British Ceremonial Rituals

Britain is an old country with many celebratory rituals. Here is a look at just some of them.

On Maundy Thursday which is the day before Good Friday the Queen gives money to elderly people. This tradition of being nice to the poor folk used to require the Queen to wash the feet of poor old people but that aspect of the holiday was put to a stop in 1754.

Swan upping is a ritual that happens every July. The Queen’s swan keeper sails in a royal boat up the River Thames from London Bridge to Henley and along the way he chooses young swans to be Royal Swans. Each royal swan is given a special mark so the people know that they are special birds.  The journey is seventy miles and takes five days and is the equivalent of a bird census.  Royal swans are Mute Swans which have bright orange beaks with black tissue on top.

If you turn 100 years old in the U.K. then you will receive a telegram from the Queen congratulating you on making it to this landmark birthday.

One ancient tradition is to make a male member of society a knight. Knighthood means that you will have the title “Sir” before your name.  The chosen one knee in front of the Queen who touches first his right shoulder and then his left shoulder with the flat edge of her special sword. She then commands “Arise Sir along with his name …” as in “Arise Sir Paul McCartney! The knight then stands. Hundreds of years ago money or property would sometimes come with a title but this is a bit of a rarity today.

One of the highest honors for a woman in the British court is to become a Dame or a Baroness. She is then like a lady-in-waiting who is an attendant of the Queen.

When one is bestowed a peerage then that means they become a lord. Peers sit in the House of Lords which is one half of the House of Parliament and is the equivalent of a senate.

Every year in January and June the Queen bestows titles and honors on lucky British citizens. A C.B.E is a Companion of the British Empire, an O.B.E is an Order of the British Empire and an M.B.E is a member of the British Empire. The bestowing of these orders and membership goes back to the nineteenth century when Britain ruled a massive global empire.