Director Ridley Scott has advised people to avoid visiting Malta, one of the filming locations for his action flick, "Gladiator II."
11.12.2024 - 20:01 / insider.com / queen Elizabeth Ii II (Ii)
The holiday season is a time for traditions, some of which are specific to individual cultures.
Even people who celebrate Christmas in the United States probably don't know everything about how the holiday is celebrated in different places around the world, like the United Kingdom.
Here are some Christmas traditions from the UK that might confuse Americans:
In the UK, you're likely to hear "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas," and "Father Christmas" instead of "Santa Claus."
Even more confusing for people outside of the UK, Christmas — especially more secular celebrations of the holiday — is sometimes referred to as "Chrimbo" (sometimes spelled "Crimbo"), according to BBC America.
One of the more confusing British holiday traditions (for Americans at least) is pantomime, which are over-the-top musical comedies based on famous fairy tales.
The family-friendly theater performances are produced throughout the Christmas season all over the UK and involve plenty of slapstick humor and loud audience participation.
In the eccentric shows, the "Principal Boy," traditionally played by a woman, and the "Panto Dame," typically played by a man, are both dressed in drag, and the plot doesn't necessarily closely follow that of the classic tale.
Despite its quirks, pantomime has remained a classic British tradition since the Victorian era and has even spread to places such as Singapore and South Africa.
Every year, UK retailers, including John Lewis, Sainsbury, and Tesco, release their Christmas advertisements. Instead of typical commercials, they're typically short films that tell a heartwarming story.
John Lewis' ads have probably been the most popular since 2011, although the company has been making holiday ads since 2007.
People even count down to the day when the short films are released.
If you're from the US, you might think Christmas crackers sound like something that belongs on a cheese board, but they're actually another UK holiday tradition.
Crackers, which also date back to Victorian times, are cardboard tubes wrapped in colorful paper that, when pulled apart by two people, make a loud cracking sound.
Families traditionally open their crackers together on Christmas Day, and the tubes are usually filled with a small toy, a riddle or joke, and a tissue-paper crown.
After opening the crackers, it's also tradition to wear the paper crowns throughout the Christmas meal.
Christmas pudding, also referred to as figgy pudding or plum pudding, is another longtime holiday tradition in the UK.
It's a boiled cake made with dried fruit and soaked in aged alcohol, and it's often served "en flambé" (on fire) before everyone digs in after Christmas dinner.
For many years, Queen Elizabeth II even gifted each
Director Ridley Scott has advised people to avoid visiting Malta, one of the filming locations for his action flick, "Gladiator II."
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