| Jamaica Culture| Culture in Jamaica |
 |
 |
 |
|
Jamaica is a very diverse country. The island houses within its walls many different cultural mixes. Thus, Jamaican culture is as diverse as the people that live in it. While many Jamaican traditions have been passed on to the new generation, the mix included the culture of the recent immigrants. These mixes have made Jamaican culture unique in many respects. While there are Jamaicans that tried to keep their traditions and culture alive, the mixes made it quite unique. Cultural Heritage Because of the immigration of diverse nationalities like Spanish, European, Middle East and even Asian, the diversity in culture have made the unique Jamaican culture somewhat brassy banter. However, if one would stay longer in the island, you would understand that this brassy banter characteristic of the Jamaican culture is just as normal as that of Spanish and Europeans and other cultures that wants to keep their traditions alive. Jamaican Language Many Jamaicans while using English as their national language play with the words that end up somewhat different. The combination of languages made the Jamaican English somewhat a play of words. The mix in the Jamaican language includes Spanish, African, some Irish, British and American English. The mixes made the idioms and grammatical composition in the Jamaican language somewhat different in many respect. You might also expect some people to speak their native Taino tongue and some Rastafarian. While there are differences in words or grammatical composition, you may not get lost in speaking to a Jamaican. The language makes Jamaican culture unique. However, it is not only in the language that the Jamaican culture is defined. The music and dances in Jamaica is likewise a unique characteristic of the Jamaican culture. Jamaican Music The mot popular music in Jamaica is Reggae. In fact, reggae has earned popularity not just in the island but in the world as well. Reggae made one of the sons of Jamaica, Bob Marley has been known worldwide. Music in Jamaica is categorized in three different types: dance, religious and work and entertainment. The music in the dance category is performed with traditional moves. These traditional moves pertain to the occasion or event being celebrated. Because dances are for specific occasions, the costumes play a big role in the definition of the music and the dance. Religious music has the influence of island’s religions such as Kumina, Pocomania and Rastafari. The dance is a form of worship performed during rituals. These music and dances are performed generally during vigils and religious services. Finally, the work and entertainment music are more rooted on the old generation of Jamaicans. The music is more on the slavery type where messages and gossips are coursed through songs. If you are looking for the Jamaican culture manifestation, you cannot look only in one direction. Jamaicans have made sure that while there are cultural mixes in the island, they would be able to keep their tradition and culture alive. Brassy and banter as you might think it is, but it is their way to preserving the unique Jamaican culture. |