Traditions and Customs

The annual race down a near-vertical hill in Gloucestershire after a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, resulting in serious injuries and no…

The unwritten rules of British social behaviour: understatement, apology, indirectness, and a strong preference for not making a fuss.

A practical list of the things visitors most often get wrong in Britain, and the small number that genuinely matter.

The pursuit of foxes with hounds and riders — banned in England and Wales in 2004 after one of the most divisive…

The pre-wedding parties held separately for the bride and groom — traditionally a night out, now frequently an entire weekend abroad.

The pleated knee-length skirt of tartan wool worn by Scottish men at weddings, formal occasions and rugby internationals — and not, historically,…

The stories Britain tells about itself — Arthur, Robin Hood, giants, black dogs and hauntings — attached to real places and frequently…

Dancing around a tall ribboned pole, weaving the ribbons into patterns — a May Day custom that is genuinely old in form…

A traditional English folk dance performed by teams in white with bells at the knees, waving handkerchiefs or clashing sticks, usually outside…

London's charity royalty: working-class families in suits covered with thousands of mother-of-pearl buttons, who have raised money for good causes since the…

The traditional British seaside puppet show: a violent, anarchic slapstick comedy performed in a striped booth, and considerably darker than its audience…

The British habit of forming an orderly line and waiting your turn, observed with a seriousness that outsiders find difficult to overstate.

The everyday British superstitions — touching wood, magpies, ladders, black cats and saluting on the first of the month — held by…

The annual census of swans on the Thames, conducted over five days in July by men in scarlet uniforms rowing traditional skiffs.

The criss-cross woven pattern associated with Scottish clans — genuinely ancient as a cloth, and largely Victorian as a system of family…

The established church of England, headed by the monarch, with bishops sitting in Parliament — and attended weekly by around 1% of…

The foliate face carved into hundreds of British churches — a head sprouting leaves from its mouth and eyes, of uncertain age…

Nessie: the creature said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, sustaining a tourist industry despite a complete absence of evidence.

The Royal British Legion's annual fundraising campaign, in which paper poppies are worn through late October and November in aid of serving…

The British summer village fair: a field, a marquee, a tombola, a cake competition and a great deal of standing about in…

How and when to tip in Britain: about 10-12% in restaurants, nothing in pubs, and far less pressure or expectation than in…

The Derbyshire custom of decorating village wells and springs with elaborate pictures made entirely from flower petals, leaves and other natural materials…