Is there cultural differences between the 4 countries of the UK?

[Lynsey953]

I often see a lot on the news about British Culture and UK culture but I know that Scotland has a different education system to England and Wales as well as higher taxes paid to the government and a lot of "free" things paid for by these taxes i.e. free prescriptions, free university tuition etc ... A lot of people in Scotland also identify as Scottish, not British. Do you think this means Scottish people have a different cultural identity than English or Welsh people?

The Welsh and Scottish were very involved in the transatlantic slave trade, including keeping slaves, and colonised countries.

www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

I was surprised to learn recently that Scottish children/teenagers (?) learn Scottish dancing in girl/boy pairs. My friend said you wouldn’t get single sex pairs (is she right?) I can’t imagine in England year 6 or older children dancing with another child voluntarily!

Happy to be corrected on all of the above!

I can’t speak for everyone but it certainly wasn’t voluntarily for me. We did Scottish country dancing in Primary, not High School but I think just about all of my classmates detested it. Though at that age the boy/girl thing, and yes we paired with the opposite sex, wasn’t really the issue. It was the dancing itself that we detested.

Yes social dancing at the end of primary school, loathed at the time but comes into its own at weddings and ceilidhs.

We do this in Wales too.

I’m Welsh, but do have to laugh at posters romanticising it as a country of culture and art, where everyone sings and loves poetry. Where I am the majority have no interest in this at all. Our education system is of a far lower standard than in England, as is our health. We do have beautiful countryside and coast. I agree with PPs, the only place that is vastly different to the rest of the UK is London.

British here.

😂

I’m impressed that you can remember how. I don’t think that I could remember a step though I’m dyspraxia so I was particularly dreadful at it and we did it from Primary 1 or 2 up until Primary 6 I think.

What? Where in Wales are you from? A hole in the ground? There is a rich culture of song and art. We're quite renowned for it.

What do you know about the Welsh Education system? I'm curious as to why you think it's of a far lower standard than England.

Thanks for the replies! I’m just surprised that it would still be boy/girl, could you have a same sex pairings?
My friend talks a lot about the girls have this party or boys have this party or the boy mums are friends and the girl mums are friends etc. I know this happens in England to an extent it just makes Scotland sound old fashioned - is this just my friend?

I’m impressed that you can remember how. I don’t think that I could remember a step though I’m dyspraxia so I was particularly dreadful at it and we did it from Primary 1 or 2 up until Primary 6 I think.

I have some kind of weird muscle memory - someone just has to call Strip The Willow and I’m back in my P7 gym hall.

Thanks for the replies! I’m just surprised that it would still be boy/girl, could you have a same sex pairings?

Given classes rarely have equal numbers of boys and girls I’m sure there are often same sex partners. They’re there to learn the dances though, not to express a sexual preference aged 10.

I am very proud to be English but it seems we are not allowed to proud of it like the other nations.

I’m dyspraxic that should say. (Autocorrect does not like that word.)

There's a lot of dog whistle "not allowed to be proud of being a nationalist" posts on here. We see you.

Scottish social dancing is compulsory in PE just before Christmas, so until we are 14/15.

Same sex pairs do in fact happen. Through choice or necessity (depends on the male/female split of the class).
Primary school Christmas parties are highly likely to include these dances. High school discos/Snow Balls even Proms usually have a few too. Many teens voluntarily do them at such social events - they aren't compulsory. It's fun.

This may be most similar to Irish curriculum as dancing is a core subject. Irish Gaelic language is compulsory where Gaelic in Scotland is not really taught outside of the Islands and Highlands. Some of us only know a handful of Gaelic words because they are still active in daily language.

Ceilidhs are still popular, lots of Scottish weddings have a few dances included.

Not to be confused with Runrig's Loch Lomond circle dance - where everyone is legally obligated to participate!

Why would you be surprised that it was boy/girl? That’s the norm for partner dancing. That’s how it’s worked for a long time. Obviously if there weren’t equal numbers then two boys or two girls would pair up but you paired boys and girls until you couldn’t.

As for parties, larger parties involved both boys and girls ime. Small parties may just be boys or girls because their best friends tend to be of the same sex, as is true of just about anywhere, but most parties involve both sexes.

I think it's more regional than by country is some ways. I live in a border town in England, both dp and I work in Wales. Half of my colleagues were born in Wales the other half born in England but live in Wales.

It may be different for me as my grandad on my mums side was welsh so lots of cross over of culture, we always went to Wales on holiday. But I really don't notice any difference between myself and colleagues in terms of culture. Yes their dc do welsh GCSE in school but most site it as pointless, but again that's because regionally very few people speak any welsh day to day.

It’s compulsory now? Is it really? Poor kids. I can’t imagine any of my classmates having done that voluntarily. We stopped learning it in Primary School though.

There are similarities but also big differences. I live in one country within the UK and have family in two others who I visit fairly regularly, and experience significant differences in how people interact, underlying social norms/expectations, how events are celebrated (even what events are celebrated). There is also one country in the UK in which I often feel that my family and I are considerably less safe than the others, due partly to cultural elements of how people view us and feel it is acceptable to interact with us.

I’m Welsh, grew up in Wales, lived in England for 24yrs. Little difference in my experience.

English person living in Scotland here…
I’ve lived here for over 30 years - moving from London after marrying a Scot.

it was a massive culture shock.

apart from the fact that 35 years ago the area I lived in was predominantly white, which after living in a very multicultural city, was major…however, I didn’t expect the hate I received.
I was regularly told to ‘fuck off back south’ for the crime of being a young girl who spoke like an extra from Eastenders … and was regularly reminded of the evils England had committed against the Scot’s …. As if I was to blame.

it was difficult to deal with at such a young age and I did try to move home several times.

now after having 3 kids and being here for over 3 decades, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It’s wonderful and much safer than London.

Dashing White Sergeant, Military Two Step, Gay Gordons and Strip the Willow - absolutely muscle memory.

Most participated dances at any weddings I've been to, everyone's included from children to great grandparents.

Not to be confused with Runrig's Loch Lomond circle dance - where everyone is legally obligated to participate!

The end dance if every wedding or gathering I’ve ever been to in Scotland. I was at a wedding in England recently and found it really odd that the last dance played and people petered off without Loch Lomond, definitely a cultural difference.