White British culture

The term "White British" is defined by the United Kingdom Census to include all British people with exclusive European ancestry. The culture of the United Kingdom is rich and varied, and has been influential on culture on a worldwide scale.

Values and tradition

White British forms the largest ethnic group in the United Kingdom with over 92% of the population. Many values and traditions in White British culture originate from Christianity, which is the major religion in the country. Celebrations such as Christmas play a major role in the culture and celebrating Christmas is practised by Christians and non-Christians alike.

The British monarch is an important element in British history which can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The influence of the monarchy still plays a part in modern Britain in shaping democracy and culture.

Language

English is the primary language spoken in Britain. It is extensively used as an official language in many other countries. White British have statistically more Christians than other ethnic groups (75%) and 17% of White British follow 'no religion, making them either Atheist or Agnostic.

Recreation

Music is an essential part of Western culture and British music dates back centuries. Pop music in particular has played an important role in British culture and the success of 'Britpop', which includes influences from several cultures, is an indicator of the multi-cultural nature of Britain today.

Sport also plays an important role in White British culture with many sports enjoying a rich history in the country. Football is the national sport and immensely popular with all ages. Tennis is also considered a national sport with the oldest and most prestigious competition in the World being held in Wimbledon.

Many sports are thought to have originated in Britain including Golf, Cricket, Tennis and Football.

Cuisine

The Sunday roast is perhaps the most common feature of British cooking. The Sunday dinner traditionally includes a roasted joint of meat with roast potatoes assorted vegetables and served with a thick gravy. Since its wide-spread availability after World War II the most popular Christmas roast is turkey.

The British also enjoy home-made desserts such as apple pie, rhubarb crumble and bread and butter pudding. Britain is famous for fish and chips which dominate the take-away food sector with a 'chippy' on every corner. British cuisine has also been influenced by multi-cultural diversity and curry has become an integral part of British cuisine, so much so that, since the late 1990s, Chicken Tikka Masala has been commonly referred to as the "British national dish"

• Subscribe to this page