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What about OUR national identity?

Diane

By Diane
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Diane Newbie

Diane

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Driving around today I was thinking (dangerous, I know, to break a habit of a lifetime but there you go):

 

The Italians in Adelaide have a Festival

The Greeks in Adelaide have a Festival

The Germans in Adelaide have a Festival

The Indians in Adelaide have a Festival

 

What about us Poms? Where's our English (oh, British if you insist although the Irish do have St Patrick's Day that's pretty well celebrated here - and everywhere in the world as far as I can make out, and the Scottish have some gathering of the clans out in Strathalbyn I think - bagpipes and all) Festival?

 

I mentioned this to me teenage son who said dismissively "What would you have at an English Festival though?"

 

So come on Poms in Adelaide, what about our own Festival? What shall we have?? Decent beer, tents selling marmite toast, roast beef with yorkshire pudding and bisto gravy, some English cider... what else? Music? Entertainment? Demonstrations? (I'm wavering about Morris Dancers as really who has ever really seen or taken part in that in England apart from as a tourist thing?)

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Keith & Linda Newbie

Keith & Linda

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Gurney contests, Maypole dancing, beer belly wrestling, chanting druids, stirrup cups. Food stalls with chorley cakes, eccles cakes, lardy cake, Victoria sponge cake, Jaffa cakes, Pontyfract cakes, chip butties, (no kebabs, curries or wraps) cream teas with clotted cream. Winkles, cockles and jellied eels.

 

The women dress in pretty floral frocks and the men have knotted handkerchiefs on their heads and trousers rolled up to their knees!

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Guest Guest75

Guest Guest75

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Driving around today I was thinking (dangerous, I know, to break a habit of a lifetime but there you go):

 

The Italians in Adelaide have a Festival

The Greeks in Adelaide have a Festival

The Germans in Adelaide have a Festival

The Indians in Adelaide have a Festival

 

What about us Poms? Where's our English (oh, British if you insist although the Irish do have St Patrick's Day that's pretty well celebrated here - and everywhere in the world as far as I can make out, and the Scottish have some gathering of the clans out in Strathalbyn I think - bagpipes and all) Festival?

 

I mentioned this to me teenage son who said dismissively "What would you have at an English Festival though?"

 

So come on Poms in Adelaide, what about our own Festival? What shall we have?? Decent beer, tents selling marmite toast, roast beef with yorkshire pudding and bisto gravy, some English cider... what else? Music? Entertainment? Demonstrations? (I'm wavering about Morris Dancers as really who has ever really seen or taken part in that in England apart from as a tourist thing?)

 

 

I thought you were born here Diane ??? - you get enough days off and long weekends.

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Blossom Newbie

Blossom

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The village I lived in in Cambridgeshire had a Morris dancing group and they would be outside the local pub every weekend in summer practicing. It was only a tiny village (one pub, one school, no shops) so it certainly wasn't for tourists.

There used to be lots of country dancing at our village fetes etc too (where I grew up, bit bigger village). :-)

 

I must say, it does make me sad that my children here would never get to experience the childhood I had. There was far more sense of community. At Christmas there would be stalls all through the village with mulled wine, roasted chestnuts etc. In summer there would be Great fates with things like haystack mazes (that you can to crawl through in the dark and look for coins). Those rocking boat rides, all sorts.

I've been to the fates here, but generally they are not that great.

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ian mc Newbie

ian mc

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We have the 53 Mt Barker Highland Gathering which I must say is very well attended Its on the 16th Feb we also have a radio program on a Tuesday at 12:30 on EBI 103.1 and the Irish are on at 1:30 after the Scottish hour also have a Celtic hour shared between the Scottish Welsh and Irish on a Saturday at 5:00 on EBI. There are also a few Burns nights (25th January) on and they will be having the usual gathering at his statue on North terrace which has been in the city since 1894. There is all British day on the 9th of Feb at Echunga that's about as close as you get to a English gathering.

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Diane Newbie

Diane

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We have the 53 Mt Barker Highland Gathering which I must say is very well attended Its on the 16th Feb we also have a radio program on a Tuesday at 12:30 on EBI 103.1 and the Irish are on at 1:30 after the Scottish hour also have a Celtic hour shared between the Scottish Welsh and Irish on a Saturday at 5:00 on EBI. There are also a few Burns nights (25th January) on and they will be having the usual gathering at his statue on North terrace which has been in the city since 1894. There is all British day on the 9th of Feb at Echunga that's about as close as you get to a English gathering.

 

Yeh now you see, "British" day is all inclusive, covering England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales (and the Channel Islands) but all those other events - I notice none of them invite the English along! How rude....!!! The only time us English get a chance to celebrate our Englishness is when we are playing (losing!) at cricket.....even then I'm pretty sure the Barmy Army would welcome Scots, Irish and Welsh (plus South Africans, Kiwis...) to join!

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bill Newbie

bill

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The question is where should it be.

 

The logical places are Hallett Cove or Pt Noarlunga. Is there anywhere big enough to hold it.

Tyke's house?:biggrin:

Seriously, I like the fact that we don't seem to feel the need to announce our 'differentness' - we just assimilate. I guess that's easier to do without (many) language barriers, and having similar(ish) cultures.

One thing that celebrating the homeland culture annually, or even living it daily, seems to do is preserve traditions, sometimes to the extent of retaining things that the old country no longer has. Can't think of specifics right now, but I remember talking to a young Aussie guy of Italian parentage who went to Italy to meet grandparents and cousins, and was amazed at how different it was to expectations that were based on the Italian culture here. He felt that he had escaped from a time warp.

Now what British traditions (Eng/Scot/NI/Wales) that have died do we wish we had retained? I'll start with my favourite - respect for people, property and the law.

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Guest Guest75

Guest Guest75

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I honestly think a lot of UK migrants would rather feel that they are assimilating into the way of life here (I won't say culture as someone will whine).

 

It is cringeworthy to see Union Jack flags on the beaches for meet ups (it used to happen).

 

Coming here and bringing "Englishness" / "Britishness" to a certain degree does not work.

 

There has always been the culture of the "Whinging Pom" both Aussie/ and UK sides to it.

 

I for one don't shout out my national identity for this reason - I just get one and have a great time with my Aussie friends (and one of two Poms).

 

I have various nicknames but it nearly always in in "Pom" with the Aussies. Gained a new one a couple of weeks ago after my "Ramp rage" incident ( the other person was so wrong and nearly knocked a chunk out of my boat!) - "Angry Pom" :biglaugh::biglaugh:

 

A lot have left the UK because they are so unsatisfied with the place so would not be keen to keen to shout their national ID from the rooftops.

 

Now if you are talking about Yorkshire - well that's a different kettle of fish!!:idea: Aye the culture that flows from the Pennines........nowt like it!

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Guest Guest12727

Guest Guest12727

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So much that is Adelaide, is English. That is the heritage and roots for many Aussies. The other nationalities are minority groups, and one of the great things about us Aussies is that we love to share and enjoy the good things all these different groups have to offer us. Our country has the foundations from pommy land, but has grown beyond that due to all these varied influences.

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ian mc Newbie

ian mc

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There is nothing stopping you from tunning your wireless in on a Tuesday afternoon its free and you would be more than welcome to the Highland Gathering we will take any ones money. lol

 

Yeh now you see, "British" day is all inclusive, covering England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales (and the Channel Islands) but all those other events - I notice none of them invite the English along! How rude....!!! The only time us English get a chance to celebrate our Englishness is when we are playing (losing!) at cricket.....even then I'm pretty sure the Barmy Army would welcome Scots, Irish and Welsh (plus South Africans, Kiwis...) to join!
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Guest Claire-n-tel

Guest Claire-n-tel

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We could have Morris dancing and people pay money to throw custard pies at them, that would pull the crowds in. :smile:

 

In high school we had a big fat really evil physics teacher who everyone was a little scared of, then a few of us saw him one weekend at a fare a little way away......he was a morris dancer!!.....on monday morning he came into class to find 20 girls saying nothing but waving klenex around!.....he was never as scary from then!:jiggy:

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sidestep Newbie

sidestep

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Aye the culture that flows from the Pennines........nowt like it!

Proper beer, whippets, flat caps and Ecky Thump?

 

If there was an English festival here you'd have to include soccer hooligan chanting, chav bling contests, the "who can make the most mess with a McDonalds wrapper" competition and general all-round loutish and boorish behaviour. Basically what we all came over to get away from.

 

I could include the spectacle known as fattest tart in the tightest possible dress but that's a staple of life here anyway so it wouldn't count.

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