Throughout history, various ancient civilizations all over the globe have created traditions and customs that have been passed down through generation to generation. The idea of having these customs withstand the test of time is truly remarkable. A perfect example of the passing of tradition is the Mexican celebration of El Dia De Los Muertos. El Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday that honors and celebrates loved ones of family who have passed away. Although it has its origins from the Aztec Empire, the holiday is widely celebrated in Latin America and even some parts of the United States.
It celebrates the importance of womanhood, and the changes that occur has in her body. In Hispanic tradition, the 15th year is a rite of passage. At the age of 15, in Hispanic culture, they were viewed as mother and fathers. Childhood is a very important stage in their culture, but when they become 15 it separates childhood from womanhood. It shows maturity and how much she has grown.
Example for ethnocentrism would be as in the Mexican culture we are used to producing and making family big looking at it from a Mexican perspective I would see the Chinese culture wrong since they can only have two kids. The Mexican culture sees it wrong since we produce. Involving cultural relativism, I would say in this particular case as in the sociologist perspective, you had to get into the Chinese culture and understand the circumstances and the standards for their culture. What is it in their environment that makes them only produce two children. The reason for this is the poverty that china lives in.
Up until the 1960s Anglo social scientists wrote most of the literature about the people of Mexican- descent in the United States. Their analysis of Mexican American culture and history reflected the hegemonic beliefs, values, and perceptions of their society. As outsiders, Anglo scholars were led by their own biases and viewed Mexicans as inferior, savage, unworthy and different. Because Mexican scholars had not yet begun to write about their own experiences, these stereotypes were legitimized and reproduced in the literature. However, during the mid- 1960s scholars such as Octavio Ignacio Romano, Nick Vaca, Francisco Armando Rios, and Ralph Ricatelli began to reevaluate the literature written by their predecessors.
Being Hispanic makes me feel proud. It is something that makes me what I am, remembering my Mexican roots reminds me as my ancestors fought to get what they intended. Being Hispanic is not easy for all the prejudices that has this society. We havebeing judget as thieves, rapists, and much more. As in all societies there are people who make mistakes during his life and choose wrong paths but that is no reason to generalize to all those who belong to that social group.
I endure an ongoing conflict within myself due to my identity. This conflict is by reason of the duality and hybridity of my culture. I am a product of Mexican immigrants born and raised in the United States. My experiences and where I came from have heavily influenced my sense of self. My identity has been constantly fluctuating since I recognized myself as Chicana and Mexican-American.
Since most of the population is Christian the country as a whole can be seen celebrating events such as Holy Week, and La Posada, and in the case of Day of the Dead
1. Who is this subculture group? Where are they from? The Mexican Americans are a population of Spanish speaking individuals whom inhabit an area of Southern Texas named Hidalgo County. This cultural group often refers to themselves as being “true Texans” while referring to those individuals who speak English as being outsiders.
We make tons of food such as posole and tamales. At some point of that time everyone gathers around where baby Jesus is and we pray together. In my Mexican culture, we celebrate quinceaneras. When I turned fifteen my dad threw me a quinceanera. This celebration is basically when a lady, such as myself, takes the first step to becoming a woman.
I grew up in a two-parent household with my parents being married before they had children. My father has always been the one that provides finically, while my mother was the one who took care of my siblings and I throughout my childhood. Being that both of my parents were born in Mexico, I consider myself Mexican American. I am proud to be Mexican American. Culture plays a huge role in shaping your identity.
As hispanics we like to celebrate a lot, we celebrate some of the same holidays as other cultures. During Christmas time we make posadas which is half religious and half celebrating , we recreate Mary and Joseph’s pilgrimage to Bethlehem .When we finish with that part we start with the party half which we celebrate with food and piñatas. As Hispanics we really do believe in traditions, during christmas time we like to make big parties all our family and friends get together to celebrate we make some traditional food like tamales, punch ,buñuelos and many other food .
It is true that Mexicans and Spaniards share similarities concerning language and culture, but there are far too many regional variations that make linguists say that Mexican Spanish qualifies to be a separate language, nonetheless, what does differ is that Spain’s political system is a Democratic government with an ‘international’ currency. Additionally, one can find a lot of Spanish influence in Mexican culture such as bull fights, foods like Spanish rice, and yes, Catholic Religion. Yet, it is easy to see the ancestral differences between Mexican and Spanish people due to their many different historical characteristics. Today, one difference between the two is that the Mexican political system is a close copy of the US system—at least on paper. However, the Mexican constitution provides only for a Federal system, unlike in Spain who recently has a revolution less than fifty years ago.
Religion is big in Mexico and according to gobalsecurity an online article, 88% of the population identified themselves as Roman Catholicism and 5 % of the population identified themselves as Protestants and Evangelicals. The values of the Mexican people are always around the family. Families are usually large in Mexico and are very conscious of the responsibilities to immediate family members and extended family such as cousins and even close friends. Whenever Mexicans host parties, they make visitors feel welcomed and comfortable which is a large part of the customs and values of the country. The Mexican people believe that any important decision within the family should be taken after all members in the family had their voice heard.
Catholic Spanish-speaking people hold onto their traditions of language and culture but have also embraced the American way of life (Zimmerman). Every culture on earth has its traditions, which bond them to the past. The personal emotions invested in traditions are the biggest part of our values and the very glue that holds a community people together (McDowell). Traditions ensures communities are pleasant places to live. Saying please and thank you show we do not take people for granted (Traditions).
The day of The Dead is a very traditional thing to celebrate in places like Mexico. Dia de los Metros is a holiday for remembering and honoring those who have passed. They put food on an altars because in welcome them to their home. They put food on an altars because in welcome then in. One thing that i learn about the day of the dead was that is was a Mexican holiday.