Religions in Britain

British religion used to be closely connected with kings, queens and politics. England was a Roman Catholic country until 1534. In 1525 King Henry VIII decided to divorce his queen, Catherine of Aragon, because he fell in love with Anne Boleyn. But when Henry asked the Pope for permission to divorce Catherine, he refused. Henry was so angry with the Pope that he ended all contact between England and Rome. In 1534 Parliament named Henry head of the Church of England. This was the beginning of the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church didn’t start as a Protestant. However the Protestant movement in Europe was growing very strong at that time. When Henry quarreled with Rome and ordered the Bible to be translated into English, the way was open for Protestantism to spread in England. Over the next years many people changed to this new religion. In 1553 Mary, Henry’s daughter by Catherine of Aragon, became Queen of England. The country re-entered the Roman Church, because she was a Roman Catholic. Protestants were glad when Mary died, because while she was Queen, many Protestants were burned for their beliefs. After Mary, Elizabeth became head of the Anglican Church and Roman Catholicism was never again the official religion in England.

The largest form practised in present day Britain is Anglicanism. Head of the Church is the monarch of the United Kingdom as the Supreme Governor.

Three constituent countries of the United Kingdom located on the island have patron saints; Saint George and Saint Andrew are represented in the flags of England and Scotland respectively.These two saintly flags combined form the basis of the Great Britain royal flag of 1604. Saint David is the patron saint of Wales.

Numerous non-Christian religions are practised in Great Britain. Especially since the 1950s religions from the former colonies have become more prevalent; Islam is the most common of these with around 1.5 million adherents in Britain. A total of more than 1 million people practise either Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism, religions introduced from India and South East Asia.But in spite of the great variety of forms of worship, only a minority of people regularly go to church in Britain today. Most people see Sunday more as a day for relaxing with the family or for doing jobs around the house and the garden.

Traditions and customs in gb

In Great Britain people attach greater importance to traditions and customs than in other European countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.

There are many customs and some of them are very old. There is, for example, the Marble Championship, where the British Champion is crowned; he wins a silver cup known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing. Morris Dancing is an event where people, worn in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells, dance with handkerchiefs or big sticks in their hands, while traditional music sounds.

Another example is the Boat Race, which takes place on the river Thames, often on Easter Sunday. A boat with a team from Oxford University and one with a team from Cambridge University hold a race.

British people think that the Grand National horse race is the most exciting horse race in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Amateur riders as well as professional jockeys can participate. It’s a very famous event.

Halloween is a day on which many children dress up in unusual costumes. This holiday has a Celtic origin. The Celts celebrated the coming of New Year on that day.

Another tradition is the holiday called Bonfire Night. On November 5, 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament where the king James 1st was to open Parliament on that day. But Guy Fawkes was unable to realize his plan and was caught and later, hanged. This day one can see children with figures, made of sacks and straw and dressed in old clothes. On November 5th, children put their figures on the bonfire, burn them, and light their fireworks.

In the end of the year, there is the most famous New Year celebration. In London, many people go to Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve. There is singing and dancing at 12 o’clock on December 31st.

A popular Scottish event is the Edinburgh Festival of music and drama, which takes place every year. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national festival of traditionally poetry and music, with a competition for the best new poem in Welsh.

Saint Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick, the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services, wearing of green attire, public parades and processions.