UK culture is diverse and ever-changing due to its immigrant population, membership to the European Union and political ties with countries such as the United States of America. The UK strives for equality and believes in providing opportunities for everyone, which is vital in such a multicultural society. Thus, UK culture values and promotes individuality. Generally speaking, UK culture is relatively open to taking risks and dealing with change and examples of this include revision of laws and Government structures. In terms of equal opportunities for men and women, UK culture aims for equality but many feel that the society is still fairly male-dominated.

One key note on the use of terminology: The terms 'English' and 'British' do not mean the same thing; 'British' denotes someone who is from England, Scotland or Wales whereas 'English' refers to people only from England. People from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are extremely proud of their own heritage and do not like being referred to as “English!”.

Family life

Family life has always been central to life in the UK and while the traditional nuclear family still dominates society, the family unit continues to change. There are now more cohabiting couple families (couples who live together but are not married), less married couple families and more lone parent families. Generally, cohabiting couple families are much younger than married couple families and lone mother families tend to be younger than lone father families. The average childbearing age in the UK is 29.3 years and the provisional Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for 2007 (Office for National Statistics) gives an average of 1.91 children per woman in England and Wales. 

Manners and etiquette 

People in the UK are known for their politeness; please, thank you and excuse me are much used phrases. Due to the multicultural nature of UK society, people are increasingly relaxed about social etiquette but still expect basic good manners. Here are a few tips to help you settle into life in the UK:

Dos

• Shake somebody’s hand when you are first introduced to them
• Take a gift when visiting somebody’s home – a cake, bottle of wine or flowers are most appropriate; gifts are usually opened when received
• Take your shoes off when entering someone’s home
• Queue in shops, etc. People in the UK are used to this and do not like queue-jumpers!
• Arrive early for appointments – 10 minutes is best
• Say “excuse me” if someone is blocking your way or “sorry” if you accidentally bump into somebody
• Take your hat off when entering a building, especially educational or religious buildings
• Cover your mouth when coughing or yawning
• Open doors for other people
• Offer your seat on public transport to pregnant women, the elderly and the handicapped

Don’ts

• Stare at people in public
• Ask a lady her age – this is considered very rude!
• Ask personal or intimate questions, particularly questions about money or relationships
• Spit
• Throw litter
• Buy drinks in a bar without asking if anybody else would like one first
• Call an older person by their first name unless invited to do so; calling someone Mr or Mrs is considered more respectful
• Arrive at a dinner party at someone’s home too early; most people in the UK arrive 10-15 minutes after the specified time
• Talk loudly on your mobile phone on public transport
• Cross the road unless at a pedestrian crossing with the “green man” indicating that it is safe to cross

Dos

• Remain standing until invited to sit down
• Say “thank you” when served something
• Wait until all guests are sitting down before starting to eat
• When you have finished eating place your knife and fork together, facing upwards on your plate
• Always say “excuse me” if you need to leave the table

Don’ts

• Talk with your mouth full
•  Lick your knife or put it in your mouth
• Rest your elbows on the table whilst eating
• Reach across the table to pick something up - ask someone to pass it to you instead
• Pick food out of your teeth

Clothing

The UK takes shopping and fashion very seriously and everybody is free to experiment and express themselves through what they wear. In general, people dress smartly with an emphasis on smart-casual. However, there are certain situations where a dress code is in place:

1. At the office: Men are usually expected to wear a suit and tie and women a suit or shirt and smart trousers
2. Out for dinner: Men will usually wear a smart shirt and trousers but not jeans. Women will often wear a dress, particularly if the dinner is more formal
3. On the beach: Men should wear long (beach) shorts and women a bathing suit/bikini. Topless sunbathing is acceptable on some beaches but sometimes it is not deemed appropriate, for example, if there are children nearby

Food and drink

The UK is renowned for its lack of fine cuisine in comparison to many other parts of Europe. However, its multicultural population and love of foreign food has resulted in a vibrant, food-loving society where it is possible to sample dishes from around the world at any time, day or night. Meat continues to be an important part of the UK diet, as does fish, and traditionally meat or fish forms the main part of the meal, complimented by a small portion of vegetables. Three of the most famous UK dishes are:

• Fish and Chips: A popular take away food consisting  of deep-fried fish (traditionally Cod) in batter and served with deep-fried, thick-cut chips (potatoes)
• Sunday Roast (also called Sunday dinner, Sunday lunch, Sunday Tea and Roast dinner): A traditional English meal consisting of roasted meat, roast potatoes, vegetables, ‘Yorkshire Pudding’ (made from batter) and gravy (meat sauce)
• Fry-up: Traditionally a breakfast but now served in many cafés during the day too; consisting of bacon, eggs, sausage, fried bread, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, ‘black pudding’ (blood pudding), chips and ‘hash browns’ (pan-fried potatoes)

In general, people in the UK eat 3 meals a day: Breakfast (7-9 am), lunch (12-2 pm) and dinner (5-8 pm) and normally, the evening dinner is the main meal of the day. Depending on where you live in the UK, lunch can also be referred to as ‘dinner’. In some areas, dinner (evening meal) is referred to as ‘tea’ or ‘supper’.

Concerning drinks, people in the UK consume more tea per capita than anybody else in the world and “afternoon tea”, usually served at 3pm, is still commonplace. The UK is equally well-known for its love of beer and wine and it is not unusual to see people enjoying a glass of wine or a pint of beer with lunch or at home. However, it is generally not acceptable to drink during a lunch break when working unless you are involved in a business meeting and offered an alcoholic drink. You have to be 18 years old to legally drink in the UK.

Leisure time

The UK has a very rich arts and literature history, producing some of the most inspirational and influential writers in the world, the most famous being William Shakespeare. Others include: Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, William Blake, William Wordsworth, H. G. Wells, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, George Bernard Shaw and Harry Potter creator, J. K. Rowling.

The UK has also made a vast contribution to rock and pop music with acts such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Tom Jones, Snow Patrol and the Spice Girls.

Sport is highly popular in the UK and, in fact, a number of major international sports originated there including rugby, football (soccer), cricket, golf and tennis. Football is the most popular sport and many children and adults play it in their free time. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compete as individual countries in international competitions and so far, England has been the most successful, winning the World Cup in 1966.

Other popular leisure activities include going to the cinema, shopping, reading, visiting family, going to bars and nightclubs, and dining out.

Holidays

A bank holiday is a public holiday in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and usually only people employed in services such as the police force and hospitals work on these days:

• January 1^st – New Year's Day
• March 17^th – St. Patrick’s Day (Bank holiday in Northern Ireland only)
• March/April  - Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday        
• May – Early May Bank holiday  
• May – Spring Bank Holiday (end of May)
• August – Summer Bank Holiday (last Monday in August)
• November 30^th – St Andrew's Day (Scotland's National Day and a holiday in Scotland only)
• December 25th – Christmas Day
• December 26th – Boxing Day

Festivals/events

March

• March 1 - St David's Day (Wales National Day): Parades take place around the country, the biggest being in the capital, Cardiff. There are concerts and parties and many people wear daffodils, the traditional national flower of Wales 
•  March 17 - St. Patrick's Day (Ireland's National Day): Parades take place around the world, with Dublin hosting a five-day festival. Other celebrations include wearing green clothing, especially shamrocks, going to church, and drinking Guinness

• April 23 - St George's Day (England's National Day): In England it is common to see cars and pubs adorning the St George's Cross flag

May

• May 1 - May Day: A festival celebrating the beginning of summertime, often with Maypole or Morris Dancing; a traditional English folk dance involving sticks and handkerchiefs

October

• October 31 - Halloween: It is believed that Halloween has its origins in an ancient Celtic festival celebrating the end of the harvest season. This festival was a time for pagans to slaughter livestock for the winter. Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the alive and dead disappeared and that ghosts returned to earth and became dangerous for the living. Festivals involved bonfires, where the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn to try to mimic or calm the evil spirits. Today, people dress up as ghosts or witches and have parties and children also play “trick-or-treat” whereby they visit neighbors’ homes and receive chocolate or candy, often in return for singing a song or telling a joke

November

• November 5 - Bonfire Night: A night celebrating the failed attempt by Guy Fawkes and other conspirators to blow up the English Parliament in 1605. On this night people burn Guy Fawkes dolls and light bonfires, which traditionally symbolized the safety of the King
• November 11 - Remembrance Day (Also known Poppy Day): People wear artificial poppies in remembrance of those who lost their lives in times of war, particularly the First World War