There are a lot of similarities and differences in holidays of Spanish-speaking countries and the United States (US) including the types of holidays, dates they are celebrated, and traditions. donQuijote said, “In Spain there are many regional and national holidays which means that there is a Spanish festival or Spanish fiesta being celebrated somewhere in Spain every month of every year. Every town, city and region has its own traditional holidays or Spanish fiestas in honor of a patron saint, founder or important historical event.” (“Spanish Fiestas”.)
Many holidays and traditions are the same in the US and Spanish-speaking countries. The Institute of Language listed New Year as a “Celebration of the beginning of the year”, Easter as
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“commemorates the week that Christ was crucified and resurrected”, Labor Day is a “Day off from public work-similar to USA Labor day”, and Christmas “celebrates the birth of Christ.
Gifts exchanged, etc. just like in the USA.” (“Spanish Holidays”.) The Agricultura y Recursos Naturales said, “Easter is one of the highest holy days of the year. The week leading up to Easter involves solemn processions, prayer, masses and other preparation for Jesus’ rebirth.” (“Major Holidays and Celebrations of Spanish-Speaking Countries”.)
There are more differences in holidays and traditions. Oxford Dictionaries listed Saint Sebastian´s Day as “Celebrated in Spain with parades, sporting events, and bullfights, it is also a day of celebration and dancing for the people of the Basque city that bears the name of the saint” and Día de los Inocentes as “This is the equivalent to April Fool's Day. In most Spanish-speaking countries it is a day for playing tricks on
people.” (“Calendar of traditions, festivals, and holidays in Spanish-speaking countries”.) The US does not have holidays like Carnival, Day of the Dead, Holy Innocents Day or Little Angels Day. Carnival is described on donQuijote as “Carnival in Spain usually begins with an opening speech delivered by a local celebrity. Next, the activities begin in the street, lasting for days depending on the city, with parades, costumes, contests and street theatre.” (“Spanish Fiestas”.) Agricultura y Recursos Naturales describes other holidays, “In most regions of Mexico, November 1 is to honor children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1 mainly as Día de los Santos Inocentes ("Holy Innocents Day") but also as Día de los Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels") and November 2 as Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead"). Traditionally, it is an observance festivity to celebrate and honor one’s ancestors. It’s based on the belief that there is interaction between the living world and the world of spirits. On the Día de los Muertos, the almas, or the spirits of the dead, are said to come back for family reunions.” (“Major Holidays and Celebrations of Spanish-Speaking Countries”.) I asked Wilmari Delgado, from Puerto Rico, to describe their traditional holiday activities. Delgado said, “In Puerto Rico, we have the parrandas. A parranda is when a small group of friends “parranderos” gathers together to "asaltar" or surprise another friend in their houses in the middle of the night. It's the Puerto Rican version of Christmas caroling. We arrive at the destination and then we start singing and playing until the owners of the house turn their lights on and let us in. House owners are usually given a heads up that the parranda might happen so parranderos are usually greeted with food and drinks. The party goes on for an hour or two then everyone, including the owners of the house, leave to parrandear at a different house. These can last for several hours all together and you usually get home at 6 or 7 in the morning. This is probably the tradition I miss the most. Also in Puerto Rico during Christmas, we have a very particular Christmas menu that includes lechon asado, which is cooking a pig on a spit. Christmas day, the pig is mounted on a stick and put to cook early in the morning so that it’s ready for lunch or dinner. Other things are being cooked to accompany the lechon like rice and beans or rice and peas (gandules), pasteles and plantains, tembleque and coquito, which are all native Puertorican Christmas dishes. Traditional Puerto Rican Christmas foods are probably what gives Puerto Ricans a separate identity from the rest of the Spanish speaking countries and the rest of the world.” There are many cultural differences and similarities in holidays and all can affect communication. The cultural differences concerning holidays are the types of holidays, dates they are celebrated, and traditions. I feel it is important to respect everyone traditions and holiday, even if they are different.
Many countries have the pleasure of celebrating Independence Days. These historic holidays are filled with nationalistic celebrations and delicious traditional food. In Chile, the natives celebrate their break from Spain with Fiestas Patrias. In Mexico, the president begins the celebration by ringing a bell and reciting the “Grito de Dolores” and he ends his speech by saying “Viva Mexico” three times.
The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.
Easter is as big of a celebration as Christmas is. Easter in the US, is celebrated by going to church for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and also on Easter Sunday. We recognize what happened each day leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and when he had risen from the dead. Non-religious people in the US only do Easter egg hunts and hunt for candy from the Easter bunny. This is a very common activity practiced on Easter Sunday by most families in America. Just like Christmas, Hispanic cultures really only focus on the real purpose of Holy Week and Easter. Hispanics celebrate Easter by dressing up as creatures and people from brotherhoods, and roam the streets celebrating and devoting their love towards Christ. They also celebrate by burning Judas dolls in the streets, these are made out of straw. Hispanics also go to Church to celebrate these days and to recognize them. Hispanics and the US both celebrate Easter in their own and unique
Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a day that focuses on celebrating Mexican heritage and the Mexican way of life, but still pays homage to the battle that gave way to Mexico’s independence. Whether one is dancing in a large parade, or simply bonding with loved ones, it is important to always recognize the true purpose of Cinco de Mayo, and to recall and thank those who helped secure Mexico’s freedom so many years ago.
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 November 1 and 2 holidays. Many families honor their ancestors and dead with different traditions, which I will be telling u about.
If one were to visit different countries and societies throughout the world, they may notice the many differences and similarities each region shares. This makes the world a very unique place because there is constant change and diversity everywhere we look, no matter the distance traveled. A prime example of this would be the similarities and differences between the United States of America and Mexico. Although the two are neighboring countries, there is a great deal of diversity amongst them that deserve a thorough examination.
Hispanic food traditions in Spain are more “sacred and ritualistic” than American food traditions. They eat garbanzos, gazpacho, picadillos, pisto chock, eggplant, nisperos, higos chumbos, etc. It’s very common to eat fruit for a dessert. For breakfast it’s a no-no to eat eggs, instead its fruit or toast. Cereal is okay to eat if you’re a kid. Lunch is their main meal, and usually is a three-course meal. After lunch a la siesta takes place, which is a rest period usually for about two hours after eating. For snacks, Hispanics may have a pastry, muffin, or maybe chocolate milk. Dinner is usually a light meal. They have a somewhat strict eating
Language is an important value for the nationalistic identity of a nation. Hispanic culture is the way of life of people from Latin America and Spain, and their main identifying factor is the fact that they speak Spanish as their main language. Therefore, Hispanics are not necessarily Spaniards but other groups like Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans who speak Spanish are also part of this group (Shaw and Dennison 207). American culture on the other hand is mainly comprised of the people who speak English as their main dialect. Therefore, the Spaniards have Spanish as their native language while the Americans use Englis...
Hispanic Americans are one of the biggest culture groups in California. Hispanic Americans have very strong ties when it comes to their culture background and food. Food represents a strong symbol for Hispanic Americans, bringing the family together by providing a plate of rice and tacos with rich protein. Hispanic culture also comes with religious background that calls for time with family and praying a lot to Jesus. In Florida, the Hispanic culture is also major. Especially with the Cuban Americans living in south beach, Miami over more than 75 years. Hispanic American culture has changed Florida in significant ways. What is more, Hispanics have a very beautiful and inspiring way of representing their culture. In Florida, they celebrate national Hispanic heritage month through September 15 to October 15, and this event happens every year. The Hispanics who celebrate this culture, start it by kicking it off with music, dancing and a lot of delicious food from a variety of Hispanic countries. Also, one of the biggest well-known festivals is celebrated during national Hispanic heritage month that goes well throughout Miami and through specific streets like Calle Ocho and three
The customs they learned as kids have been passed on to me. We were always having barbeques in the backyard, Christmas parties, Easter egg hunting, having pan de los muertos on the Day of the Death, and celebrating Mexico’s Independence. Even though we celebrate Mexican holidays we would also celebrate American Holidays like 4th of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Having to celebrate both cultures holidays was a pleasure, because it would give us time to see our family more. Also, we would be able to celebrate some holidays twice like mother's day because in Mexico it was always on the tenth of May and in America it was another
Retrieved March 22, 2014, from Marbella Guide: http://www.marbella-guide.com/semana-santa-spanish-easter/. Holy Week. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from Semana Santa: http://web.schc.sc.edu/Samantha_Ward_Senior_Thesis/SemanaSanta.html. Weaver, M. (2009, March 12). Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Seville, Spain.
The holiday known as Easter dates all the way back to when the world calendar that all nations abide by were just starting in its first years, and said holiday stems from the Christian/ catholic beliefs that they’re messiah Jesus was killed and resurrected from the dead; and from which a multitude of traditions and customs came and transformed into what is now the modern day interpretation. The holiday was originally celebrated to commemorate the death and resurrection of the infamous self-proclaimed son of god according to the Christian bible. According to the bible, Jesus spent forty days away from his society and friends, in order to speak to god and purify himself of any wrongs he may have done. During that time it
Semana Santa, also known as Holy Week, is a famous holiday celebrated in many Spanish speaking countries. Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, and Spain are a few for example. Every country celebrates this holiday in a unique way. This holiday usually lasts for one week starting from Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) through Easter Sunday (Pascua). During the week, there are daily mass services in the Catholic Church. The seven main days are: Palm Sunday, Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
On 20th April 2014, I attended Easter Sunday celebrations in the Roman Catholic Church. This is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the most important celebration in the Catholic Church; it can’t even be compared to the day Christ was born. Easter Sunday happens after forty days of fasting, this represents the suffering Jesus went through because of our sins at the cross. Good Friday comes prior to thanksgiving on Sunday; on this day we die spiritually with Christ on the cross and share on with his pain then rise up on Sunday and celebrate him.
Easter is amongst the biggest religious holidays celebrated, through a survey about Easter 1,000 adults from across the United States of America that participated in this random telephone study sixty-seven percent saw Easter as a religious holiday, forty-two percent associated it with Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, only thirteen percent cannot even begin to describe what Easter is or means, while eight percent says Easter means nothing to them at all. This study was conducted in the month March by a group named Barna (Shepson). What Easter is known to be today is not what it was originally known as back in the days. Easter use to be a festival that celebrated an ancient Greek goddess Eostre in which she would be the one to end the cold winters with a warm and sunny spring. This festival usually took place of March 21st, those who took part in celebrating believed that they must satisfy this goddess to guarantee that she will coming back in the years to come. The festivities included extremely extensive meals that are welcoming the common events that come about in this season, flourishing of plants, sweet songs of birds, and most of all the renewal take place within nature. The Council of Nicaea had changed this to be the holiday that’s sole purpose is to celebrate the resurrection of their dear savior Jesus Christ. They had even changed the date, though Easter is not celebrated on the same exact date every year it is celebrated as early as March 22nd and even as late as April 25th but always lands on a Sunday. The entire concept of Easter was changed from being a festival of thanksgiving to a Greek goddess to being the day a God’s son in the flesh...