The primary cultural group from which is my ancestral heritage is Irish-Scottish. These two nationalities are similar, yet different. Ireland is an island off the west coast of Europe. Scotland is the land at the uppermost part of the United Kingdom. They both have a similar language which is unique, called Gaelic. The religion is divided between Protestant and Catholic. They celebrate many of the same holidays, and have many mutual traditions, cultures and values. I combine them as one-and-the-same in my family.
Irish traditions may be more well-known than Scottish, but here are a few of both. Some current American traditions can be traced back to old Irish traditions, of which are still currently practiced in Ireland: “Girl’s Night Out”, “Fat Tuesday”, “Halloween”, spring cleaning, and even “tying the knot”. Girl’s night out occurs in Ireland each year on the eve of January 6th and is called “Little Women’s Christmas”. This is considered the one day off by women in Ireland, from cooking, cleaning, and any household chore. Fat Tuesday, known as Shrove Tuesday in Ireland, occurs on February 24th. On the eve of Lent, pancakes are made thick and sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar, then rolled and eaten as a sweet. Many pancakes are eaten, because of the fasting time period of Lent. Also, unmarried daughters were tested on their pancake making skills, and how well the first pancake made was an indication of her romantic chances for the upcoming year. Most people are aware that Halloween is associated with ‘All Hallows Eve’ evolving from the Catholic Church. But, prior to the Catholic Church acknowledging this holiday, Celtic tradition celebrated the eve by trying to scare away evil spirits through
unwelcome dark homes, and m...
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..., God is first and foremost for guidance and salvation, then our family and friends are also our strength. I would like to think my culture makes me a better person; a better mother, sister, employee, friend, and student. And with this identity I can strive to reach out to others to learn about them and their culture. If other people in the world did the same, prejudice and hatred would be non-existent.
Works Cited
Robert Sullivan. Ireland Fun Facts”. Web Site. Irish Letter Publishing, 2011-2012. Web.
13 Feb.2012. http://www.ireland-fun-facts.com/irish-culture.html
“The Official Gateway to Scotland”. Web Site. Web. 15 Feb 2012.
http://www.scotland.org/culture/history-and-tradition/heroes-and-heroines/
“Scotland’s Enchanting Kingdom”. Web Site. Web. 13 Feb 2012.
http://www.scotlands-enchanting-kingdom.com/scottish-customs-and-traditions.html.
Culture is expressed through a variety of different ways, from clothing styles to lifestyles to faithful traditions. It can also have a deep impact on the viewpoints of those around you, whether negatively or positively. No matter how a person goes about their everyday life, they can rise above the expectations of their culture to change the world around them. Culture does not have to be the basis of every thought, word, or deed of a person.
This gentleman is six foot two, short black hair, black eyes, and with no real distinguishing marks. He is heterosexual, African American, and is An Atheist. His name is David, and he is walking home while wearing sweat pants with a ripped up t-shirt that was from home. Some people would consider this gentleman to be poor and have a horrible education with nothing good on his mind. However David is a part-time firefighter, with a part-time job, and also being part time college student. There is a difference between people hardcore supporting their culture or beliefs, compared to individuals who get stereotyped like David for example. In the article, “Sticks and Stones: The Irish Identity”, by Robert McLaim Wilson and published by Grand Street.
In order to legitimise a regime or cause, traditions may be constructed around historical or mythological events, people or symbols that reinforce the image required to focus people’s conception of the past. People can be encouraged to invent a cohesive view of their shared ‘traditions’ by what could be called cherry picking bits of history.
As individual thinks the world to be diverse, often we take for granted unknown cultures. At times, most minority cultures is view as one thing whereas the ethnicity is multifaceted. Historically we used assumptions, not evidence, to equate cultures with social identities (Handwreker, 2002, p107. Society usually dismissed individuality of cultural and tend to put everyone with similar background in the same category. Recognition cos ethnic group has to rely on each other to voice out opinion on the matter and educated the history of personal culture.
I classify my race, ethnicity, and culture as a white, Irish-Italian- American, woman. My mother was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and my paternal grandparents are from Sicily, Italy. I imagine being first generation Irish and second generation Italian helps me relate with my ethnicity.
middle of paper ... ... The most famous Irish holiday celebrated in America, today, is Saint Patrick’s Day. This holiday celebrated on March 17th displays the culture and heritage of the Irish. Irish immigration has also brought famous figures, such as the painter Georgia O'Keeffe, and novelists Edgar Allen Poe and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Because of my culture, it has allowed for me to be more understanding of those that are different from me. The recognition of what it is to be different from what normal American culture may look like has brought forth a new and deeper level of empathy without even realizing. Growing up in a diverse area where my group of friends came from a wide variety of backgrounds has helped me to see the similarities we share as well as getting more acquainted and understanding of why certain groups do the things that they do. With that being said, I recognize that though I may be more equipped to related with people from different backgrounds a bit more than someone else, I know that I may still face some challenges (especially with how this nation is when it comes to race and cultural relations). As a social worker, a bit part of my profession is to create societal change.
During the period when the Celts existed, which is approximately 800 BC - 400 AD, they were just a little tribe compared to other large civilizations such as the Romans and Greeks. They still managed to conquer many regions and prove victorious in most of their battles. Who were these Celts that survived numerous struggles? Where did they originate? What kind of social structure did they have? What kinds of beliefs did they have? What sort of weapons and armor did they use in battle? What were some of their military tactics? These are some of the questions that will be evaluated in the following paragraphs.
Culture sometimes informs the way one views the others and the world in our everyday lives. Some say your culture shapes you as who you are but others say that it’s the experiences you’ve had. Whenever I hear the question “To what extent does one’s Culture inform the way one views others and the world?” I think of two different things. I think of the differences between people, an example being people who have homes and the homeless. They have different point of views because they are in drastically different situations. So I do agree with it may have to deal with experiences, but then I also think about racism and racial judgement, etc. Thats where the Culture comes into play and then with that information I stand in the middle. Its both,
The famous "kitchen party", often referred to as a "céilidh" ("a visit") is a common occurrence and is a great way to share language, song, music, dance and story. Some fun ways to experience Nova Scotia Gaelic language and culture, Scottish culture and Irish
Scottish weddings are more than just men wearing kilts and playing bagpipes; they are full of many deep traditions within the Scottish culture. Scotland is located within the United Kingdom, is directly above England, and is just to the right of Ireland. The people and culture:
This paper will investigate the culture of Ireland by taking a look at the five characteristics. Each characteristic will be allotted its own subsections. The first section will encompass the history to illuminate the connection of a country’s struggle and their learned culture. I will communicate the key aspects that connect an individual culture to the region of the world it inhabits in the second section. In the third section, the language and art of the land are discussed to draw lines to the symbols a culture is founded upon. The fourth section of the essay is dedicated to the characteristic of culture being made up of many components. This is illustrated by the ethnicity/racial, weather, terrain, and military breakdown of the island. The final section is commentary on the dynamic characteristic that interacting cultures learn, develop, and transform due to their shared contact and friction.
Everyone comes from a different cultural background. Many of us though, never really stop to think about what defines our own, I, myself included. This is important to do though, so one, we can know ourselves better, but also so we can start to understand other cultures as well. Surrounding the idea of culture are the concepts of ethnicity, class, gender, age, and belief, each of which I will be reflecting upon.
‘Irishness’ is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as ‘the fact or quality of being Irish.’ This can be further defined by many elements of the way in which we live our lives. You could say what makes us Irish is our native language and the fact that we still learn it in school today, our sense of humour which is exclusive to Ireland, our traditional sports or holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day. But throughout history, many, many things have contributed to our ‘Irishness’ and to shaping the Ireland of today. Since the 1600’s there have been many events which defined Ireland and Irishness such as The Great Potato Famine, the foundation of the GAA, the formation of the Gaelic League and the Act of Union, the penal laws and also more minor things such as the formation of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The ones which are going to be discussed in this essay are the ones which I feel have had the biggest effect on the way Ireland is today; the penal laws, The Famine and The Formation of the GAA. These things have all gone into forming the land we live in today and to shaping the Irish people and their Irishness.
I became a deacon at my church, and soon after I started to build a community culture with the people in my church who shared my beliefs and values. While not every person can agree on everything, having people with similar cultures get together to not only discuss religious beliefs, but discuss family and life is very helpful in growing as a person. They were there for me, and I learned so much from the people I created meaningful relationships and connections with. This made me so much stronger in my faith than I was before, and I felt that I could put my faith in a higher position in my life. During this time I had a son, and not long after another came along; thus, shifting the culture of my family a great deal. Raising my sons proved to be a different experience altogether than raising my daughter. While I still put my faith in God first and taught that to my children, my culture shifted to include more things for them, especially as they got older and became more involved. My life was no longer about me and my priorities, but my faith and my children above everything else. My personal culture was no longer important. It was all about my family culture and what pieces of my own culture I could incorporate to raise my children in the best way possible. The biggest part of my culture that I incorporated was my faith, as I said before. Another important aspect was my family values. I am a very family oriented