Introduction
Colombia just like any other South American’s culture is diverse and rich. It is not only made up of its native people’s culture but also other outside cultures. In other words, Colombian culture is influenced by other European cultures. In addition, there is Spanish and African culture in Colombian culture.
Spanish culture originated from the colonizers of the country while African culture originated from the South Americans who were the slave traders in Colombia. Moreover, the country is made up of several regions with different ethnic groups hence different cultures. Its geographical location and various religious groups are also other factors influencing the Colombian culture.
Their diverse culture is therefore seen in their daily life including lifestyle and languages. Eating habits and various forms of Art also make the Colombian culture to stand out among many cultures (Williams and Guerrieri 47).
Family Structure
Family is an important structure in Colombian culture. This is because they value trust and mutual dependence and this is well practiced in the family set up. The family plays a big role in the social structure of the Colombians. Extended family exists in which the grandparents live in the same household with the rest. The children are also allowed to stay at home until they get married.
The family structure is highly influenced by the Roman Catholic Church which teaches the values of upholding the same. An individual is considered to belong to a family by marriage or by birth. Marriage is usually within the same classes especially among the middle and the upper classes. Members of the lower class however strive to marry from the other classes.
A family institution is basically made up of father, mother and children. Father is the head of the family and is responsible of providing to the family. He is therefore expected to be earning income that will sustain the family and meets its all needs. Mother on the other hand, is responsible for taking care of the family.
Her roles include cooking, taking care of household chores and looking after the children as well as providing basic education to them. However, mothers, from lower class work outside their households in order to get an extra income. In addition, godparents are members of the family.
They are chosen during baptism of the child and their roles include giving advice and teachings about life. Moreover, they give financial help when required to do so. In Colombian culture, inheriting is emphasized. Children have the rights to inherit their parents’ wealth such as land and businesses.
Life Cycle
Colombians life cycle is similar to any other in the world. However, their culture makes it different and unique. In Colombia, the stages involved in their lifecycle include childhood, dating and marriage. Family life and parenting as well as old age and death are stages that Colombians recognize in their lifecycle. At childhood, children are controlled by their parent. Any decision has to be made by the parents.
It is also at this stage that children start learning the basics of life and more so the culture of their people. At the teenage, the children are already exposed to real life. In most cases they have gone to school and have an understanding of right or wrong. At young adult stage, he/she is taught to be a responsible person in relation to responsibilities ahead.
Family life and parenting stage requires that the parties involved to impact positively on others and especially their children. Old age is appreciated by the Colombians because they term it as a source of wisdom and history where the young people can run for advice.
Death in the Colombian culture is seen as a transition in which people stop living in the physical world but continues to live in the spirit world. They believe that there is life after death and that once they die they reunite with their forefathers.
At various stages, periods and transitions, people are expected to behave in a certain way failure to which they are said to defile their customs. For example the young adults are not supposed to engage in sex before marriage.
If they do so they are punished severely and can even be excommunicated in the society. At teenage and young adult stage, the young people are separated according to their genders. Males are separated from females. This is because they require different teachings about life and responsibilities.
Interpersonal Relationships
Greeting is a sign of good relations among people. In Colombia, everyone is expected to greet each other once they meeting. Handshaking is the most common and acceptable way of greeting each other. It is regarded courteous to greet each other by shaking hands once you meet and even when leaving. Women should extent their hand first, then men to follow in response.
Moreover, women are expected to hold forearms when greeting men. Handshake between men is always vigorous and close friends may even embrace each other. In addition, close friends may kiss as a way of greeting each other.
In Colombian culture, greetings should accompanied by a small talk that aims at knowing the other party’s welfare. Use of title is also important during greeting and it is courteous to maintain eye contact. For opposite sex, slight kiss on the cheek is exchanged despite the relationship between the two.
Disagreements are not encouraged among the Colombians. However, when they arise it should be between people of the same age. If a child disagrees with an elder person then it is termed as an insult. Women are also not allowed to argue with men. This is seen as lack of submissiveness and respect towards the head of the family. Prolonged disagreements should be avoided since they can lead to a fight.
In case the parties involved fail to agree, a third party should be involved to help solve the conflict. In other occasions, insults are expressed by lack of respect for other people, rude speech or even nonverbal actions aimed at offending another person. The Colombian culture thus encourages good interpersonal relationship among people. This entails good coexistence with no disagreements and insults from one another.
Communications
There is a wide range of languages and dialects that are spoken in Colombia. It has been recorded that as time goes by, many languages die. However, there are many languages that are still in use. It is approximated that a hundred and one languages existed in Colombia. Currently, eighty one are in use.
The most commonly used dialects include Carijona, Desano, Achagua, Totoro, Arthuaco and Piaroa. Moreover, Piratapuvo, Siona, Cams, Guayabero and Tariano are used. The national and official language is Spanish. It originated from Indo-European family of languages. Achagua is second to Spanish. It has a large group using it as well and especially those from the Eastern region of the country.
More than twenty languages have been wiped out. They include Andaqui, Cauca, Chipiajes, Ansema, Barbacoas, Natagaimas, Runa,Omejes and Ponares. It is important to note that a small group of people and especially upper class, use English. This is common in urban cities. Language plays a big role in the Colombian society. It is used to basically communicate. It acts as a symbol of unity among the people.
In addition, language portrays Colombian culture. In Colombia, good speaking manners do not involve shouting. Shouting is seen as rude behavior and lack of respect. In addition, using a language that others do not understand is not acceptable. For example speaking English to people of lower class is seen as rude. Verbal behaviors are also used to understand personality of an individual.
For instance a person who speaks a lot is said to be social. They are thus said to be leaders. Nonverbal behaviors are not encouraged in Colombian culture. It is always associated with hypocrites and rude people.
Religion
Majority of Colombians are followers of Roman Catholic Church. This is because during the conversion from Indians, the colonial government preferred Catholic Church to any other religion. They are not only followers but also they are devoted to the Catholic sacraments. Catholicism attracts more than ninety five percent of the total population.
Eighty five of them are urban dwellers and are committed to catholic mass in the urban parish. However, it is important to note that though there is a small population in the rural they are more devoted to their religion than those in the urban. Moreover, their religious practices and beliefs are different from those in the urban. They have integrated indigenous and Spanish customs in their religion.
Their prayer is directed to patron saint who they believe that he is easier to reach than God. They also have one saint honored yearly. Priests and bishops born in the country are the religious practitioners with authority among the people. Catholicism has large influence and thus the country has established more than thirty monasteries and eighty convents.
Religious ritual that is common is catholic sacrament. It is usually performed by the priests. Baptism is considered the sacramental rite into the Christian life. In addition, the Colombians holds the belief that once a person has died, the spirit continues to live. A ceremony involving burial, prayer and mourning period is done once a brother/sister in Christ dies.
Colombian constitution allows religious freedom and does not give authority to a particular one. For this reason therefore there is a protestant movement in the country. It has attracted approximately 260,000 people. It consists of groups such as Mormon, Lutheran and Anglican.
In addition, other small group of Muslims and Jews exists in the country. Indigenous church and religious rituals and customs no longer exist. This is because they were destroyed by the Roman Church. During that time the church had the authority to summon and question any behavior they feel is not acceptable. Punishment including taking away the property of accused person was exercised.
Health and Hygiene
Just like any other thing like food and housing, Health and hygiene depend on the classes. The upper and the middle class people can access the medicine and health care. On the other hand, the lowly paid cannot pay for good health care and cannot afford health plan. There are many restrictions on health care.
This is especially in the rural areas. Illness and deaths occurring as a result of not following rules are seen as a curse. For example, abortion is illegal in both their customs and laws. If a woman therefore does it and it does not go well for her then she is treated like an outcast.
There have been many cases of mental illness in Colombia. This is made worse since they consider the condition a taboo. They thus don’t seek medical attention on the mental illness. Generally, health and hygiene is not a big issue in Colombia. In case of illness people are always divided whether to consult medical specialists or not. In addition, they fear death and cannot stand the sight of a corpse.
Sorcery in many occasions has been used to take the threat of illness and death away. Moreover, illness and deaths are not taken as natural thing. Instead, they are associated with witchcraft. The treatment is thus done by traditional healers such as Taitas and herbalists.
Traditional treatment is common in rural areas. This is because of the ease of access of indigenous plants that are used to make medicine. For this reason, forests especially those in Amazon region are preserved by the traditional healers.
Food
In Colombia, cuisine consists of a wide variety of things and is highly influenced by the regions. In addition, meals differ according to classes, for example, the low class with low income eat imbalanced diet consisting of a lot of carbohydrates and panela; a brown sugar. However, for a typical middle class family, the foods eaten include Spanish and indigenous menus.
There are three meals in a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each meal is described according to the size and not the content. Breakfast is usually light. In the rural, this is not always the case. They take a heavy breakfast consisting of variety of proteins such as fried eggs, beans, pork and other type of meat as well as carbohydrates. Lunch is the main meal in Colombia.
It thus consists of a substantive amount of food. It consists of soup, main dish, a drink and finally a sweet dessert. In the evening, they take dinner that is light. It consists of soup, main dish consisting proteins and carbohydrates. It is then accompanied by fresh fruits.
There are other special foods eaten during certain times. Ajiaco and pastels are meals taken during religious holidays. Ajiaco is made up of stew consisting three types of potatoes, corn and chicken. They also include avocado, cream and capers. Their favorite drinks include beer and coffee. In rare cases they use milk and wine. It is also evident that Colombians are not vegetarians and their diets are dominated by meat.
Food is prepared by women. Moreover, formal dining etiquette is observed. For example hands should be seen while eating and not to resting elbows on the table during meal time. Using utensils and trying everything served as well as not picking your teeth at the table are also table manners observed.
It is also good manners to avoid speaking while eating. However, if one has to speak then the talk should be pleasant. It should give people appetite to eat. In addition, blowing your nose and clearing your throat at the dining table is regarded as bad table manners.
Holidays and Celebrations
There are many holidays celebrated in Colombia. The national holidays aim at promoting the country’s history as well as its culture and diversity. In addition, there are religious holidays celebrated countrywide as national holidays.
Among the religious holidays observed are Christmas on 25th of December, Immaculate Conception on 8th of December, Easter on April, All Saints Day on 1st of November and Epiphany on 6th of January. Saints feast days are also observed. They can be at national level or at the local level.
Important national holidays include its independent day on July 20th in which they celebrate attaining of their freedom in 1810. Some heroes are also celebrated nationally. For example Battle of Bocaya on August 7th. During this holiday they celebrate their hero Bolivar who defeated the Spanish (Blossom 13).
Apart from the national and religious holidays there are other holidays that Colombians celebrate. The popular holidays are those to do with Feminine beauty such as crowning of the Miss Colombia on November every year. Also sports events such as Reinado de Belleza are valued by Colombians citizens. There are regional holiday that are usually associated with culture.
They include Carnaval of Barranguilla, the festival of the Devil in Rio Sucio, the Medellin flower fair and Cartagena International Caribbean Music Festival. Holidays in Colombian culture are very important because they ensure continuity of culture. During these days, the children are able to learn what is valued in their society hence upholding it.
In addition, the culture of togetherness is instilled into younger generations in which the put their differences behind and share and celebrate. During this day the Colombians share their cultural foods and other special foods for the occasion.
Values
Values are acceptable behaviors in a given community. In Colombia values are emphasized in all aspects of life. Everybody is expected to carry him/herself in the most desirable manner. Colombians believe in communal way of living.
For this reason anything affecting one of them or a group of people affects every one of them. Individualism is thus not acceptable. The whole society is thus responsible for molding one another’s trait and attributes up to desired level.
The most important and desired attributes entails respect. Social interaction among people should be formal and at the same time be respectful. Children are taught from the childhood to respect their parents and elders. It is also good manners to accord every individual respect according to their roles in the community. For example, women are valued and given special attention among the Colombians.
Sharing is another desired value among the Colombians. This is evident during the festivals in which people meet and share meals and gifts. Moreover, children are taught to be obedient to elder people. Religiousness is another value that is upheld in Colombia. People who are devoted to their religion are seen as important and desirable. The respectful nature of Colombians enable them to watch self and others personal space.
This is even applicable to strangers. Though values may differ from one country to another or from one region to another, in the world, regarding other people as human beings is the most important value. This translates to respect and other human virtues. It is undesirable to be individualistic and to think about self only. People should live together as brothers and sisters helping and valuing one another.
History and Timelines
Colombian culture stipulates that history and timelines be passed from one generation to another (Davis 189). It has thus established its own way of doing it. History and traditions are passed to the young people through various ways. The mothers are expected to be the first people to pass history and traditions to their children. In other words, as children grow they are taught their history and what their society value by their mothers.
History and traditions are also passed from one generation to another by use of art. The various Colombian art exhibit the rich culture of that country and that by exposing the young to this art, they expect them to learn and have knowledge on it. The three categories of art; literature, graphic and performing arts are exposed to the young for them to appreciate.
Through reading, visiting museums and listening to music, the young learn and adopt their traditions. In addition, the young get to know their history and traditions during initiation ceremonies. For example during religious rites such as baptism, the young are given mentors or godparents who are supposed to teach them about life. Moreover, they learn other things, history and traditions being among them.
This is further upgraded when the young go to school to get formal education. At school, they can learn what the society requires of them. Moreover, they learn about their forefathers and their origin.
Cultural understanding differs from scientific facts in a number of ways. Cultural understanding is basically taught at home through informal way of learning. It is also learning by virtue of being in that particular environment.
Moreover, it is only believed and in most cases, there is no proof about what people value as truth. This is not the case with scientific facts that have to be learnt in formal setting and can be proved in the laboratory.
Education
Education is a key aspect in Colombian society. Both traditional as well as modern society value the importance of education. Education in this case refers to both formal and informal education. Formal education is emphasized by the government. Primary education is therefore free and compulsory for every child.
Establishment of secondary vocational schools and universities is one of the priorities of the Colombian government. The formal education provided is however different. There is public education that is mostly acquired by the low class level people.
Private education is mostly accessed by the upper and middle class people. In addition, it is found in the urban and the big cities. Formal education favors education that lead to professional jobs such as law and medicine (Smith 228).
Informal education is mostly provided at home. The methods used include teachings through parents and other elderly people in the society. Religious leaders also play a big part in giving education to the young generations. At home, the education entails learning customs and values of the society. Moreover, the roles to be played in the society by individuals are learnt at home.
Mothers in particular teach their children what is expected of them. The culture of Colombians influences education between genders. The boys are favored more than girls. The education given to boys aims at making them the leaders and bread winners in the family.
Girls on the other hand are taught to take care of the family. Gender difference is not only pronounced in the informal education but in the formal sector also. For instance in the public schools, boys and girls are always separated. In general therefore, the education in Colombia is provided with an aim of improving the lifestyle of people as well as maintaining their culture.
Arts and Music
Art is one of the outstanding features of Colombian culture. It is thus not only supported by individuals and regions but also by private organizations. Many organizations take pride in their country’s art and thus associate with it always. For example organizations such the Bank of Republic of Colombia, Tobacco Company in the country and Telefonica Foundation have been found to support art greatly.
Moreover the government through its ministries support and promote art in Colombia. They do so by preserving the museums, theaters and libraries.
In addition, they give education on the importance of art. National Museum of Colombia and institute of culture are among the art institutions supported by the government. The graphic art artists are supported by various organizations through contracts to decorate cities and other properties (Bagely 77).
The forms of art that are highly valued include literature, graphic arts and performing arts. The three categories of arts portray the history and culture of Colombians. Music in Colombia exhibits the rich culture in the country. It is also diverse due to different regions in the country. Colombian music and dances include Vallenato, Currulao, Bambuco and Guabina.
The Colombians advocate art and music to their children. They consider art that express their culture and history as the appropriate for their children. This is because they will revive it and pass it from one generation to another.
In addition, they advocate for music and art that have appropriate theme and teachings to their children. They prefer Arts that will improve their morality and behaviors and not that which corrupts it. The Colombian children are advised to appreciate arts that will contribute to their education about life.
Expectations and Aspirations
Colombians expectations and aspirations differ according to classes. People in the upper and middle class exhibit more of foreign culture than native one. Parents in these classes therefore discourage assimilation of their children to other minor culture in the country. On the other hand, parents in the lower class encourage their children to marry from other dominant classes.
This is with an aim of improving their condition. In addition, the formal education influences people to join the dominant language and dialect. For example people from the rural want to be associated with Spanish which the official language. With modern education, English is taking over as an international language. For this reason, many people are being assimilated into it.
Though many parents are allowing their children to learn and associate themselves with the dominant culture, language and dialect, they do not allow them to be assimilated fully. They expect their children to retain their cultural backgrounds.
More so they encourage them to borrow what is the most important aspects of these cultures, language and dialect. Children are further expected to up hold their cultural values especially those that concerns good moral behaviors.
More to the formal education they get, they should take informal education along with it in order to build their character and personality. This is because the formal education is seen as contributing largely on the professional goal rather than on life values.
For example the children are expected to maintain values such as respect for elders, parents and one another. Respect in this case refers to speech, way of dressing and even the way they carry themselves around.
Conclusion
Colombia is famous for many things including it geographical location. Its culture however has seen it stand out among many other countries. Its study therefore, not only equips people in terms of knowledge but also contribute greatly to other factors.
Study of Colombian culture helps people who wish to do business in the country, those who are planning to tour or as well to relocate. Understanding their culture thus is the most important step established towards better relations whether in business or personal life
Works Cited
Bagely, Bruce M. “The Society and Its Environment.” In Colombia: A Country Study, 1990.
Blossom, Thomas. Narino: Hero of Colombian Independence, 1967.
Davis, Robert H. Historical Dictionary of Colombia, 2nd ed., 1993.
Smith, T. Lynn. “The Racial Composition of Colombia.” Journal of Inter-American Studies, 8: 213–235, 1965.
Williams, Raymond L., and Kevin G. Guerrieri. Culture and Customs of Colombia, 1991.