Презентация по английскому языку Traditions of the British Parliament

Traditions of the British Parliament Searching the Houses of Parliament Before every State Opening of Parliament, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster by the light of old candle-lanterns. This precaution has been undertaken every year since 1605, when the "Gunpowder Conspirators" attempted to blow up parliament on the day of the State Opening. The State Opening of Parliament.  The State opening of Parliament is the most colourful ceremony in the parliamentary calendar. Every element is loaded with historical meaning, some of it dating back to 1536. But the ceremony serves a practical purpose too: Only the monarch can call a Parliament together and no business can take place until the Queen reads her speech. Ceremony of the Keys One of London’s most timeless ceremonies, dating back 700 years is the ceremony of the keys which takes place at the Tower of London.At 21:53 each night the Chief Yeoman Warder of the Tower, dressed in Tudor uniform, sets off to meet the Escort of the Key dressed in the well-known Beefeater uniform. Together they tour the various gates ceremonially locking them, on returning to the Bloody Tower archway they are challenged by a sentry. Outside Buckingham Palace, you can see guardsmen dressed in their bright red uniforms and bearskin hats. These guardsmen protect the Queen. Every day a new guard of thirty guardsmen marches to the palace and takes the place of the "old guard". This is known as the Changing of the Guards ceremony and it dates back to 1660. CHANGING of the GUARD.  Maundy Money. Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday, at Easter. On that day the Queen gives Maundy money to a group of old people. This tradition is over 1,000 years old. At one time the king or queen washed the feet of poor, old people on Maundy Thursday, but that stopped in 1754. Swan Upping. The Birthday Honours list and the New Year Honours list:  Twice a year at Buckingham Palace, the Queen gives titles or 'honours', once in January and once in June. Honours received include:C.B.E. - Companion of the British EmpireO.B.E. - Order of the British EmpireM.B.E. - Member of the British EmpireThese honours began in the nineteenth century, because then Britain had an empire. Searching the cellars The day begins at 10am when the Yeomen of the Guard – the royal bodyguards otherwise known as Beefeaters – search the cellars of the Houses of Parliament. This tradition dates back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament. Today, officers from the Metropolitan police join the Yeomen in their search. The Imperial State Crown, the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance are transported to Westminster by coach ahead of the Queen. The crown was made for George VI’s Coronation in 1937 and contains the huge Cullinan II diamond and other historic jewels. The Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance are symbols of royal power. Crown, sword and cap The Queen's journey The royal procession, escorted by the Household Cavalry, takes the monarch from Buckingham Palace, down The Mall and along Whitehall to the House of Lords. As the Queen passes under the Royal Arch of the Victoria Tower the Union Flag is lowered and the Royal Standard is raised. Gun salutes are fired in Hyde Park and the Tower of London. Procession The Queen dons her parliamentary robe and then she and a host of courtiers and officials process to the chamber of the House of Lords. The sword and cap are carried before her. The procession includes the Lord Great Chamberlain and the Earl Marshall who walk backwards ahead of the Queen to show respect. Black Rod While the Queen is processing, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod is dispatched to the House of Commons where he bangs three times on the door with his ebony staff. As a reminder that MPs fought hard to gain independence from the Crown, the door is slammed in his face before he is allowed in to summon them to the Lords. All assembled The MPs head to the House of Lords – no monarch is allowed to enter the Commons. Traditionally, they dawdle and are boisterous in protest that the Lords is still the senior chamber. After the Lords are seated and the MPs are stood in position at the bar of the Lords, the Lord Chancellor hands the Queen her speech. The speech Officially called the Royal Address, the speech is written by the government and sets out its aims for the forthcoming Parliamentary session. The Queen refers throughout to "My government". The words "Other measures will be laid before you" give the government flexibility to introduce other legislation if necessary.