Two Truths and a Lie: British Traditions Edition

The Queen's guardsmen are highly trained soldiers, and their hats are made from bear fur. Some of the hats are nearly a century old! It's a common myth that they are forbidden from speaking. Speaking is simply reserved for when a more forceful means of communicating is needed.

Since Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament in 1605, the British have been telling the world to "remember, remember the 5th of November." There's no official curfew for Bonfire Night, but being respectful is encouraged. You can be fined for setting off your own fireworks when it gets too late.

During Victorian times, those who worked as servants were given boxes filled with meager gifts. Though that tradition has died out, Boxing Day is still celebrated every December 26th. There are no boxing matches held at Buckingham Palace, though.

In the U.S., it's called Fat Tuesday, but the British take the celebration before Mardi Gras to a whole new level. Contestants who participate in the traditional pancake races have to wear an apron and flip their pancakes a few times. Hitting someone with a frying pan will get your disqualified!

From not being allowed to sit with her legs crossed to the color of nail polish she uses, Duchess Meghan has a lot to remember. Thankfully, there are no traditional rules that say she must always wear pantyhose. If she chooses, bare legs are acceptable.

Fruitcake and all, royal weddings have always been considered reasons to celebrate. Citizens often enjoy their day off by flocking into the streets. They are permitted to drink as freely as they like.

No one really knows how Cotton Hill's cheese rolling tradition began back in the 1800s, but hundreds gather every year to chase a 9-pound block of Double Gloucester down a hill for 200 yards. Thankfully, all of the contestants are clothed — mostly.

You'll see more Welsh Maypole dancing on May Day than any other time of year, though, other celebrations can involve it. Participants use ribbons to dance around a pole that symbolizes fertility.

The British are crazy about the cardboard tubes knowns as crackers. Every Christmas, crackers are handed out, then pulled by two people. The person with the biggest half wins the prize.

Dunk away! In the United Kingdom, the biscuit industry is a three-billion-dollar industry. It's more uncommon to be served a "cuppa" with biscuits than without them. Dunking is highly encouraged.

We're not sure that Prince Philip knows how to bake a cake, but the Queen does get to celebrate twice and ride in a carriage. Although her birthday is in April, the traditional Trooping of the Color ceremony doesn't take place until June.

If you want to find green beer on St. Patrick's Day, you'll have to head to the United States. Although many of the holiday's traditions have crossed the pond, this is one that the American's came up with all on their own. You won't find green beer in Northern Ireland.

Historians and archeologists estimate that Stonehenge is around 3,000 years older than the Pyramids of England. You're no longer permitted to climb them, but years ago it was part of the adventure. Visitors were even given chisels to carve their own souvenirs!

Legend says that if the six ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the nation will fall into chaos. Visitors are welcome to see them, but they might want to hold off until after meal time. Every day, the ravens each eat six ounces of raw meat and blood-soaked treats.

Traditionally served on the birthday of national poet Robert Burns, haggis is the national dish of Scotland. A sheep's stomach is filled with all sorts of offal, oatmeal and a battery of spices. It might be the only time you'll ever hope to find peas on your plate! Sadly, you will not.

Over 21,000 people apply to attend Oxford University every year for the academics — not the wacky traditions. Though there are plenty of them, there's no ceremony that asks professors to stay single. You would have to go back a few centuries to observe those Oxford rules.

Assuming your birthday card comes with an envelope, the Queen will not send you a birthday cake. If you make it to age 105, she'll send you a personalized card every year, but you'll never get a sweet treat from her.

Should you want to become a bog snorkeling champion, head to Wales! Every year, a competition takes place in Llanwrtyd Wells. Swimmers must race through a bog and swim for 60 meters only using their flippers.

Printed with black ink and an image of Queen Victoria, the Penny Black was the world's first postage stamp. The self-adhesive version wasn't invented until 1974, but it's still considered an act of treason to place it upside down.

Queen Elizabeth II is one of the more modern monarchs to ever sit on the throne. She's broken over 10 royal traditions for the new duchess, including allowing Harry to wear a wedding band. No other male royal has the same liberty.

Horses, dogs, donkeys, Prince Philip and every U.K. citizen are required to have a passport. Even Meghan Markle has to have one because she has dual citizenship. Since they are issued in her name, Queen Elizabeth has never been a passport holder.

Remembrance Day, or Poppy Day, is always celebrated on the Sunday that falls closest to November 11. Silence is observed on the 11th, but it doesn't last for eight minutes. Two minutes are observed on that date, and another two minutes are observed on the second Sunday of November.

Susan, the Queen's first corgi, is the great, great granddog to her current two pups Vulcan and Candy. They don't have their own room in the palace, but they do have a shared room. Servants provide their pricy beds with clean, pressed sheets every day.

With 20 chefs, 33 kitchen staff and three pastry chefs, no one ever goes hungry at Windsor Castle. The Great Kitchen is only one of the kitchens found within the castle. It's the country's oldest.

You have to pay to park at the base of Ben Nevis, but there's no fee for attempting to climb its 4,413 feet. Once you've conquered it, you can same the local whiskey at a nearby pub that uses a recipe that originates in that region of Scotland.

Plygain is a Welsh tradition that goes all the way back to the 13th century. While there may or may not be an official version of it taking place every night at a local pub, it's traditionally held in a local church in the wee hours of Christmas morning.

Watching New Year's fireworks at the Tower of London is the British equivalent of New York's Times Square. The annual display of over 70,000 fireworks doesn't take place until the hands on the clock strike midnight and Ben Ben chimes. FYI ... Big Ben is the bell inside the tower, not the clock!

Since 1947, a 196-foot-tall Christmas tree has been donated to London by Oslo. It's a gesture of gratitude for the defense in WWII. Thousands gather for the lighting ceremony, and plenty of selfies are taken. We're totally lying about that.

Get your mum a Mother's Day card before the fourth Sunday of Lent! There's nothing wrong with giving her a card or taking her out to dinner. She might want to skip the boiled whole grain called frumenty, though!

Shrove Tuesday is reserved for pancakes, but hot cross buns can be eaten all year round. Traditionally served warm on Easter, Elizabeth I once banned them because she didn't care for the religious symbolism.

The first Royal Christmas Broadcast didn't go very well for Queen Elizabeth II. Many missed it because of radio interference. Since 1959, she's solved the problem by pre-recording the message that airs at 3 P.M. on Christmas day.

The Highland Games have taken place in Scotland since 1836, but a lot has changed about it. Until the late 1990s, women were not allowed to participate in the festival celebrating Scottish and Celtic heritage, but they now make up a huge portion of participants.

Every tartan print is representative of a Scottish clan, and kilts were originally worn to symbolize them. There are no hard and fast rules about what must, if anything, be worn under a kilt. 55% percent of men who have worn them to admit to going commando, though.

The earliest reference of Morris dancing goes all the way back to 1448! A dance filled with color and music, Morris dancing was the original form of entertainment. You can still find Morris dancers at festivals throughout the country.

When the Queen delivers her Speech From the Throne speech, the British government listens. Given while wearing the Imperial Crown, she lets everyone know the direction she wants to see lawmakers take.