Colombian culture
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The culture of Colombia lies at the crossroads of Latin America. Thanks partly to geography, Colombian culture has been heavily fragmented into five major cultural regions. Rural to urban migration and globalization have changed how many Colombians live and express themselves as large cities become melting pots of people (many of whom are refugees) from the various provinces that have hit Colombia through out its violent history, more recently is the displacement caused by the Colombian armed conflict to cities and other countries.
According to a study in late 2004 by the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Colombians are one of the happiest people in the world.[1]; this despite its four-decade long armed conflict involving the government, paramilitaries, druglords, corruption and guerrillas like the FARC and ELN. Colombians are sometimes called locombians for this paradox and for their joie de vivre.
[edit] What is Colombian culture
- See also: History of Colombia
Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the culture of Spain of the sixteenth century and its collision with Colombia's native civilizations (see: Muisca, Tayrona). The Spanish brought Catholicism, African slaves, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites. After independence from Spain, the criollos struggled to establish a pluralistic political system between conservative and liberal ideals. The conservatives supported the involvement of the Catholic church in the state while liberals favored the separation of these. The conservatives managed to outsource public education to the catholic church and for many years the church controlled the country's education system. Both parties engaged in multiple civil wars resulting in a slow development of the country and the isolation of regions until the end of the 19th century. Ethno-racial groups maintained their ancestral heritage culture: whites tried to keep themselves, despite the growing number of illegitimate children of mixed African or indigenous ancestry. These people were labeled with any number of descriptive names, derived from the casta system, such as mulatto and moreno. During this time it was normal for white individuals to marry a sibling or close cousin to maintain their inheritance within the family. Blacks and indigenous people of Colombia also mixed to form zambos creating a new ethno-racial group in society. This mix also created a fusion of cultures. Carnivals for example became an opportunity for all classes and colors to congregate without prejudice. The introduction of the bill of rights of men and the abolishment of slavery (1850) eased the segregationist tensions between the races, but the dominance of the whites prevailed and prevails to some extent to this day.
The industrial revolution arrived relatively late at the beginning of the 20th century with the establishment of the Republic of Colombia. Colombians had a period of almost 50 years of relative peace interrupted only by a short armed conflict with Peru over the town of Leticia in 1932.
During the 1940s, Colombia started to develop its tourist industry having as main attraction the Caribbean coastal city of Santa Marta and the Magdalena river basin main towns which also had a flourishing economy and an important flow of immigrants from Europe and the Middle East due to World War II.
With the advancement of the ideas of communism around the world, Colombian radical liberal politicians and thinkers adopted these ideas and adapted to their political rhetorics. Tensions between the United States and the USSR during the Cold War revived tension between local Colombian liberals and conservatives, polarizing Colombian society. Radical communist guerrillas surged sponsored by the USSR while the US government aided the Colombian government.
[edit] Languages and multiculturalism
- See also: Colombian Spanish, Languages of Colombia, and Demographics of Colombia
Most Colombians speak Spanish. There are several dialects of Spanish language spoken: the Rolaid dialect of Bogotá, also called cachaco ("educated" or "refined"); the related Cundiboyacense dialect, known for its archaic second person pronoun sumercé; the Paisa dialect, which is the only dialect outside Spain that preserves the voiceless apicoalveolar fricative or hissing "S” sound; and the coastal dialect, which is a form of Caribbean Spanish.
More than eighty endangered indigenous languages, Palenquero, and English (on San Andrés y Providencia) are minority languages. Historically marginalized and isolated groups of Afro-Colombians and Indigenous Colombians have gained some cultural rights and have formed political groups like the National Movement for the Human Rights of Black Communities in Colombia (Spanish acronym CIMARRON) and the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia.
[edit] Aboriginal influences
The various cultures of the indigenous inhabitants of Colombia were decimated by the Spanish. Today, only around one percent of Colombians live and consider themselves as indigenous. Nonetheless, many elements of indigenous culture live on in Colombia's cuisine, music, folklore, and language.
[edit] Multicultural elements
- See also: Afro-Colombians and Criollo (people)
The essence of Colombian culture lies in the mixing of Spanish, indigenous, and African cultures. The greatest expression of the mélange is perhaps the Carnival of Barranquilla, whose rhythm is the cumbia, and which was proclaimed by UNESCO in November 2003 as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The culture of Spain is still very dominant in Colombia: the layout of towns, bull fighting, holy week processions, and the "refined" dialect of Bogotá are part of its legacy. Afro-Colombians have historically been marginalized from society. Nonetheless, they have contributed greatly to Colombian culture, including its music, dance and folklore. Cumbia is said to be derivative of the cumbe dance of Equatorial Guinea. Small numbers of Roma or "gypsies" are scattered throughout the country. Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews exist in several of the larger cities; Bogotá has five synagogues.[2] Germans settled in parts of Santander, including Bucaramanga. They also brought the accordion to Valledupar, which would become a key instrument in the very popular vallenato music genre.
[edit] Geography, climate, and immigration
- See also: Geography of Colombia and Climate of Colombia
Most Colombians live in the Andes, high above sea level where climates range from temperate to cool (the highest parts get snow). Another important population center is the Caribbean Coast, with the cities of Santa Marta, Cartagena. and Barranquilla. The treacherousness of the terrain and sheer variety of climates made communication and travel very difficult, and helped foster intense regionalism.
Between the three mountain ranges or cordilleras are two large valleys whose rivers (Magdalena River, Cauca River) link the interior to the coastal ports. These lowlands are thick with rainforests and interspersed rushing tributaries, waterfalls, and steep inclines. The Andes themselves are in parts volcanic, jagged and covered in glaciers. Other parts are more hospitable, such as the tableland of much of Cundinamarca (including Bogotá) and Boyacá (called in Spanish the Altiplano Cundiboyacense), which has a climate similar to the Argentinean pampas. Medellín is located in the Aburra valley, on the central mountain range, at a lower altitude than chilly Bogotá, which gives it an “eternal spring”-like climate. The Caribbean coast, Colombia’s gateway to the outside world before jet travel, is separated from the Andes by mosquito-filled, marshy wetlands, while the Pacific coast is pock-marked with its own marshes and is one of the wettest places on earth.
Colombia did not receive substantial immigration after the period of Spanish rule. An exception is the Atlantic port city of Barranquilla. Relatively small groups of Lebanese, Italian, Dutch, German, Catalan, Syrian-Lebanese-Palestinian, French, and Chinese immigrants settled in the city and played a large role in its development. Shakira, a native of Barranquilla, is of Lebanese and Italian ancestry. Bogotá received some immigrants from Europe in the period following World War II; the eccentric former mayor of Bogotá and semiotics professor Antanas Mockus is the son of Lithuanian immigrants. Most Chinese in Colombia originally came from Panama, where they helped in the building of the railways of the Panama Canal, to help in building the train and road routes between the Pacific port of Buenaventura and the interior city of Cali. Today, in the surrounding area of the Cauca Valley, virtually every town has a Chinese restaurant.[3]
A few Japanese families settled in Colombia, inspired by the bucolic description of the Cauca Valley in Jorge Isaacs' novel María. The heads-of-household of Japanese descent would be interred in prisons near Zipaquirá during World War II.[4]
[edit] Foreign influences
- See also: Globalization and Immigration to Colombia
Colombian politicians, intellectuals, and members of elite society turned to France for inspiration in the period following independence from Spain. France was perceived as the world center of progressive and republican values, as well as high culture and science, and for these reasons it became the major foreign influence on Colombian culture until the First World War. Colombian's civil code (adopted in 1887) is based on the Napoleonic Code. French architect Gastón Lelarge (1861-1934) designed many of the public edifices in Bogotá as well as the cupola of the church of Saint Peter Claver in Cartagena.[5]
Starting in twentieth century, North American culture had increasing influence on the culture of Colombia. Shopping malls and tract housing in the style of North American suburbs are very popular and are considered status symbols. Hollywood films, American fashions, and English-language popular music are also popular. Influences from elsewhere in the Spanish speaking world are also present, especially in music and television.
[edit] Education
[edit] Public education
Public education Colombia is free and compulsory for students coursing Primary Studies (Básica Primaria) consisting of five years, from first grade to fifth grade. Classes begin in February and finish in November. Students usually begin primary at age of six, and finish it at age of ten. Secondary Studies (Básica Secundaria) are not free and consists of four years, from sixth grade to ninth grade. Classes begin in January and finish in November. Vocational Middle (Media Vocacional) is the final level, is not compulsory but required to apply for superior studies. It is composed by tenth and eleventh grade. During the eleventh grade students apply for the ICFES test, similar to the SAT test, which is needed to apply for superior studies. Public schools in Colombia usually attend only half a day, since there are so many kids and so very few schools and teachers, they divide the day in two, having one set of kids attend in the morning from 7 to 12 pm and one set in the afternoon from 1 to 6 pm, having like two schools in the same facility. The government has started a night school program for those students who work during the day , though. Some teachers may work at two or three different schools during the day or at the same school during the whole day.The students can go to classes in the morning, from 7 AM to 12 PM , in the afternoon, from 1 PM to 6 PM,or at night from 6:30 to about 10:00( some night schools hours may be shorter). Most students of public schools are from low income families and cannot afford superior studies. Such students can choose a free course in the SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje) or study in educative corporations (corporaciones educativas) which offer very few titles of universities, and technical degrees. There are only a few public universities where students can get an education for free or very little money.
[edit] Private education
Private education in Colombia is more reliable than public education, but is more expensive. In intermediate and small cities, mensualities can cost from USD 50 to USD 400. In bigger cities, mensualities can cost USD 300 or more, however, the most expensive is not always the best school. The classes begin in the morning (usually at 6:30) and finish in the afternoon between 1:30 and 2:30 pm. The school year starts in January or February and finishes in November, for Calendar A schools. The school year in calendar B schools begins in August and finishes in June. Most schools expect from children to learn to read and write before beginning primary and most schools are bilingual, however, all schools, public and private must teach English as a second language. The teaching of English is more intensive in private schools, some students are fluent before beginning middle vocational studies. Most private schools assure that all the students can apply for superior studies in a normal university. Due that most students come from middle and upper class families, they can afford superior studies. Private universities are expensive, a semester can cost USD 1500, most private universities are located in Barranquilla, Bogotá, Medellín and Cali.
[edit] Regional distinctions
[edit] Rural living patterns
[edit] Suburban living patterns
[edit] Urban living patterns
Well in Colombia there's a lot of beautiful landmarks and landscapes but Colombia also has a dark side. One of the most notorious hoods or barrios is Ciloe located in cali Colombia. Not like United States of America housing project you can never find poverty in North America how you find it in South America. No education at all which enslaves the mind of the young to kill sell drugs and other sorts of mischief.
[edit] Social classes
[edit] Income disparity
Due to widespread corruption, economic instability and high unemployment over the last century or so, Colombia has developed a huge rift between two economic classes (Low and High) with an almost nonexistent, but increasing middle class, particularly in the Bogotá and Medellin areas.
[edit] Family
The family is, as it is with nearly all of Latin America, a highly important institution to Colombians as engraved by the traditional Roman Catholic church teachings. Members of the extended family are close and children rarely ever move far away from their parents. There is a deep sense of familial responsibility that stretches through many generations.[citation needed]
Traditionally, men were usually the head of the household, in charge of earning most of the family's income while women were responsible for cooking, housework and raising children. However, as in most cultures around the world, the dawn of the 20th century brought forth a great empowerment for women who were given a right to vote during the 1950s rule of dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. The Constitution of 1991 gave a wider opportunity for women and today the majority of families (regardless of economic class) have two working parents due to the need of an income to sustain a family.
At a child's baptism, the parents of the child will choose godparents, padrinos. A child's padrinos will play an important role in his life, giving advice, and when needed, financial support. The Family is very important in this culture.
[edit] Divorce
Before 1974 marriage was exclusively performed by the Roman Catholic church and other religious groups until the government of Alfonso Lopez Michelsen (1974-1978) approved the civil marriage that could only be ended after a legal divorce. It was only after the Colombian Constitution of 1991 that Colombian lawmakers admitted divorces for marriages performed by the Catholic church.
On June 9, 2005 the Colombian congress approved the Express Divorce law in an effort to eliminate paperwork and waits. These previously took an average of 6 weeks, a judge and lawyers, with the new law the two parties had to only agree against a notary public without the need of a lawyer.[6][7] According to a study by the Universidad Externado divorce in Colombia has been constantly increasing since the 1950s.
[edit] LGTB
[edit] Work
[edit] Political attitudes
- See also: Politics of Colombia
[edit] Economic Outlook
[edit] Food
There is a large variety of dishes that take into account the difference in regional climates. For example:
- In the city of Medellín the typical dish is the bandeja paisa. Most people in Medellín don't eat it but people in other cities and countries eat it often. It includes beans, rice, ground meat or carne asada, chorizo, fried egg, arepa and chicharrón. It is usually accompanied by avocado, tomato and sauces.
- In the city of Cali, the most traditional dish is "sancocho de gallina" - a soup composed mostly of chicken, plantain, corn, coriander, yuca root, and other seasonings.
- In Bogotá and the Andean region, ajiaco is the traditional dish. It is also a type of soup made of chicken, potatoes, and flavoured with a locally grown herb called "guasca". Traditionally, cream and capers are added just before eating. Both soups are served with white rice, salads with a hint of lemon, avocado, or plantain chips, sweet or salty. For breakfast people often eat changua, a milk, scallion and egg soup.
- In the Caribbean coast, spicy cooking, with fish and lobster, is practiced. Coconut rice is a common dish along the coastal cities.
- In the Llanos, barbecued meat, such as the "ternera llanera" is common, and also typical river fishes like the "amarillo".
- In the Amazonas, the cuisine is influenced by Brazilian and Peruvian traditions.
Inland, the plates resemble the mix of cultures, inherited mainly from amerindian and European cuisine, and the produce of the land mainly agriculture, cattle, river fishing and other animals' raising. Such is the case of the sancocho soup in Valledupar, the arepas (a corn based bread like patty). Local species of animals like the guaratinaja, part of the wayuu amerindian culture.
- In the Tolima region the Tamales Tolimenses are a delicacy. These tamales are made of a corn dough and feature peas, carrots, potatoes, rice, chicken, pork and various spices. They are wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled for three to four hours.Bandebono for breakfast with hot chocolate.
[edit] Festivals in Colombia
[edit] Folklore
[edit] Beauty contests in Colombia
- See also: List of beauty pageants in Colombia
Annually over a hundred beauty contests are celebrated in Colombia, which is the highest rate of beauty events worldwide.[1] There are beauty contests for food products: Chontaduro, Lechona, Potato, Panela, Coconut, Pineapple, Orange, Coffee (among others); beauty contests for natural resources: Flowers, Sun, Rivers, Sea, Leather, Steel, Charcoal, petroleum, Cattle; Beauty Contests for arts and crafts: Police, photography, tourism; Beauty Contests for Dances: Bambuco, Joropo, Rumba Criolla and many other kind of events. Beauty contests are part of the daily life in the country. Fairs, parties, Bullfighting seasons and carnivals are considered opportunities to show the beautiful women.
[edit] Art
Colombians have been producing art for thousands of years. Ornate golden figures and jewelry from millennia ago have been discovered by both ruthless conquistadors and careful archaeological digs.
Some Colombian artists, such as Fernando Botero, Enrique Grau, David Manzur, Luis Caballero, Santiago Martinez Delgado, Ignacio Gomez Jaramillo, Débora Arango, and have received international fame, awards and wide public acclaim.
[edit] Religion
- See also: Status of religious freedom in Colombia, Christianity in Colombia, Protestants in Colombia, Roman Catholicism in Colombia, and Islam in Colombia
Studies suggest that about 90% of Colombians are Roman Catholic.
[edit] Literature
- See also: Literature of Colombia
The Colombian author, Gabriel García Márquez, won the Nobel Prize for his book Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude). It is the history of a Colombian family, the Buendias, and their small town, Macondo, through the 20th century.
[edit] Colombian theatre
[edit] Film and television
- See also: Cinema of Colombia and Television in Colombia
[edit] Sports
- See also: Sports in Colombia
The country's most popular sport is futbol (soccer).
Baseball has become popular in recent years; it is especially popular along the coast and is strongly promoted all around the country. Edgar Rentería is an example of a famous Colombian baseball player.
An ancient game called Tejo, inherited from the muisco, is also played. The object of tejo is to throw a small metal disk at a gunpowder detonator in a small circular area. The winner is calculated by the number of explosions compared to number of throws.
[edit] Comedy
[edit] Music
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Modern Colombian music is a mixture of African, native Indigenous and European (Spanish) influences, as well as more modern American and Caribbean musical forms, such as Trinidadian, Cuban, and Jamaican. The national music of Colombia is that Christina said to be vallenato and cumbia.
Cumbia is a mixture of Spanish and African music, the latter brought by slaves. The style of dance is designed to recall the shackles worn around the ankles of the slaves. In the 19th century, slavery was abolished and Africans, Indians and other ethnic groups mixed more fully. Styles like bambuco, vallenato and porro were especially influential. When the waltz became popular in the 19th century, a Colombian version called pasillo was invented. International Latin, a type of pop ballad, and salsa music are best-represented by Charlie Zaa and Joe Arroyo, respectively.
Music and dancing are very popular in Colombia, with dozens of popular vibrant styles. The most popular local musical styles are Vallenato, salsa, Merengue, Cumbia and Bambuco. The latter is a very complicated dance with many differently named steps. Colombian Rock developed after an influence of Rock en Español generating fusion of Rock Music with traditional Colombian music and other musical styles.
Dancing to reggaeton became also very popular in Colombia during the first decade of the 21st century.
[edit] Symbols
- See also: National symbols of Colombia
[edit] See also
- Latin American culture
- Hispanic culture
- List of Colombians
- List of players from Colombia in Major League Baseball
- Carnival in Colombia
- Festivals in Colombia
[edit] References
- Londoño Vélez, S. (2001). Colombian Art: 3,500 Years of History. Bogotá: Villegas Editores.
- Safford, F. (2002). Colombia: Fragmented Land, Divided Society (Latin American Histories). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[edit] External links
- ColArte (Spanish), Colombian art and culture
- (Spanish), Luis Ángel Arango Library digital collection
- Conexion Colombia - Colombian Popular Traditions
- - Directorio Nacional de Arte Colombiano - Colombian Artists and Cultural Institutions
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