Curious British Customs

 

         Great Britain is the birthplace of Newton, Darwin, Shakespeare and The Beatles: home of the world’s largest foreign exchange market, the world’s riches football club – Manchester United, the inventor of the hovercraft and J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series . It is also a country full of customs and traditions, some interesting and some strange. But they’re all interesting and a part of the British way of life.

 

         One of these is the annual Cheese Rolling competition, which takes place in spring, in several parts of the country. A round cheese is rolled down a hill chased by competitors. The first person to catch it is the winner.

 

         Another curious festival is one by the name of Up-Helly-Aa, which is thought to be Britain’s largest fire and torchlight festival. Its origins are in the Viking invasion of Scotland and it takes place in the Shetland islands. The Shetlanders make a model of a Viking ship, and drag it through the town to the sea. They then throw burning torches onto the ship and create a massive bonfire, all the while singing Up-Helly-Aa songs.

 

Wonderful Chile

         Stretching down half the length of South America’s western coast, Chile’s skinny shoelace form is a wonderland of geographical and climatic diversity. The country offers countless natural attractions, from arid desert expanses to volcanoes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, beaches and mountains, all waiting to be explored.

         Although Chile has many urban centres, the country’s most compelling feature is its incredible natural environment and the leisure and adventure opportunities that it presents. Visitors are drawn to the country by the superb coastline, made up of almost 4,800 km of sandy beaches, sheltered caves and hidden inlets, and the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, with their fabulous skiing areas. Additionally, there is the mysticism of the Atacama Desert, the remote allure of Patagonia and the scenic splendour of the country’s volcanic regions. And if this weren’t enough, Chile also offers visitors mysterious Easter Island and the frozen beauty of Antarctica.

Bigfoot

         Is it possible that a reclusive, man-like creature inhabits the remote areas of our planet? We cannot assume that we know about all the species on our planet. Only a few years ago, several new creatures were discovered: the okapi and the coelacanth. So is it so hard to believe that a hair-covered, man-like creature could exist, on the verge of discovery?

         In remote areas there have been sightings of just such a creature. Known by many names, such as Bigfoot, Susquatch, Yeti, Almas, and more, the descriptions of the creature are very similar from one place to another. This creature has been seen in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Most of the people who say they have seen it coincide in the general details, although there are differences in the reports of its height, which varies from 5’5’’ to 8’+. This could be explained if the age were taken into account. Did they see an adult or a juvenile?