Hispanic Culture
Eric Sigala , Tania Sanchez
Southwest University
English I
January 19, 2015
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Hispanic Culture
The term, Hispanic is originally used to refer to the ancient Hispania, which is the Roman name used for the Iberian Peninsula. Nowadays in America, this term is usually used to refer to the individuals who belong to the Spanishspeaking families, or they belong to the Latin
American countries. This term was created by the government of the United States in 1970s to relate to the Spanish speaking families.
Well, here is the most common question; Are the Latino and Hispanic the same terms?
People in the United States prevalently use both the terms interchangeably for the common ethnic group. Latino is used to refer to the people, whose origin is Latin American, whereas
Hispanic is used for the people belonging to Spanish speaking countries.
Hispanic culture constitutes the language, literature, music, art, legends, cuisine, traditions, religion, family and social traits related to the Hispanic people. Just like Latino and
Hispanic, Spanish culture and Hispanic culture can also be used interchangeably. In fact, they are two completely different things. The culture consisting of people with the customs and traditions who share Latin American roots, and whose primary language is Spanish, is called Hispanic culture. On the other hand, Spanish culture constitutes the heritage and traditions of the Spanish people. The most eminent trait regarding the Hispanic culture is their family system, known as
“familismo”. It is also regarded as the significance of the family system. The most prominent value of the Hispanic culture is that they are pretty much grouporiented. The family is considered as a source of protection of the individuals against the difficulties and hardships of
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life, as well as the identity of an individual. This emphasis on family relationship is extremely intense and restricted as well; only to the close family and friends. It is not just restricted to the parents and their children. It is basically an extended family system, which consists of grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. In most of the Hispanic families, the father is considered as the head and leader of the family, whereas the mother has the responsibility of the home. They support each other, especially the members who are not financially well settled, unemployed, suffering from any disease, or any other issues in life. This family system is so strong that if a person is travelling to any other city or town for a short period due to some reasons that might include education, work, business, medical, etc., stays in his/her relatives place, or even the friends of his/her relatives. They arrange gettogethers to gather the family on certain events that may include birthdays, holidays, weddings, graduations, etc. Their children are taught to be extremely respectful to the elders, or the people in authority. They are taught the fundamentals of ethics, honor, good manners and a sense of extreme reverence for the elders.
They also endeavor to preserve the Spanish language alive in their everyday lives and in their homes. The Hispanic culture consists of abundant traditions and holidays. They play an eminent role in keeping their culture full of live and attractive. They are vital in keeping and integrating the unity and compassion with their community, friends and family. It gives them ample time to share the good moments with each other. These celebrations are of wide variety in Hispanic
Culture. They range from the patriotic to the religious and from the unique to the popular. The most common holidays in Hispanic countries are: Christmas, Easter and New Year. The
Christmas is also referred to as “Navidad”. Christmas, just like in various other cultures of the
