CULTURE.....

TO UNDERSTAND CULTURE IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE AS HUMAN BEINGS. CULTURE IS ALL THE MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL VALUES AN SPECIFIC SOCIAL GROUP HAVE AS A POWERFUL TOOL TO SURVIVE. MATERIAL VALUES ARE INSTITUTIONS AND CLOTHING, AND SPIRITUAL VALUES ARE BELIEFS, IDEAS, FAITH, AND RELIGION. CULTURE IS LINKED WITH LANGUAGE ALSO, AS THEY BOTH ARE INTRINSICALLY LINKED.IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT CULTURE IS NEVER STATIC AS IT IS ALWAYS CHANGING BECAUSE WE ARE ALWAYS EXPOSED TO OTHER CULTURES AND WE UNCOUNSCIOUSLY ADOPT THINGS FROM THAT CULTURE. IT IS TRUE THAT THERE MIGHT BE A LOT OF DIFFERENCES AMONG CULTURES, DIFFERENT TRADITIONS THAT MAY BE STRANGE FOR US, BUT THE MAIN THING HERE IS TO DEVELOP RESPECT AND TOLERANCE TOWARDS OTHERS.

Culture is a term used by social scientists for a people's whole way of life. In everyday conversation the word 'culture' may refer to activities in such fields as art, literature, and music. But to social scientists, a people's culture consists of all the ideas, objects, and ways of doing things created by the group. Culture includes arts, beliefs, customs, inventions, language, technology and traditions. The term 'civilization' is similar, but it refers mostly to scientifically more advanced ways of life. A culture is any way of life, simple or complex. Culture consists of learned ways of acting, feeling and thinking, rather than biologically determined ways. The British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor defined culture as "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." Tylor's definition includes three of the most important characteristics of culture:  Culture is acquired by people.  A person acquires culture as a member of society.

SOME STRANGE TRADITIONS....

"The beauty of differences in world cultures is that what is normal and commonplace for some will seem strange and different to others. Here are ten customs and traditions from around the world that may appear especially bizarre to outsiders." Stuart Inamura  (http://totallytop10.com/lifestyle/culture/top-10-strange-traditions).
However, I considered these to be painful and cruel.

THIS TRADITION  IS NOW PART OF HISTORY AS  IT IS  NOT PRACTICED ANYMORE, DUE TO  IT WAS PAINFUL FOR WOMEN. AND THEY UNABLE TO WALK RIGHT.

 FOOT BINDING:
 In the 10^th   century, in China, legend says a prince began the practice of foot binding because he loved the small "Lily Feet" of his concubine. The tiny foot became the mark of a wealthy and well-born woman.
      For over 1000 years, rich women had their feet bound. The new Republic banned foot binding in 1912, and the custom finally died out in the 1930's. 
Foot binding began between the ages of four and seven.  A strip of bandage ten feet long and two inches wide was wrapped tightly around the foot.  The four small toes were broken and bent under the sole.  The arch of the foot was bowed to make the foot shorter. This was also considered as a sign of beauty and men found it very erotic in women.


HOWEVER, FOR THEIR PRACTICERS IT WAS NORMAL, BUT FOR US IT MAY SOUND EVIL, CRUEL AND NOT RIGHT LINK SUFFERING WITH BEAUTY OR PRESTIGE.

COLOMBIAN CULTURE

ABORIGINAL INFLUENCES

The various cultures of the indigenous inhabitants of Colombia were decimated by the Spanish. Today, only around one percent of Colombians live and consider themselves as indigenous. Nonetheless, many elements of indigenous culture live on in Colombia's cuisine, music, folklore, and language.

FOOD...

MULTICULTURAL ELEMENTS

The essence of Colombian culture lies in the mixing of Spanish, indigenous, and African cultures. The greatest expression of the mélange is perhaps the Carnival of Barranquilla, whose rhythm is the cumbia, and which was proclaimed by UNESCO in November 2003 as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The culture of Spain is still very dominant in Colombia: the layout of towns, bull fighting, holy week processions, and the "refined" dialect of Bogotá are part of its legacy. Afro-Colombians have historically been marginalized from society. Nonetheless, they have contributed greatly to Colombian culture, including its music, dance and folklore. Cumbia is said to be derivative of the cumbe dance of Equatorial Guinea. Small numbers of Roma or "gypsies" are scattered throughout the country. Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews exist in several of the larger cities; Bogotá has five synagogues. Germans settled in parts of Santander, including Bucaramanga. They also brought the accordion to Valledupar, which would become a key instrument in the very popular vallenato music gender.

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

Most Colombians live in the Andes, high above sea level where climates range from temperate to cool (the highest parts get snow).The treacherousness of the terrain and sheer variety of climates made communication and travel very difficult, and helped foster intense regionalism which is tropical.
Between the three mountain ranges or cordilleras are two large valleys whose rivers (Magdalena River, Cauca River) link the interior to the coastal ports. These lowlands are thick with rainforests and interspersed rushing tributaries, waterfalls, and steep inclines. The Andes themselves are in parts volcanic, jagged and covered in glaciers. Other parts are more hospitable, such as the tableland of much of Cundinamarca (including Bogotá) and Boyacá (called in Spanish the Altiplano Cundiboyacense), which has a climate similar to the Argentine pampas. Medellín is in the Aburra valley, on the central mountain range, at a lower altitude than chilly Bogotá, which gives it an "eternal spring"-like climate. The Caribbean coast, Colombia's gateway to the outside world before jet travel, is separated from the Andes by mosquito-filled, marshy wetlands, while the Pacific coast is pock-marked with its own marshes and is one of the wettest places on earth.