Culture of El Salvador

Folk dance of El Salvador, in which a traditional dress is worn.

The culture of El Salvador is much like any other country in Latin America, or more specifically of Central America. The European influences are emphasized in the architecture of the colonial churches, museums and theaters throughout most of El Salvador.^[1] In addition, contemporary life in its cities has become similar to that of the rest of Latin America.

Costumes

In El Salvador, there are different types of costumes, of which the majority are used in religious or other festivals, although in some of the older towns they are still worn regularly. In female clothing it is common to see elements like a scapular, a shawl, a cotton headscarf with different coloured adornments.^[2] These can be worn with a skirt and a blouse, or with a dress. The normal footwear is sandals. With male clothing, it is common to see a cotton suit or a cotton shirt worn with modern jeans, with sandals or boots, and a cowboy hat. However, these are rural fashions and there can be many variations depending on the area.^[3]

Salvadorian food

Pupusas with curtido.

Salvadorian food has much in common with that of other central-American countries, but there are a number of local specialities.

Salvadorian dishes based on maize

• Pupusa: thick, hand-made corn tortillas filled with chicharron(pork), beans and cheeses.
• Atol and tamales of elote (corn on the cob).
• Atole shuco (a drink prepared from maize flour and other ingredients)
• Maize pasties with a filling of minced meat or vegetables.
• A dish known as "levantamuertos" which is a "consommé of garrobo" (a reptile similar to an iguana which measures some 50 cm in length).
• Empanadas that are made of bananas and cream filling

Basic salvadorian food

A typical salvadorian meal can contain the following ingredients:

• Vegetables: pulses and rice, cassava, potato,loroco etc.
• Meat, poultry and fish,
• Dairy products: cheese, butter, etc.
• Fruit.mangoes, coconuts,mamones, maranon
• Tortillas.

Languages

Main article: Languages of El Salvador

An examination of the dominance and stress of the voseo dialect in Central America. Data generated as illustrated by the Association of Spanish Language Academies. The darker the country, the stronger its dominance.

In El Salvador the official language is Central American Spanish. Less than one percent of the population speaks the Pipil language, in places such as Izalco and several other towns.^[4] However there is no obligation academically or socially today to learn it, and the language is more commonly spoken by old people. Amongst the pre-Columbian languages that still exist common to places such as Izalco and Cacaopera are Chortí, Xinca, Lenca and Poqomam. English is taught as a second language, and is commonly spoken by business people, as the country is developing through globalisation.

Salvadoran Spanish

Main articles: Languages of El Salvador, Central American Spanish, and Salvadoran Spanish

Central American Spanish is spoken by the majority of the country's population. In El Salvador, the voseo form of Spanish is dominant in both speech and publications. El Salvador is one out of two Central American nations that uses voseo Spanish as its written and spoken form. The same Spanish form is also seen in Argentina, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Paraguay, and coastal Colombia. The language and pronunciation varies depending on region. Some Salvadorans pronounce the word vos with a strong s sound at the end.

Sports

Estadio Cuscatlán.

The main sport practiced and followed by Salvadorans as in most Latin American nations, is football, but also sports such as basketball and volleyball (less practical). The Estadio Cuscatlán in the capital San Salvador is the largest stadium in Central America with a capacity of just over 45,000. The stadium is the home ground of the El Salvador national football team as well as club teams Alianza FC and San Salvador F.C..

The main football clubs in El Salvador play in the Primera División, which is made up of top ten clubs. Below the Primera División there exists a second level or Segunda División made up of 24 teams split into two groups of twelve. There is promotion and relegation between the two divisions at the end of each season.

Track and field, basketball, baseball, handball, swimming, and volleyball are also popular.

Religion

The Cathedral of Santa Ana.

The Catholic Church is the most prominent religious institution in El Salvador since colonial times with near 75% of the population identifying as Roman Catholic. However reformed churches like Anglican, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, have undergone an important growth since the 1970s. Today near 20% of the population belongs to one of these churches. Small communities of Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists also exist in some parts of the country

Music

Main article: Music of El Salvador

The music of El Salvador has a mixture of Mayan, Pipil and Spanish influences. This music includes religious songs (mostly Roman Catholic) used to celebrate Christmas and other holidays, especially feast days of the saints. Satirical and rural lyrical themes are common. Popular styles in modern El Salvador include cumbia, and salsa.Popular music in El Salvador uses marimba tehpe'ch, flutes, drums, scrapers and gourds, as well more recently imported guitars and other instruments. Cuban, Colombian and Mexican music has infiltrated the country, especially salsa and cumbia.

References

1. ^ http://www.salvaide.ca/salvadoranculture.html#Top
2. ^ Trajes típicos
3. ^ Trajes folkloricos de El Salvador
4. ^ Campbell, Lyle. (1985) The Pipil language of El Salvador. Mouton to grammar library (no. 1). Berlin: Mouton Publishers.