Culture of El Salvador
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The culture of El Salvador is a
Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
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Anthem | National Anthem of El Salvador |
1879 | |
Motto | DIOS UNIÓN LIBERTAD |
1821 | |
Flag and Coat of arms | Coat of arms of El Salvador and Flag of El Salvador |
1912 | |
Color | Cobalt blue and white
Additional appendages are in golden Amber (color) |
1912 | |
Bird | Turquoise-browed motmot |
1999 | |
Reptile | Green iguana |
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Fish | Amatitlania Coatepeque, Endemic Species |
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Art | Fernando Llort style Art |
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Music | Xuc |
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Instrument | Xylophone |
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Dish | Pupusa |
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Flower | Yucca gigantea |
2003 | |
Tree | Tabebuia rosea |
1939 | |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | Joya de Cerén |
1993 | |
Patron and National Personification | Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo |
Native Homeland
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Modern El Salvador map
Salvadorans inhabit the lush
Demonym
Salvadoreño/a in Spanish and in English Salvadoran is the accepted and most commonly used term for referring people of Salvadoran ancestry. However, both Salvadorian and Salvadorean are widely used terms in daily life by English-speaking Salvadoran citizens living in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Both words can be seen in most Salvadoran business signs in the United States and elsewhere in the world. This is because the sounds "ia" and "ea" in Salvadorian and Salvadorean sound more closely to the "ñ" sound in the Spanish term Salvadoreño.
Centroamericano/a in Spanish and in English Central American is an alternative standard and widespread cultural identity term that Salvadorans use to identify themselves, along with their regional isthmian neighbours. It is a secondary demonym and it is widely used as an interchangeable term for El Salvador and Salvadorans. The demonym Central American is an allusion to the strong union that the Central America region has had since its independence. The term Central America is not only a regional cultural identity, but also a political identity, since the region has been united on various occasions as a single country such as the United Provinces of Central America, Federal Republic of Central America, National Representation of Central America, and Greater Republic of Central America. The same can be said for El Salvador's neighbors, specifically the original five states of Central America.
Nicknames
Salvi is an informal demonym referring to the Salvadoran people and their culture, specifically to overseas born Salvadorans in the diaspora located in the United States. The word is formed by Anglonization and taking the first five letters of the affectionate diminutive hypocorism form of Salvador (Salvita) to a shorten form "Salvi", with plural being Salvis. The slang term Salvi was coined and used for self-identification by the first generation wave of Salvadoran Americans born in the United States from parents who had escaped the civil war in the 1980s, and has been used as a term of endearment. The term has been widely used and is in mainstream usage particularly among younger members and masses of the Salvadoran American sector. The term Salvi is preserved in a very positive light when compared to its other older counterparts and predecessors such as Guanaco and Salvatrucha which have fallen into disuse among Salvadoran Americans, regarded as derogatory and negative. The term Cuscatleco is reserved for older generations of Salvadorans, specifically those born in El Salvador.
Outside the United States and especially within El Salvador itself the term Guanaco/Guanaca is still commonly used and is not considered offensive. It is used much in the same way Salvi is used among Salvadoran Americans, it is regarded as a term of endearment among Salvadorans especially those within El Salvador itself.
Languages
In El Salvador, the official language is
Salvadoran Spanish
Central American Spanish is spoken by the majority of the country's population. The language and pronunciation vary depending on the region.
Sports
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Team El Salvador at the opening ceremony of the 2019 International Physics Olympiad
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Salvadoran baseball players El Salvador national baseball team
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Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González
The main sport played by Salvadorans is
The main football clubs in El Salvador play in the
As of late 2021, El Salvador's women's national volleyball team has been among the top contenders in Central America's AFECAVOL (Asociación de Federaciones CentroAmericanas de Voleibol) zone.[2]
Traditions and Events
El Salvador celebrates many holidays and traditions, including International Women's Day.[3]
Another big tradition that El salvador celebrates is “Las Bolas De Fuego”[4] translated to “The Balls on Fire”. This festival includes 2 teams that light up a ball of cloth on fire and start throwing it towards each other like it is a game of dodgeball. For outsiders, this tradition may seem strange but it is something that brings thousands of Salvadorans together and unites the country for a day. There are many reasons as to why this event is celebrated the way it is but the most well-known reason is because of the Volcanic eruption that occurred in 1658. Balls of fire from the eruption destroyed the town of Nejapa, resulting in everyone fleeing the town. This tragic chain of events is what made the annual event popular. They also celebrate San Miguel. San Miguel takes place every November during the festivities in honor of their patron, Our Lady of Peace. Another holiday they support is Fiesta de San Salvador. Fiesta de San Salvador is celebrated annually on August 6. Founded in the 16th century, the national holiday celebrates Salvadoran identity and marks the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
Architecture
El Salvador's colonial structures, especially its colonial cathedrals, have been destroyed over time by historic earthquakes, consequently Modernist and Gothic style cathedrals have taken their place. During the
Religion
The
Costumes relating to religion
In El Salvador, there are different costumes used mostly 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, and a cotton headscarf with different coloured adornments.[5] 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, sandals or boots, and a cowboy hat. However, these are rural fashions, and there can be many variations depending on the area. Also, 100% cotton shirts are commonly used (also known as guayaberas).[6]
Music
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Salvadoran girls in folkloric garb
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Young Salvadoran girls dancing traditional colonial music San Miguel, El Salvador
The music of El Salvador has a mixture of
Music instruments that are present in El Salvador are Native American Pan-Indianism instruments such as Native American flute and drums, African instruments like xylophone, Güira and Mbira, European instruments like Guitar, pedal steel guitar, Fanfare trumpet and piano, Arab instruments like Oud, Ney, Goblet drum and Qanun (instrument). Religious Contemporary Catholic liturgical music instrument such as Tubular bells, Pipe organ, and Glass harmonica are also present.
This music includes religious songs (mostly used to celebrate
Arts and Crafts
La Palma-Style Art
The traditional style of art in El Salvador comes from the northern town of La Palma, and that is where artists are trained and live today. Originating from an artist named Fernando Llort, the art is simple and colorful, typically making use of animals such as birds, rabbits, and turtles, as well as common objects such as flowers, trees, and houses. Each piece reflects the images of the every-day life of the region: birds, flowers, animals, villagers and adobe houses
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La Palma-type art, fromLa Palma, Chalatenango
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La Palma-type art form from Santa Ana, El Salvador
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Salvadoran staple art inLa Palma, Chalatenango
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Artistic figure in La Palma park
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Hand crafted bookmarks from La Palma.
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La Palma-Style art on modern building in San Salvador
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Destroyed mural ofSan Salvador Cathedral
Ataco Murals
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Handcraft Bag from Concepción de Ataco
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Colonial life themed mural in Ataco
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Cat themed mural
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Colonial lofe themed mural
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flora and fauna mural
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Desert themed mural
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Cat themed mural
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Colonial men themed mural
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Colonial women themed mural
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Rug festival themed mural
Civil War murals
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Mural atPerquin
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Mural at Perquin
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War memorial mural in Nuevo Gualcho
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Memorial depictingOscar Romero and the 1980 murders of U.S. missionaries in El Salvador
Ilobasco Crafts
Juayua Crafts
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Mesoamerican souvenirs fromJuayua
Hammocks
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Typical hammocks in El Salvador.
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Three Salvadoran synthetic-thread hammocks in Morazán Department
Native American Heritage
Lithic era
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Humanoid petroglyph in Holy Spirit Grotto (corinto cave), Morazan, El Salvador.
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Petroglyphs in Holy Spirit Grotto (corinto cave), Morazan, El Salvador.
El Salvador was inhabited by Paleo-Indians, the first peoples who subsequently inhabited, the Americas during the glacial episodes of the late Pleistocene period. Their intriguing paintings (the earliest of which date from 8000 BC) can still be seen and marveled at in caves outside the towns of Corinto and Cacaopera, both in Morazán. Originating in the Paleolithic period, these cave paintings exhibit the earliest traces of human life in El Salvador; these early Native Americans people used the cave as a refuge, Paleoindian artists created cave and rock paintings that are located in present-day El Salvador.
The
Archaic Period
Native Americans appeared in the
About 40,000 years ago the ancestors of the
Mesoamerican-Isthmus cultures
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Late Classic Maya cup from El Salvador. 600–900 AD.
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Mayan artifact found at the Joya de Cerén archaeological site
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Mayan artifact found at the Joya de Cerén archaeological site
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Late Classic Maya bowl, El Copador style, El Salvador.
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Late Postclassic ceramic vessel from El Salvador, with face decoration. 1200–1520 AD.
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Late Classic Maya vessel from El Salvador, 600–900 AD
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Late Classic Maya plate, El Salvador.
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Late Classic Maya bowl from El Salvador.
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Tazumal's Xipe Totec.
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Typical traditional indigenous houses,Ahuachapan
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Indigenous Salvadoran woman from Panchimalco.
Historically El Salvador has had diverse Native American cultures, coming from the north and south of the continent along with local populations mixed together. El Salvador belongs to both to the Mesoamerican region in the western part of the country, and to the Isthmo-Colombian Area in the eastern part of the country, where a myriad of indigenous societies have lived side by side for centuries with their unique cultures and speaking different indigenous languages of the Americas in the beginning of the Classic stage.
Evidence of
The
The
The Xinca people, also known as the Xinka, are a non-Mayan indigenous people of Mesoamerica, with communities in the western part of El Salvador near its border. The Xinka may have been among the earliest inhabitants of western El Salvador, predating the arrival of the Maya and the Pipil. The Xinca ethnic group became extinct in the Mestizo process.
El Salvador has two
El Salvador has two
Modern Native American people
According to the Salvadoran Government, about 0.23% of the population are of full indigenous origin. The largest most dominant Native American groups in El Salvador are the
The number of indigenous people in El Salvador have been criticized by indigenous organizations and academics as too small and accuse the government of denying the existence of indigenous Salvadorans in the country. According to the National Salvadoran Indigenous Coordination Council (CCNIS) and CONCULTURA (National Council for Art and Culture at the Ministry of Education), approximately 600,000 or 10 per cent of Salvadorian peoples are indigenous. Nonetheless, very few natives have retained their customs and traditions, having over time assimilated into the dominant Mestizo/Spanish culture. The low numbers of indigenous people may be partly explained by historically high rates of old-world diseases, absorption into the mestizo population, as well as mass murder during the
Arab Heritage
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Arab Salvadorans includePalestinian Salvadoran, Lebanese Salvadoran, Syrian Salvadoran and Egyptian Salvadoran.
There is a significant Arab population (of about 100,000);.
The history of the Arabs in El Salvador dates back to the end of the 19th century, because of religious clashes, which induced many Palestinians, Lebanese, Egyptians and Syrians to leave the land where they were born, in search of countries where they at least lived in an atmosphere of relative peace. There were also other reasons of a subjective nature, based on the hope of success, of achieving success and fortune and obtaining recognition from others.
It was not until the period between 1880s and 1920s, that the Arab migration began, when more than 121,000 people began to arrive in El Salvador, which at the time in 1879, El Salvador had a small local population of 482,400 and by 1920 El Salvador's population had grown to 1,168,000. These Arabs settled in the cities of San Salvador, San Miguel, Santa Ana, Santa Tecla, Usulutan and La Union.[12]
Arab immigration in El Salvador began at the end of the 19th century in the wake of the repressive policies applied by the
Currently the strongest community is the
Inter-ethnic marriage in the Lebanese community with Salvadorans, regardless of religious affiliation, is very high; most have only one father with Lebanese nationality and mother of Salvadoran nationality. As a result, some of them speak Arabic fluently. But most, especially among younger generations, speak Spanish as a first language and Arabic as a second.[15]
During the war between
Lebanon had been an iqta of the
Statistically in El Salvador, there are about 120,000 Arabs, of
In 1939, the Arab community based in San Salvador organized and founded the "Arab Youth Union Society"[16]
The Salvadoran Cabalgador (Cowboy)
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Typical Salvadoran machete
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President Gerardo Barrios, El Salvador 1861
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The Salvadoran president and military cavalryman Gerardo Barrios depicted as a Cabalgador. He was a liberal and supported the unity of Central America. From a young age he was part of the army of the last president of the Federation of Central American Estates, Francisco Morazán.
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President of El SalvadorGeneral Tomás Regalado Romero, on a horse holding an older version of El Salvador flag.
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A Salvadoran guerrilla inPerquin1990
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Salvadoran riders inQuezaltepeque, La Libertad
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Salvadoran young man from the country side
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Salvdoran man with machete
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Salvadoran country side musicians with traditional cowboy clothing
A Cabalgador (Spanish: Cavalry, Horseman, Horserider) is a Salvadoran horse-mounted livestock herder (cowboy) of a tradition that originated on the Iberian Peninsula and was brought to Central America by Spanish settlers. It has deep historic roots tracing back to Spain and the earliest European settlers of the Americas. Cabalgador is a Spanish word for a horseman rider and herder. It derives from Cabalgar and Cabalgadura meaning "rider". Early Cabalgadores in El Salvador were originally a mixture of part Spanish and American Indigenous, Mestizo, Indigenous and Pardo men who lived in the countryside and had a strong culture which has shaped El Salvador's over all distinctive rural culture, tradition, folklore, and music, having a strong rural countryside culture. The origins of the Cabagador tradition in El Salvador come from Spain, beginning with the hacienda system of medieval Spain. This style of cattle ranching spread throughout much of the Iberian peninsula and later, was imported to the Americas. During the 16th century, the Conquistadors and other Spanish settlers brought their cattle-raising traditions as well as both horses and domesticated cattle to the Americas.
The traditions of Spain were transformed by the geographic, environmental and cultural circumstances. In turn, the land and people of the Americas also saw dramatic changes due to Spanish influence. In El Salvador's case, a massive, almost complete deforestation to make way for agriculture and animal herding, El Salvador lost virtually all of its primary rain forests. The Spanish haciendas which in El Salvador's case were owned by a military middle class and wealthy military cavalry Spaniards who spoke in voseo, a Spanish speech that originates from medieval Spain, this way of speech is used by all Salvadorans today, Salvadoran Spanish which has shaped and defined Salvadorian-ism dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
Among common horse riders, there were also military and police Cavalry troopers called (Guardias) National Guard (El Salvador) who were infamously feared due to their abuse and unlimited use of power over the population, patrolling the rural areas keeping order. The Cabalgadores would prove to be vital up until the mid 20th century, especially for the military and the campesinos who would be influenced by the revolution, most of the guerrillas in El Salvador's civil war, were poor citizens who rode horses in the rural mountains.
Today being a Cabalgador is a symbol and idealized representative of machismo, virility and a display of either chauvinism but also with vestiges of chivalrous attitudes. They also are seen as poor campesinos (peasants), and are seen as people without manners or lacking the sophistication of an urbanite, akin to a redneck. However, being a campesino is also used in a neutral or positive context or self-descriptively with pride because it describes a humble and hard-working person.
Most male children in El Salvador as young as five are raised and began working in a cowboy atmosphere, working on ranches along with their fathers and older members of the family learning about agriculture and livestock, herding animals throughout much of El Salvador tending cattle, in an all-male environment which have also retain the machismo culture in El Salvador. Most men in El Salvador, particularly in the towns in the rural countryside including mayors wear elements of cowboy clothing. Cabalgadores in El Salvador dress in cowboy hats and carry machetes also known as Corbos in El Salvador, and they listen to nueva canción guitar type music.
See also
- Catholic Church in El Salvador
- Central America
- Demographics of El Salvador
- Geography of El Salvador
- Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo
- Music of El Salvador
- Palestinian Salvadoran
- Religion in El Salvador
- Salvadorans
- Salvadoran Americans
- Salvadoran cuisine
- Salvadoran Spanish
- San Salvador
- Salvadoran literature
- List of museums in El Salvador
- Public holidays in El Salvador
References
- ^ Campbell, Lyle. (1985) The Pipil language of El Salvador. Mouton to grammar library (no. 1). Berlin: Mouton Publishers.
- ^ "Belize drops game to Nicaragua, drops to 1-4 at Central American Senior Women's Volleyball Championship". Breaking Belize News. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "Women's Day in El Salvador". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- ^ "Casa de la Cultura de Nejapa conmemora las bolas de fuego - Ministerio de Cultura". Ministerio de Cultura - (in Spanish). 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- ^ Trajes típicos Archived 2008-08-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Trajes folkloricos de El Salvador". Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- ^ Sharer, Robert J. (1978). The Prehistory of Chalchuapa, El Salvador. Vol. I. The University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
- ^ Fowler, William (1995). Antiguas civilizaciónes. Banco Agrícola.
- ^ Ministerio de Educación (2009). Historia de El Salvador.
- ^ Zielger, Matthew. "El Salvador: Central American Palestine of the West?". The Daily Star. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Lebanese Diaspora – Worldwide Geographical Distribution". Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "EL SALVADOR: population growth of the whole country". Archived from the original on 21 March 2015.
- ^ "The Palestinians of El Salvador". Archived from the original on 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Why So Many Palestinians Live In El Salvador | AJ+". newsvideo.su. Archived from the original on 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ http://theidentitychef.com/2009/09/06/lebanese-diaspora-worldwide-geographical-distribution.
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(help) - ^ correspondent, Hugh Dellios, Tribune foreign (21 March 2004). "El Salvador vote divides 2 Arab clans". chicagotribune.com.
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