The Platinum Jubilee celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year long reign. She is the first British Monarch to celebrate this momentous milestone. Her Majesty is a well-loved and respected figure all over the world. She is known for her commitment to her duty, as well as her devotion to a life of service.
On 6th February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was in Cape Town with her husband Prince Philip. They received a call to inform them that Elizabeth’s father King George VI had passed away. This marks the day when Princess Elizabeth’s life changed, as she became the Queen of Great Britain. At just 25 years of age, Her Majesty took on the huge responsibility of leading the country. This was the start of her life to service.
So, why is the Jubilee being celebrated in June then, you ask? Although the Queen took reign of the country in February 1952, she was crowned on 2nd June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. This delay was due to a British royal tradition. It allows the monarch enough time after the death of another monarch before any events take place.
This year, there will be a four-day bank holiday weekend in Great Britain to celebrate this occasion. Events are taking place across the UK, and vary in nature.
Jubilee Celebration Events
Below, we have picked out a few events that are being held to celebrate the Queen and her special occasion:
1. The Trooping of the Colours
This is a typically British tradition for the Queen’s birthday celebration. This is a traditional parade of over 1,400 soldiers, as well as hundreds of horses and musicians. Traditional pieces of music are to be played by the marching band, as they parade through the streets of London.
2. Queen’s Green Canopy
This is an initiative that encourages people to plant more trees. As we know, the effects of climate change are becoming more and more apparent. Disasters like bushfires in Australia, wildfires in the Amazon and flooding across the globe are just some examples. This is, therefore, a great project to invite people to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee whilst helping the environment. Green Canopy focuses on planting trees in a sustainable way. This will benefit future generations in honour of the Queen’s leadership.
3. Big Lunch Day at Windsor
On Sunday 5th June, the Big Lunch Day will be held at Windsor Castle. This has been an annual event since 2009. It aims to bring people together, and this year will be particularly special. The theme for the day will be the Commonwealth. The event will also show the Platinum Pageant on big screens.
As well as these more official events, the public are also organising events within their communities. People are having afternoon teas on their local greens, musical celebrations in their local community centres and street parties in their towns. It’s great to see the communities uniting for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
Cultural Events in Translation
Events such as this can make texts difficult to translate. The linguists could either make the content relatable and localise the text to the target language’s culture. Or they could retain the event’s characteristics giving the audience a feel for a different culture. There isn’t a right or a wrong option, but it might depend on the type of text. For instance, a brochure informing the reader about the Jubilee itself should keep the event’s characteristics. It’s about the Jubilee after all… But, with a novel set in London, it may be more important for the reader’s experience, the storyline and events to be set in the target language’s culture. In this case, the Jubilee is not so essential.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this British cultural event. We’d love to hear about any similar events that are celebrated in your culture! Get in touch via our social media, or you can read similar blogs discussing the cultural events celebrated in February or the Escalade festival in Geneva.
31 May 2022 13:33