Travel and living

The Pleasures of Knowing the Londoners

london22There is a huge resource of the people who stay in London and one really would love to be a part of the history of the Londoners. Most of London is filled with a kind of cultural background and history which is intriguing. Areas like the Islington or Highgate were actually villages and small towns. London is indeed a city that is growing and has a population of at least seven million. People have really come here from this part of the world and they love to come here. All of them have come with their own life and have their own colourful festivals. London is thus a great multicultural hub as it has been since Roman times. The city is made up of around 270 nationalities and they make up the main fabric of the city. Most of the family have their origin in India and Africa and these are ruled entirely by the British Empire. Although the entire section is Anglo Saxon more than a part of the city has a population which has a very different kind of background that is indeed ethnic and makes up most of the ethnic minorities. This gives London the feel of being a city which has the largest non white population of a European city which is an integral part of the overall cosmopolitan fare in the long run. The city has more than 250 languages that are spoken and this makes the capital city a very diversely linguistic place. Most of the inhabitants are members who belong to the ethnic minorities.

Pearly Kings
The Pearly Kings were considered to be the actual leaders of the street sellers of the Victorian era. They were all known thus as they had pearl buttons on the hats they wore. This was a sign that showed they had authority. Then later the clothes changed to have buttons all over. The title of Pearly King is said to go down the family so one can see Pearly Queens, Princes, Princesses, who love to spend their time giving it up to charity. It is not really easy to see all men who wear bowler hats even today.

Chelsea Pensioners and the London Connection
These are the old soldiers who love to live at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. They are seen in a scarlet uniform with a black hat. They are seen roaming around in London and one may in fact love to see elderly men in specific scarlet uniform. All these are known as Chelsea Pensioners who are carrying forward at least more than three centuries of tradition. All live in the Royal Hospital in Chelsea in the western part of London. The term is used not only for the In Pensioners but also the Out pensioners both of whom are earlier British soldiers. The In Pensioner lives in the Royal Hospital in Chelsea and the Out Pensioner is usually a little away from the hospital. They have two uniforms one is the navy blue and the other is the red coat with tricorne hats. These pensioners usually are seen wearing a three quarter length scarlet frock coat with lovely Royal blue facings on the cuffs as well as the collar. The navy trousers only compliment the scarlet stripe along with a tricorn pattern cap.

They are usually seen walking around the city on Oak Apple Day on May 29. They usually respect the birthday of King Charles II who is said to be the Founder of the Hospital. This they do with a parade and adorn the King's statue with oak leaves. This is in memory of the way he escaped from the Battle of Worcester in the year 1651. This is the time when the claimant to the throne hid right here in the Boscobel Oak.

The Christmas Cheese Ceremony
The Ceremony of the Christmas Cheese has been celebrated in the city since the year 1962. The dairy industry does the honour of respecting the heroic and the brave. The cheesemakers across Great Britain give cheese to these pensioners. The entire tradition goes back to the time of 1692 when the hospital requested a local cheesemonger to give the pensioners cheese as a treat for Christmas. Everyone in Britain is found here and every person tries to contribute in one's own way. As one walks down the street in the city, it is intriguing to see people with different coloured hair and eyes. It could be white or brown , black or blonde along with varied coloured eyes. Most of the people here would be British and they all look different as the people of Britian do not belong to one particular race.

Britain's Mixed Society
Britain was always a place with a mixed society. It was invaded by Romans, Vikings, Saxons, Normans and Africans. They were all brought into the country by force way back in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. They were all slaves and servants. Over a period of time there were many who came to the country and were refugees from countries like Russia, France, Ireland and such countries. They were all here trying to escape the famine or being persecuted in the country. In fact word has it that there are people who had their parents come here first way back in the fifties and sixties and also people who are from countries like India, Hong Kong, Pakistan and such places. They have their homes now in places like Birmingham, London and Manchester. The Notting Hill Carnival and the Caribben Culture is an integral part of British culture today.

Doormen
They are usually found in exclusive hotels, shops wearing the best kind of uniforms and are found hailing taxis and opening doors for the visitors. Footguards are also found here wearing a red jacket and tall bearskins.

by http://www.parkgrandkensington.co.uk/

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