putting off and living without frills appeared a very long time ago. Surprisingly, it is 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 would put 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 British people, just reflects the true essence, without a mask and pretense.
Practicality
The British, perhaps, were only deaf about practicality as a particular national character. The British are able to perfectly allocate time and resources. From childhood, they are accustomed to moderation and perseverance - to endure cold and rain, withstand punishment and a very moderate dinner. Therefore, every English child learns very quickly how to use his skills and knowledge to achieve what he wants and to "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 that it 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 with the French, their eternal rivals, and made a lot of money from it. Even before Christmas, when business is freezing in almost all of Europe, the British continue to make deals and trade in shops.
Politeness
They say they apologize automatically. Even the English themselves often laugh at their eternal courtesy, but do not rush to get rid of it. Politeness and discretion - these are the character traits of the British, who have won hearts around the world. It is believed that there is no better personal assistant than an Englishman who knows exactly what the boss needs, but pretends that he has not noticed 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 to gossip (traditional clubs are not considered, since what is said in the club remains in the club), rude statements, high-profile disputes and quarrels. The French once joked that an English wife is good because she is like solid furniture - she is not heard. The character of the English men also did not allow them to make family scandals. It is not surprising that children are accustomed to this from an early age. Be polite, hold your face and know exactly what time it is - the virtues that students of English schools possess.
Vanity
Nor is there a nation more susceptible to vanity than the British. Living on a small island, the British are nevertheless confident that their country is the best in the world. They have the best political system, the strongest economy and the most-most valiant police. Together with a commitment to traditions, such national vanity and unwillingness to accept someone else's opinion make the character of an Englishman unpleasant for a foreigner. The main pride of the English 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 all English through the centuries. As far back as the fifteenth century, it was said about the British that they did not see other nations besides their own. But this vanity, along with the love of travel transmitted by the Vikings, helped Britain reign for many years on the seas.
Individualism
Describing the national character of the British, many authors note extreme individualism. Every 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 a stranger, the Englishman will always leave enough distance so that "smells do not reach." But the point here is not disgust, but in the borders that the Englishman knows how to respect and requires the same respect from others. Even children at school are not inclined to help the under-performing, as long as there is no order from the teacher. And it is by no means surprising that in English university dormitories there are much more individual rooms than common rooms.
Self-control
The main feature of the national character of the British, about which they themselves speak - the ability to keep a face. Self-control, like many other character traits, has been raised in the British since childhood, since their temperament - the result of the merging of many bloods - does not at all correspond to “decent”. Gentlemanly behavior, even in the lower strata of the population, was elevated to cult during the time of Queen Victoria. And since then, self-control is one of the main virtues of the British, regardless of gender and age. The Englishman's character - restrained, even cool - is the result of working on himself, and not a natural quality. Not to give free rein to feelings, to be able to accept any situation and get out of it with dignity have created a certain reputation for the residents of Misty Albion, of which they are proud. Even nature works for it. Since childhood, young gentlemen and ladies are accustomed to sudden changes in weather, the cold and the ability to endure all these hardships tempered their character.
Paradox
A description of the character of the Englishman and the features of their behavior would be incomplete without mentioning the other side of the coin. How can self-control elevated to unwritten law and insanity in football stands be adjacent? Or national politeness with punk culture, which has gained immense popularity in England? The paradox and inconsistency of the English character was noted by many historians and sociologists. England, materialistic, practical, gave rise to world famous mystics, poets and philosophers. In a respectable and loving homeliness of England, the most famous travelers and explorers were born. 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 the woman was traditionally more than in other countries, was the keeper of the outbreak, enriched world literature with female names. And about the paradox of English humor, legends even form. Not always funny, but always on the verge of a foul, he is subjected to harsh criticism and at the same time has fans around the world.
Curiosity and craving for knowledge
Lewis Carroll believed that the British - an extremely curious nation. Perhaps that is why the heroines of his books often fell into interesting stories because of this. In the description of the character of the English, this feature is rarely mentioned, but without curiosity there would not be that craving for knowledge that made the first university be built back in the 12th century. It is generally accepted that English education is the highest quality. Such a reputation is well deserved, as the educational system of Great Britain 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 was money that they love and know how to make, now it is knowledge and desire for discoveries.
Family pride
Family for an Englishman is his fortress, stronghold and place of peace of mind. They build their houses based on a large family. The British are not accepted to shout about it, but they adore children. And even the severity of education is explained solely by concern for the future generation. At the same time, in England it is not considered shameful to live with parents even after their own family appeared. And the English mother-grandmother will not blame the daughter-in-law for the fact that her children are delivering the whole house. She just silently put things in order and will do it every time until the children get used to this way of life and start doing it on their own. From the outside it often seems that the British are restrained in the manifestation of feelings even within the family, but the fact that they always know exactly what happened to the most distant relatives, what shade of socks grandfather prefers and what kind of hydrangea the cousin wants to plant, only emphasizes how for the English family is important. Therefore, the appearance of the walls, hung with photos of long-dead relatives, in an average English house is not at all surprising. 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
With all its isolation, individualism and national pride, the British are a very friendly and hospitable people. These features of the character of the British 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 police officers. For a true Briton, it goes without saying that you will stay for dinner if you appear at his house in the evening. English housewives always have a "place for a guest" in their home. Well, the 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 allowed to breed a lot of decorative breeds. The love of travel once transformed a country from an island nation into an empire with many colonies. The love of art has given rise to many masterpieces in the field of literature, music and theater. And still, tourists go to England to see firsthand how harmoniously the traditions with the new time intertwine here.