Hispanic Culture: an Overview
- ellery34
- Sep 15
- 6 min read
There are about twenty-one countries known as Hispanic, such as Mexico, Uruguay, Panama, The Dominican Republic, and Equatorial Guinea—each with its own unique history, such as Mexico's three month–long Christmas celebrations, or the Dominican Republic's Quinceañera mass.
Let's dive into Hispanic culture and all of its beauty!
Hispanic Countries can be found in North, Central, and South America, as well as in Europe and Africa. These were generally all created due to Spain's colonization efforts during the Age of Discovery starting in the 15th century.
Food
In Hispanic countries, the default grains used are corn, rice, quinoa, and amaranth, with all but rice having originated in the Americas. In North Carolina, the main grains are corn and wheat.
Hispanic meals can include lots of beans, meat, seafood, peppers, and avocados, as well as many grains and spices. This contrasts traditional American food, with its heavy emphasis on meats and dairy, often having vegetables like green beans or sweet potatoes as a side.
Holidays
In Hispanic countries, one starts off the new year with Three Kings Day, generally marking the end of the Christmas season. The holiday has its roots in the three kings who gave Jesus gifts shortly after his birth. Traditionally, children will fill their shoes with hay and leave them out with water for the camels to eat, coupled with small treats for the kings. On the morning of January sixth, the items left out would be replaced by three gifts for the child.
Occurring on the twelfth day of Christmas, Three Kings Day is more widespread than the story of Santa Claus, and is celebrated as a time for family and community.
Carnaval and Mardi Gras are major festivals taking place shortly before Lent. They are both known for indulgence, with the latter translating to "Fat Tuesday". Some particularly famous Carnaval celebrations are New Orleans' Mardi Gras celebration, and Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval.
In Latin America, Catholic people traditionally start celebrating Easter a week before it occurs, with the week being known as "la Semana Santa," or "the Holy Week." About 80% of all Hispanic people living in America are Christian.
The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday, due to Jesus being greeted with palm fronds upon arriving in Jerusalem a week before his death. Today, people sometimes carry palm fronds with them in a procession during that day.
The Thursday before Easter is known as Holy Thursday, and carries the tradition of washing one's feet as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. This was the day that the Last Supper took place, depicted in Leonardo DaVinci's famous painting of it, shown above.
The next day, Good Friday, is the day that Jesus died on the cross, and is a day of somberness and reflection for most Catholic people. There are sometimes processions reenacting the crucifixion.
The day before Easter is known as Holy Saturday, when many people go to church and prepare for the next day by creating Easter baskets full of foods such as bread and cheese. There are sometimes public displays on this day to mark the end of the Holy Week and the beginning of Easter itself.
On Easter itself, people generally go to church and join lively processions celebrating Jesus's resurrection.
Mother's Day is generally celebrated in May in Hispanic countries. The traditions observed differ from country to country, including children singing songs for their mother, going to honor dead mothers in graveyards, or eating certain foods. In El Salvador, Mother's Day is a national holiday, with many schools and businesses being closed. In Argentina, Mother's Day is in October, to line up with a Catholic holiday.
September fifteenth through eighteenth marks the independence of seven different Hispanic countries—Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, and Chile. It was part of a generalized movement for independence by many people living in Spain's colonies, causing their independence dates to all be grouped together.
Some traditions held during these days are "El Grito de Dolores," a cry led by the Mexican president for independence every year, or the eating of certain dishes, such as anticucho, a popular dish in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
All Saint's Day and Day of the Dead, occurring on November first and November first and second, respectively, are commonly practiced in Hispanic countries.
All Saint's Day involves the honoring of all saints, as well as giving offerings to dead loved ones, typically in the place where they were laid to rest. It is a national holiday in many predominantly Christian countries, including Hispanic ones.
The Day of the Dead spans two days and is most famous and widespread in Mexico. The holiday, despite what the name might imply, is a very colorful and happy event, where one celebrates their deceased loved ones and ancestors, rather than mourning them. The Day of the Dead involves the creation of a large altar in one's home to honor dead ancestors, known as an ofrenda. These altars often hold gifts that the loved ones would have enjoyed.
The Day of the Dead also involves painting faux human skulls in bright colors and patterns, sharing food with each other (such as pan de muerto, a treat made specifically for this holiday), and giving gifts to friends and family.
The Christmas season in the Hispanic world starts with the Feat of the Immaculate Conception on December eighth, celebrating the conception of the Virgin Mary. It is an official holiday in ten Hispanic countries.
December twenty-fourth is the day in which people celebrate the birth of Jesus, involving spending time with family, and lots of yummy food! Gifts generally arrive at midnight, allowing people to sleep in and spend the next day relaxing.
Language
Given that the meaning of Hispanic is relating to Spain, the Spanish language, or the generalized Spanish cultural diaspora, it's safe to assume that Spanish is the dominant language in the Hispanic world. The most common other languages being ones native to the region, such as Quechua, Shuar, Guarani, and Asháninka.
Spanish is a Romance language from the Indo-European family. This means that it descends from Latin, with at least 75% of its words doing so. It is one of the most common languages on the internet, as well as one of the most common foreign languages taught. Spanish has two grammatical genders, generally places its adjectives after its nouns, and has two different formality levels for second-person pronouns ("you" in English).
Spanish, like English, is an SVO language, meaning that a sentence would have the subject, then the verb, then the object. However, if the subject can be gleaned from the conjugation of the sentence or context, it may be dropped entirely.
Kichwa, or Ecuadorian Quechua is a part of the Quechua language family. It is spoken in Ecuador and Colombia, as well as parts of Peru. It is spoken by about half a million people, and is an official language in Ecuador. Many words have been borrowed from Spanish into Quechua, such as iskwila, from escuela (school). Some words have been borrowed into French, English, and Spanish from Quechua, such as jerky, llama, and poncho. Additionally, there is no different between the inclusive and exclusive 'we' in Kichwa.
Kichwa is written in the Latin alphabet, but is rarely used due to the lack of written materials in the language. Kichwa is also a language that depends heavily on suffixes, which convey information such as tense, mood, number,
The Union County Libraries are a great resource to learn more about Hispanic culture, with books like "Latinoland", "Peru", "Fiesta! : a celebration of Latino festivals", and "Puerto Rico". You can also find substantial amounts of information at CultureGrams and World Book Online.
For information on Hispanic food and recipes, check "Latinísimo : home recipes from the twenty-one countries of Latin America" or "The Dominican kitchen : homestyle recipes that celebrate the flavors, traditions, and culture of the Dominican Republic".
In order to learn more about Spanish or Ecuadorian Quechua, try checking Transparent Language Online, found in the Union County Library's A-Z resources page. Additionally, there are places to learn about Spanish and Hispanic culture in the county, such as SPCC's Spanish courses.
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