Queen's Official Birthday

BBC Learning EnglishWeekenderQueen's Official BirthdayCallum: Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is Weekender.
　　A few weeks ago I celebrated 1 my birthday. I don't feel anyolder, but nowwhen I write my age I have to add an extra number.
　　For some people birthdays are a time of celebration andrejoicing, for others it's a time of sadness as they worryabout getting older. Birthdays cause a lot of differentemotions, but for most of us it only comes around once ayear.
　　However in Britain the Queen actually celebrates twobirthdays. The first is her actual birthday on 21st ofApril. She also celebrates an official birthday on eitherthe first or the second, and sometimes the third, Saturdayin June. This year's official birthday was celebrated on 17June 2006.
　　On her official birthday there is a big parade in thecentre of London called the Trooping of the Colour. Thiswas originally a military procedure which took place beforea battle..
　　The Colour is the name for the flags for an army. Troopingwas when the flag was shown to the soldiers in the army sothat it could be seen and recognised by the soldiers duringthe battle.
　　In time this became a purely 2 ceremonial event. This meansit is done for display and exhibition. In 1748 it becamethe ceremony that was used to mark the sovereign'sbirthday.
　　But what has all this to do with the Queen having twobirthdays? Here's BBC Correspondent June Kelly to explain,as she says the second birthday began with one of theQueen's ancestors, Edward the Seventh. Why did he start thepractice of having a second birthday.
　　JUNE KELLYThis was brought in by Edward the 7th, he brought it in,because his birthday was in the winter, he thought it wasn’t a particularly good time to have Trooping the Colour,so therefore the decision was made for to have an officialbirthday. And basically, it was done for that reason,simply because the weather and parades that we see onTrooping the Colour.
　　Callum: So the reason for the monarch 3 having an officialbirthday in the summer is simply the British weather. TheTrooping of the Colour is a colourful and spectacularceremony which is best appreciated in the summer. BecauseEdward 7th birthday was in winter he decided 4 there shouldbe an official birthday in the summer. Listen again.
　　JUNE KELLYThis was brought in by Edward the 7th, he brought it in,because his birthday was in the winter, he thought it wasn’t a particularly good time to have Trooping the Colour,so therefore the decision was made for to have an officialbirthday. And basically, it was done for that reason,simply because the weather and parades that we see onTrooping the Colour.
　　Callum: Edward 7th died in 1910, so what happened afterthat. June Kelly now talks about his successors, hissuccessors, the people who followed after him asmonarch. She also uses a very formal expression to say thatsomething finishedor wasn't done for a while – it 'fell into abeyance 5' 'fellinto abeyance'. Here's June Kelly again taking about thepractice of the monarch having an official birthday in thesummer.
　　JUNE KELLYThen it fell into abeyance, because his successors hadbirthdays in the summer, so it was alright to have Troopingthe Colour then. But the Queen’s father, George the 6threinstated it, because he too was a winter baby, and theQueen has followed that tradition.
　　Callum: After the death of Edward 7th the practice 'fellinto abeyance', it didn't happen because the monarchs 6 hadtheir actual birthdays in the summer. The Queen's father,George 6th started it again – or reinstated it as Junesays. Since then the Queen has followed this tradition.
　　Listen again.
　　JUNE KELLYThen it fell into abeyance, because his successors hadbirthdays in the summer, so it was alright to have Troopingthe Colour then. But the Queen’s father, George the 6threinstated it, because he too was a winter baby, and theQueen has followed that tradition.
　　Callum: That's all from this edition of Weekender.