In the past, it was a true life-saver for people who had no home telephone, and it also offered not only privacy but also shelter for users. Many old English people I know often say it was a kind of public amenity in which you didn’t mind waiting for the rain to stop. Some people also claim to have had their very first kiss in one, much to the entertainment of curious passers-by of course.

There is no doubt that these red boxes are well recognised and appreciated by all countries and they reflect England’s historic development in both architectural achievements and communications. As far as many are concerned, the famous red phone box does play a vital role in English culture and heritage, and has done so for many past decades.

Fortunately enough, the charming red boxes can be found all over England. They have also appeared in countless films and while they are disappearing fast due to new communication technology, an increasing number of people are still preserving them.

As a foreigner, the red telephone box well represents England in many respects to me. I used to live in England and even though I hardly used the phone boxes at all, I spent so much time admiring and appreciating them from a creative point of view. For me, it all started with a red phone box on the beach in Brighton during my half-term visit. The brilliant contrast of the shiny red colour against the beautiful seaside of the Southern English town made a fantastic photo opportunity.

Now back home in Bangkok I’ve still got loads and loads of red telephone box photos on my computer, in the beautiful snow, among green trees, taken from many different angles, mostly with mates crammed inside. To be fair, it’s such a good reminder of my time spent in England as I still remember precisely where and with whom I was, when each picture was taken.

The red phone box is definitely not only a gorgeous piece of English street furniture, globally recognised, it was and till these days still is a priceless life-saver for many people. I reckon that British Telecom should be praised for maintaining all these gorgeous red boxes. I’m certain everyone still remembers the tragedy of the London bombings back in 2005 when all the mobile phones technically went down but good old red phone box worked perfectly fine and helped put many people’s minds at rest.

This practice is usually done by a small girl who dons the same design or dress of the bride herself. This is to avoid being singled out by any jealous evil wishers who might envy her life of happiness in the duration of the ceremonies.

Also, brides are also advised to carry a silver horseshoe to the hem of their wedding dresses. In the olden days, brides were even asked to carry actual horseshoes for good luck. The former is what most brides apply now since good luck is what any newlyweds will always be after.

The Proms is an age old tradition in the UK. It started way back in 1895 and lasts for 8 weeks during the summer period. Today, one can look forward to over 70 concerts throughout the whole season. The concerts are held at the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington, London – well, at least most of them.

This year, The Proms started on July 15. As it is every year, the world’s greatest musical performances will be attended by countless people.

A little more information on The Proms from Wikipedia:

Proms is short for promenade concerts, a term which arose from the original practice of audience members promenading, or strolling, in some areas of the concert hall during the concert. Promming now refers to the use of the standing areas inside the hall (the arena and gallery) for which ticket prices are much lower than for the reserved seating. Single concert promming tickets can be purchased, with few exceptions, only on the day of the concert, which can give rise to long queues for well-known artists or works. Prommers can purchase full or half season tickets instead for guaranteed entry, although not guaranteed standing position. A number of Prommers are particularly keen in their attendance, and see it as a badge of honour to achieve the grand slam of attending every concert of the season.

Photo courtesy of wallyg

So how do you go about making jam? Helen Gaffney of The Great British Kitchen provides tips that have been tried and tested by time. Here they are for your reading (and jam-making) pleasure.

1. It is most important to have jars, saucepan or preserving pan and spoons ready and scrupulously clean before you start, so that you prevent any micro-organisms from getting into the jam.
2. Choose sound firm fruit. A mixture of ripe and rather less ripe fruits is best, unripe fruits contain more pectin and fruit acid (both needed to obtain a good set) than ripe fruit.
3. Use fruit as soon as possible after picking. Wash only if necessary.
4. Cook the fruit with or without water for 20-30 minutes prior to adding the sugar. Simmer it gently to draw out the pectin.
5. Warm the sugar before adding it to the fruit to help it dissolve quickly.
6. When you have added the sugar to the hot, softened fruit, stir it over a gentle heat until it has completely dissolved before returning the jam to the boil.
7. Boil rapidly until set, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking at the bottom. Test frequently to avoid over-cooking.

There’s more from where this came from. I suggest that you visit Helen’s article and read for yourself!

Photo courtesy of Noah McMurray

You probably hear them everyday now. Christmas songs are played most everywhere and if you turn the radio on, you will probably hear them being played even more. In some countries, Christmas songs are played as early as September. More often than not, though, the really successful songs are those that were created eons ago – the classics, as we call them.

Over the decades, though, year in and year out, artists attempt to come up with their own Christmas songs. I am not talking about remakes of the oldies but modern originals. Yet I still have to find one that can hold its own amongst Christmas songs of old. It seems that the experts are thinking the same way. Pete Paphides of The Times Online tried his hand at defining what a great Christmas song is:

An uphill struggle? “Yes, that’s one way of looking at it.” Displaying the laconic realism that was once the hallmark of his old band Squeeze, Chris Difford is contemplating the task that he set himself when the BBC asked him single-handedly to revive the pan-generational irony-swerving Christmas classic. Has he pulled it off?

When his choir-festooned, bells-blazing cockle-warmer Let’s Not Fight This Christmas airs on The One Show on BBC One tonight — all proceeds to Children in Need — you’ll get to judge for yourself. You would have to be “optimistic to the point of madness”, Difford acknowledges, to go into such an enterprise thinking that you might emulate deathless seasonal classics by Slade, Wizzard and the Pogues. “Not only are you fighting against the quality of those songs,” he adds, “but you’re fighting against the nostalgia people feel for those songs, not to mention The X Factor.”

He goes on to say that it seems that Christmas songs coming from the working class are more successful. I honestly do not know – I actually walked away from his article a bit confused. All I know is that a good Christmas song makes me feel nostalgic and giddily happy at the same time.

What makes a good Christmas song for you?

Who has not heard of the Christmas card? Just like many things associated with Christmas, most people all over the world know about it. I actually do not know anyone – from Europe, the Americas, and Asia – who has not received or given at least one Christmas card in his lifetime. Have you?

For many, though, Christmas cards are merely part of the celebrations. They do not really know the origins of this tradition. Let’s take a step back in time and see where this humble – but powerful – piece of paper came from

The year was 1843. The protagonists men named John Calcott Horsley and Henry Cole. These two men came up with the idea of what we now know as the Christmas card. Yet was this really the root of the card? Historians actually say that even as far back as the ancient Roman times, a form of the Christmas card was already in practice. It is said that the emperors in those times received tablets with engravings as gifts for the New Year. The practice was for the people to send these tablets to their leader. In a sense, those tablets were the first Christmas cards.

Obviously, as time passed by, modifications were made and the Christmas card as we know it today could be traced back to Horsley and Cole’s creation. It was in 1846 that the first commercial printing of the Christmas card was done. The design was simple – a family drinking a toast and the caption “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.” A thousand copies were made but they didn’t really sell.

From those humble origins, Christmas cards have gone a long way. Have you gotten and sent your Christmas yet?

Year in and year out, visitors and locals alike look forward to Christmas markets all over the country. Here are some of the popular ones this year.

Bath Christmas Market
This has been a tradition in Bath since 2001. The town itself has a lot of other things to offer, especially the historic Abbey where the market is located. The traditional wooden stalls used as shops in the market add to the ambiance. More so, one can expect a lot of unique items.

Frankfurt Christmas Market
This is being held in Birmingham and is considered the largest Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria – definitely a unique experience!

Manchester Christmas Markets
Manchester is not to be outdone when it comes to markets this Christmas. It has more than one! There is a traditional German market, a European market, and an Arts and Crafts Market.

These are only a few of the on going Christmas markets in Britain today. More than the food, crafts, and other items on sale, visitors can enjoy the festive atmosphere with the entertainment being offered everywhere. This is a good time to feel the English culture at its festive best – wherever in England you may want to go.

Darts for its part has been known to be only a recreational activity that goes along with beer. But the level of competition that many would refer to as the Masters of Darts tournament have their own set of traditions and distinctions.

Darts actually originated in the middle ages where soldiers would hurl arrows on the upturned side of a barrel where arrows would be hurled closest to the cork bung, with the closes being the winner. Today, the concept has been totally developed into bulls eyes, where the score would be higher than that of farther hit targets in darts.

[tags]darts, sports, traditions, culture, competition[/tags]

All over the world, English is known to be a requirement. Being familiar with the universal language is an important tool especially in professions. This can be attributed to the fact that people will always resort to English if people coming from different countries are different from one another. This way, areas such as business and social interactions can be at a stand-off, meaning that people can communicate freely and understandably.

[tags]english, universal, jobs, writing[/tags]

Many foreign people often think that the Queen and Royalty of England are, naturally, the people in charge. As we shall find out, it’s not quite that simple..

England is run by the British Parliament. England is of course the largest country in Britain. The other countries are Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Parliament is basically a mix of important people and groups who together, run the the country.

England is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch as the ‘Head of State’.

English (British) democracy works on the basic principle that the people of England and Britain elect Members of Parliament (known as ‘MPs’).