Today, there's one news dominating the headline here in the UK -- the State Opening of the Parliament by the Queen.

The State Opening usually takes place at this time of the year on the first day of the new parliamentary session. (There will also be a State Opening shortly after a general election. )

State Opening is the main ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar, attracting large crowds, both in person and watching on television and the internet. The Queen's procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster is escorted by the Household Cavalry. I really wanted to go but I was all tied up to work.

The Queen would also read a prepared speech, known as the Speech from the Throne or more commonly the Queen's Speech, outlining her Government's agenda for the coming year. The funny thing is that it is traditionally written on goatskin.

Another funny thing is that the speech is not written by the Queen, but by the cabinet. She's just reading it out. This year's speech talks a lot about hot topics like credit crunch, economic recession and crime. It founds funny hearing the Queen talking about this kind of topics. The worst thing is that everybody in the world knows the Queen didn't write it. If I were the Queen, I would feel somehow embarrassed!

As someone from a country without the monarchy system, I'm really intrigued by this.

It is a very interesting thing to see in a country like the UK, where they have had the industrial revolution as well as political reforms all the time, old tradition like this survived! Traditions surrounding the State Opening and delivery of a speech by the monarch can be traced back at least to the 16th century, when the country WAS actually ruled by a monarch. But now, in the 21st century? It's all very symbolic!

It's really a weird yet wonderful combination of modernity and tradition!