Holidays around the world can be celebrated on the same day, but are celebrated in diverse, unique ways, due to differences in culture and tradition. The culture of Americans vs. people from Hispanic countries varies quite a bit related to holidays. There is Holy Week and Easter, Christmas and Navidad, Day of the Dead and Halloween, etc. Since traditions are such a big part of every person’s life, we need to be comfortable sharing them. This will help to understand differences between cultures.
I think it is a good idea to discuss the variances in American and Spanish cultures when it comes to holidays. For example, Christmas is celebrated in American culture around the idea of Saint Nicholas or Santa coming to town with gifts for the children and the birthday of Jesus Christ. In Spanish culture, it is different. They really focus on the birth of Jesus. They also have many traditional dances and songs that go along with the holiday. For instance, they dance the “Jota”, which is a traditional dance performed on Christmas Day, accompanied by guitars and castanets. Some similarities in the two would be that most in both cultures celebrate Christmas on both December 24th and 25th. Many people attend mass or church services and share
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Day of the Dead lasts 3 days and is very important to Spanish culture and tradition, as these are the days that their loved ones’ spirits come back. On November 1st, the little souls, or children spirits, are the first to return. November 2nd is when all the other spirits come. Families gather in cemeteries or houses and make alters to honor their deceased loved ones. In Spanish culture, Day of the Dead is viewed as a happy day. “You are not truly awake until you are dead,” is the quote that most Mexicans use, indicating that they believe that death is not a sad thing but a peaceful, beautiful
They celebrate Christmas as their ancestors did, which is Posada and the Holy Night. Posada is between December 16th and Holy Night December 24th. Family members and friends act out when St. Joseph and Virgin Mary were looking for lodging. All Mexicans go to church to attend midnight Mass. After the mass the family gathers at home and have a family dinner. Mexican Christmas Eve is all about family, love, sharing, happiness and joy. The children do not receive presents on Christmas Day
As a little girl, I learned a lot about my Mexican heritage. I even joined my parents in their dance group and still involved in it today. Over the years it’s been so fun, and it helped me learn a lot about different Mexican counties. Who would've thought that I would learn so much just by dancing. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. Also being a little girl I learned about “Day Of The Dead” which in Spanish is called “dia de los muertos” which is a two day celebration. The day’s in which this takes place is September 1 and 2nd. September 1st we honor the children and September 2nd we honor the adults. When I was little I never fully understood why we celebrated people deaths. I always thought when someone dies we show our respects and grief about it, but throwing a whole
I. Attention getting device: When most people think of how to honor the dead, right away they think of mourning but the indigenous people of Mexico had a different idea. Instead of mourning, they think of honoring the dead as a celebration with dancing, food, and reminiscing. The name of this celebration is called Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead in English.
Culture is the overall moral belief, customs, language, and attitudes a person is brought and raised into. Daily, we are exposed to diverse and different cultures everyday which allow us to learn the different values and traditions each culture possess. The importance of observing and learning different customs is beneficial because it can help us better adapt and prevent misunderstandings when we communicate and interact with others. Hispanics and Americans are two huge cultures that have been sharing the same living space for years but are an example of two different civilizations. While both, Hispanics and Americans, share many similarities they both differ in recognition of religion, language,
Frequently, we do not put too much attention to our own cultural values and traditions until we are exposed to a different culture, and start comparing. In order to have a more productive and fruitful life I believe we need to become more self-aware and more sensitive to the culturally and ethnically diverse community we live in. Two cultures that have been sharing the same living space for centuries are the Hispanic and American culture. In this paper I would be analyzing each culture giving a brief background and pointing out some aspects in how they differ, like the perception of time, family, orientation, and others. American culture has a couple of aspects in which it differs from the Hispanic culture, which for the
In Mexico, fiestas occur frequently throughout the year as a custom. Mexicans gather on these holidays to eat dance,take part in parades, and remember historic or religious events. Mexican Independence Day celebrates the separation of the country from Spain on September 16, 1810. Another famous celebration is Day of the Dead which is celebrated on the first of November. Although it may sound scary, this celebration is a cheerful time of remembering friends and family members who have died.
Latino Americans are facing issues with their identity because of their ethnic and racial backgrounds due to our education institutions in America. These issues result in a separation of their American and Latino culture creating two different identities but not enough of American or Latino identity to fully feel part of either culture.
The Hispanic population has experienced an incredible growth in the past decade in the United States of America. In 2006 it was estimated that the Hispanic cover 11 % of the population in North America. Their Origin is in Mexico and the few Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean. American culture is derived from people who originated from the European nations like Italy and the Great Britain. Cultural identity is very important for every ethnic group as it shapes the culture of that particular faction and therefore, a certain culture cannot realize its own values until it is exposed to another one.
The Hispanic culture has different values, beliefs, and traditions. Family is highly value. Family is a close-knit group and the most important social group to gather in any events or special days. The Hispanic “family unit” includes not only parents and children but also grandparents and extended family. Individuals within the family have moral responsibilities to help other members of the family experiencing financial problems, unemployment, health conditions and any other life issues. They show the importance placed upon relationship within their family extending a hand in good times and bad. Respeto y dignidad (respect and dignity) are other important values of the Hispanic culture. Children’s are taught to avoid confrontations with parents and older persons, and to be obedient and respectful. The Hispanics believe that the father is head of the family and the mother is to take care of home. Naming children after grandparents and parents is fairly common. A well-known tradition is the celebration of a fifteen year old girl called Quincenera. Hispanics culture and traditions are based around celebrating and spending time with love ones.
Foreigners have more trouble understanding Dia de Los Muertos than any of Mexico's other celebrations. At first glance, they see Day of the Dead decorations which are colored paper garlands, little skeletons performing daily tasks and sugar skulls inscribed with names, which remind them of Halloween. Other tourists discover that much like Memorial or Remembrance Day in the US, families here visit, clean and decorate graves of loved ones for the
As I begin this essay comparing two separate cultures I feel it is necessary to first describe what exactly culture is. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." It includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief.
| The attitudes and customs of Hispanics have a major presence on music, food, holidays, dance, and arts here in the United States. The Hispanic families in the United States are traditionally close-knit groups, and Spanish speakers are quite formal toward each other when speaking.
Mexican culture celebrates their independence with a holiday and fireworks on Cinco de Mayo. The American ritual for independence is celebrated on July 4th also with a holiday and fireworks. Another ritual that is participated in annually by both Mexican and American cultures is the celebration of Christmas. Gift giving is a common ritual during the Christmas season. There are also some very unique rituals specific to each culture. For starters, one the most distinctive rituals in all of the World takes place in the Mexican culture, Dia de Los Muertos. Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration with masks like skulls and dancing honoring late ancestors. Another ritual specific to the Mexican culture is the holiday recognizing the Lady of the Guadalupe. The ritual feast remembers the sightings of her near present day Mexico City. American culture also contains some unique rituals. A very patriotic ritual takes place in the grade school class everyday; it is called the Pledge of Allegiance. This ritual instills patriotic values as well as teaching loyalty to thy nation. Thanksgiving is another example of a ritual not in Mexican culture that is in American culture.
In Chile, there are lots of Holidays such as... (January 1), Easter, Labor Day (May 1), Naval Battle of Iquique (May 21), Independence Day (september 18) and some others are, Dia De La Raza, Saints Day, and Christmas. If you were wondering what saints day was, family members go across cities and pay their deceased relatives homage and leave flowers on their graves. Sometimes this holiday may take over a two day period. Also Dia De La Raza is Columbus, day which in America we call it Dia De La Raza.
One depiction of Mexican holidays shaping the city of Los Angeles into a Latino city can be seen in the Mexican holiday El Dia del Los Muertos. For instance, Mexicans believe in the concept of death not being the end of a person’s life as Paz