Flags/ Festivals/ Culture

Spanish Speaking Countries

Venezuela
Officially called the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela is a country on the northern coast of
South America
The culture of Venezuela is a melting pot, which
includes mainly three different families: The
indigenous, African, and Spanish.
Baseball is Venezuela's most popular sport, with
the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
existing since 1945.
El Salvador
Central American Spanish is spoken by the
majority of the country's population. The language
and pronunciation varies depending on region.
The music of El Salvador has a mixture of Pipil
and Spanish influences. This music includes
religious songs (mostly used to celebrate
Christmas and other holidays, especially feast
days of the saints). Satirical and rural lyrical
themes are common. Popular music in El
Salvador uses marimba, tehpe'ch, flutes, drums,
scrapers and gourds, as well as more recently
imported guitars and other instruments.
Peru
The culture of Peru was shaped by the relationship
between Hispanic and Amerindian cultures. The ethnic
diversity and rugged geography of Peru allowed diverse
traditions and customs to co-exist.
Popular celebrations are the product of every town's
traditions and legends. These celebrations include
music, meals and typical drinks. In addition to the
religious celebrations like Christmas and Corpus
Christi, there are others that express the syncretism of
the indigenous beliefs with the Christians.
Football is the most popular sport in Peru.
Spain
The cultures of Spain are European cultures
based on a variety of historical influences,
primarily that of Ancient Rome, but also the
pre-Roman Celtic and Iberian culture, and that
of the Phoenicians and the Moors.
The languages spoken or once spoken in
Spain. Romance languages are the most
widely spoken in Spain; of which Spanish, or
Castilian, is the only language which has
official status for the whole country.
Galician, Catalan, Basque, Aranese, are all co-
official languages of Spain.
Paraguay
The indigenous Guaran had been living in Paraguay
for at least a millennium before the Spanish
conquered the territory in the 16th century.
One remarkable trace of the indigenous
Guaran culture that has endured in Paraguay is
the Guaran language which is generally
understood by 95% of the population.
Additionally, Spanish is understood by about 90
percent of the population, which alongside
Guaran is an official language.

Panama
The culture of Panama derived from the
cultures of Indigenous peoples of Panama
as well as European music, art and
traditions that were brought over by the
Spanish to Panama. Hegemonic forces
have created hybrid forms of this by
blending African and Native American
culture with European culture.
The best overview of Panamanian culture
is found in the Museum of the
Panamanian, in Panama City.
Panama Jazz festival, Panama carnival
(Officially the festival lasts for 4 days.), Old
Panama City Day, and Black Christ
festival are all celebrated in Panama

Honduras
Honduran food relies heavily on the use
of corn (maize) as a basic ingredient.
Every year, on Palm Sunday, figures
depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary,
Saint Joseph, and other saints are kept
safely inside the Catholic churches. But
on Good Friday, they are dressed in
elaborate and elegant costumes,
brought out of their church or cathedral,
and paraded on floats around the city or
town.
Guatemala
The Mayan people are known for their brightly colored yarn-
based textiles, which are woven into capes, shirts, blouses,
and dresses. Each village has its own distinctive pattern,
making it possible to distinguish a person's home town on
sight. Women's clothing consists of a shirt and a long skirt.
The Guatemalan cuisine reflects the multicultural nature of
Guatemala, in that it involves food that differs in taste
depending on the region. Guatemala has 22 departments of
(or divisions), each of which has very different food
varieties. For example, Antigua Guatemala is well known for
its candy which makes use of many local ingredients fruits,
seeds and nuts along with honey, condensed milk and other
traditional sweeteners. Antigua's candy is very popular
when tourists visit the country for the first time, and is a
great choice in the search for new and interesting flavors.
Equatorial Guinea
Most people in the country are nominally
Christian, but practice a combination of Roman
Catholicism and traditional pagan customs.
Spanish, French, and Portuguese (a Creole-
Portuguese) are the official languages of the
country.
Many Bubi farmers still hold to their ancient
customs. One of the country's most famous
celebrations is the abira which is believed to
cleanse the community of evil. The ball
dance is performed along the coast throughout
the year and on Bioko around Christmas.

Ecuador
Most Ecuadorians speak Spanish, though
many speak Amerindian language.
The music of Ecuador has a long history.
Pasillo is a genre of indigenous Latin music.
In Ecuador it is the "national genre of music".
Through the years, many cultures have
brought their influences together to create
new types of music. There are also different
kinds of traditional music like albazo,
pasacalle, fox incaico, tonada, capishca,
Bomba (highly established in afro-
Ecuadorian societies), and so on.
Ecuadorian cuisine is diverse, varying with
the altitude and associated agricultural
conditions
The most popular sport in Ecuador, as in
most South American countries, is football
(soccer).

Cuba
As a former colony of Spain, Spanish is spoken in
Cuba. After the Cuban Revolution, the term
"compaero/compaera", meaning comrade, came
to gradually replace the traditional "seor/seora" as
the universal polite title of address for strangers.
Cuba is the birthplace of the literary genre that is
called testimonial literature. In 1970 Cuba's literary
forum Casa de las Amricas recognized testimonial
literature as an official literary genre.
The most famous of all Cuba festivals is the carnival
at Santiago de Cuba, held annually from July 18 to
27.

Costa Rica
Pura vida is a characteristic Costa Rican and Puerto
Rican phrase. It literally means pure life, however, the real
meaning is closer to "plenty of life", "full of life", "this is
living!", "going great", or "real living". The phrase can be
used in many ways; for example, it can be used both as a
greeting or a farewell, as an answer expressing that things
are going well, or as a way of giving thanks.
Costa Rican music is marked by a rhythm known as
tambito, as well as a distinctive musical genre known as
punto.
Roman Catholicism is recognized as the most popular
religion in Costa Rica with 70.2% of the population.
Colombia
There are MANY festivals in Colombia but to name a
few:
Harvest Festival of Pereira (Spanish: Fiestas de la Cosecha de Pereira), in
Pereira.
Colombian Folklore Festival (Spanish: Festival Folklrico Colombiano) in
Ibagu.
Medellin's Tango Street (Spanish: Tangova) on Carlos Gardel Avenue in the
suburb of Manrique.
Joropo National Festival (Spanish: Festival Nacional del Joropo) in
Villavicencio in December.
Candles and Lanterns Festival (Spanish: Fiesta de Velas y Faroles) is held
in Quimbaya, Quindo on December 7 and 8. Each of the barrios in the township
compete to produce the most spectacular lighting arrangements.
Colombia has many traditional folk tales and stories
about legendary creatures, which are transmitted orally
and kept for next generations to come. Some of them are
common with other Latin American countries.
Colombians have been producing art for thousands of
years. Ornate golden figures, and jewelry from millennia
ago have been discovered by both ruthless
conquistadors and careful archaeological digs.
Bolivia
Clothing of Bolivian Andean women of indigenous
descent includes the pollera (pleated-skirt), the
19th century European bowler hat, and the silky
shawl known as a manta.
Football is the most popular sport in Bolivia. The
governing body of football in Bolivia is the
Federacin Boliviana de Ftbol (FBF).
The Diablada dance primeval, typical and main of
Carnival of Oruro a Masterpiece of the Oral and
Intangible Heritage of Humanity
The devil dances at the annual carnival of Oruro
are among the great folkloric events of South
America, as are the lesser known indigenous
Anata Andina and the "carnival" at Tarabuco
Mexico
Mexico is the most populous Spanish-
speaking country in the world. The
overwhelming majority of Mexicans today
speak Spanish, however, the government
recognizes 62 indigenous Amerindian
languages as national languages.
Mexico is known for its folk art traditions,
mostly derived from the indigenous and
Spanish crafts.
Mexicans celebrate their independence from
Spain on September 16, and other holidays
with festivals known as "Fiestas". Many
Mexican cities, towns and villages hold a
yearly festival to commemorate their local
patron saints.
Argentina
Tango, the music and lyrics (often sung in a form of
slang called lunfardo), is Argentina's musical symbol.
The Milonga dance was a predecessor, slowly
evolving into modern tango.
The official national sport of Argentina is pato,
although it is not very popular. It is played with a six-
handle ball on horseback.
Football is the most popular sport in Argentina. The
national football team has won 25 major international
titles, including two FIFA World Cup, two Olympic
gold medals, and fourteen Copa Amrica.
Buenos Aires is one of the world's great capitals of
theater.[5] The Teatro Coln is a national landmark
for opera and classical performances; built at the end
of the 19th century, its acoustics are considered the
best in the worlD.
Chile
The national dance is the cueca (short for
zamacueca) and first appeared in 1824.
With more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) of
mountains, Chile is known internationally as one of
the world's best skiing destinations and the best in
South America.
Football is the most popular sport in Chile, and
practiced by Chileans from all economic
backgrounds, it is the one sport that appeals to both
young and old that is the most accessible. The
Federacin de Ftbol de Chile is the governing body
of "ftbol" in Chile.
Rodeo is the second most popular sport in Chile. It
was declared the national sport in 1962.
Dominican Republic
Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the
creation of the musical style called merengue, a
type of lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance music
consisting of a tempo of about 120 to 160 beats
per minute.
Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the
Dominican Republic. The country has a baseball
league of six teams.
Carnival celebrations are held in the Dominican
Republic each February with parades, street
dancing, food festivals, and music. Festivities also
take place in the week leading up to Easter
Sunday. Parades, beauty pageants, and different
festivals in each town throughout the country fill
the week.
Nicaragua
The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is known for a
lively, sensual form of dance music that is
especially loud and celebrated during the May Palo
de Mayo festival. The Garifuna community exists in
Nicaragua and is known for its popular music called
Punta. Also, soca music, reggaeton and reggae are
popular throughout the country.
The people of Nicaragua are mostly mestizos, and
Spanish is invariably their first language.
Some famous legends in Nicaragua:
El Cadejo
La Cegua
La Llorona
La Taconuda
La Carreta Nagua
La Novia de Tola
Uruguay
Contemporary Uruguayan culture is diverse in
its nature since the nation's population is one
of multicultural origins. The country has an
impressive legacy of artistic and literary
traditions, especially for its small size.
Uruguay's annual Carnival is a major event
with many unique features distinguishing it
from those of its neighbours. Rock, jazz, pop
and other Western musical genres also enjoy
great popularity in Uruguay.