What is WorkinEnglish TOOLS

WorkinEnglish is an Italian-based language training company founded by professional language trainers who share an ideal way of passing their experience on to learners. What makes us different from the others is our know-how, our enthusiasm and our hands-on experience.

Monthly we publish the WorkinEnglish TOOLS magazine, which is sent to our client-companies as well as to those who have signed up to it through our website www.workinenglish.it.

To allow greater and easier access to the material we put together, we set up this blog. We hope you enjoy!

domenica 23 giugno 2013

Habits & Customs - Unusual Traditions Around the World

Polterabend is a German pre-wedding tradition where friends and family come together for an informal party where they break dishes, flowerpots, tiles, toilets, anything except glasses or mirrors. To symbolize working together through future difficulties, the bride and groom must clean everything up. 

Gurning is making  a distorted facial expression, and English rural tradition has celebrated this since 1267. At the World Gurning Championship in Egremont, England, competitors wear a horse collar and attempt to make the most grotesque face possible. Four-time world champion Peter Jackman, had his teeth removed in 2000 to make his facial maneuvers easier.

Blackening the Bride is to prepare Scottish brides-to-be for their marriage and they must go through a very foul pre-wedding ritual. Friends of the bride take her by surprise and cover her with eggs, spoiled milk, feathers, and anything disgusting. The blackened bride is then paraded around town. The purpose of this custom is to prepare the bride for marriage because after going through that, any marital problems will seem like nothing.

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