FAMILY: The family dynamic is a traditional one where the husband supports the family and makes all the important decisions. The wife is the caregiver, maintains the home and emotionally the mother's the bedrock of the family. While religion is important, it is not the glue that holds the families together. It is strong emotional ties bind families together. Venezuelan families tend to stay near each other, with extended families living close by.
DATING AND MARRIAGE: For the most part, when it comes to dating the men do all of the chasing and women play hard to get. Dating couples do not show a lot affection in public to be respectful of others. There are still a lot of old traditions that clash with cultural reality when it comes to marriage. Venezuelans have open marriages. "There are few legal restrictions as long as the person marries someone of the opposite sex and of legal age. In actuality, however, there are several concerns regarding whom one should get involved with, particularly in terms of class and racial distinctions. It is expected and predominant that people marry others of their same or higher social class standing—including racial status as well. The ideal is generally to marry somebody "whiter" or at least of the same racial status; the opposite, although not completely rare, is seen as going against the norm." http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Venezuela.html#ixzz3BAMmySAp .Most marriages are performed by the catholic church, and some celebrations can last for days. New traditions are emerging where the wives are going to work and the children are being cared for by grandparents or other relatives.
SPORTS AND RECREATION: Venezuela has traditional pastimes such as Toros Coleados (which is a style of bullfighting in which the bull is thrown from the tail). Also, Venezuelan citizens enjoy watching and participating in baseball and football (soccer). Players have been recruited to play in the Major League teams of the United States of America. Venezuela is a tourist destination because the climate is tropical and it has a long stretch of beach (approximately 130 miles long). There are museums and historical landmarks to visit. For thrill seekers who have money to spend, the white water tributaries of the Orinoco River is available for rafters and kayakers. Mountain climbers can climb the various mountain ranges and there is a ski resort at Cordillera de Merida.
THE ARTS: Venezuelan's art is a mix of pre-colonial and colonial styles which include paintings, fine arts, literature, music and dance. Some of the famous artists are: Teresa de la Parra, Arturo Uslar Pietri, Gego, Armando Reveron, Artuo Michelena, Jesus Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz Diez, Marisol Escobar, and Yucef Merhi.
HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS: During Christmas Venezuelan families serve hallaca (a type of dumpling with cornmeal dough, meat, raisins, capers, and olives) and tizana (a fruity drink). There are five important festivals which involves a lot of colored decorations and a lot of lights. They are: The Procession of the Lady Shepherdes, The Carnival in Venezuela, La Paradura del Nino, Drumming Feast of St. John, and The May Cross Celebrations. The biggest festival that occurs is "Carnival". Carnival is celebrated in the month of February 40 days before Easter Sunday. Carnival lasts for four day with a variety of activities including water balloon fights, but also the chance to wear new outfits. The town of El Callo is the popular place for tourists to celebrate Carnival.
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS: Dancing is very popular custom in Venezuela. Gaita is traditional music played mostly at the festivals. Joropo is the national music, but the most popular music and dance is Salsa. Another custom is time verses relationships. Punctuality is not as important as people and relationships, and it is not uncommon for people to be late for any function. Grooming and appearance is very important. They prize physical beauty, are very interested in fashion, and are very concerned about their outward appearance. Venezuelans are outgoing and extroverted in their behavior. For the most part, Venezuelans eat a large breakfast, a large lunch and a small dinner.
Sources for this page: 1. www.everyculture.com › 2. https://www.cia.gov/.../the-world-factbook 3.http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english.html 4. http://www.intercultures.ca/ 5. www.swyaa.org/ 6. www.family.jrank.org 7. www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk 8. www.venezuelareport.com/ 9. http://www.britannica.com/ 10. www.safaritheglobe.com
DATING AND MARRIAGE: For the most part, when it comes to dating the men do all of the chasing and women play hard to get. Dating couples do not show a lot affection in public to be respectful of others. There are still a lot of old traditions that clash with cultural reality when it comes to marriage. Venezuelans have open marriages. "There are few legal restrictions as long as the person marries someone of the opposite sex and of legal age. In actuality, however, there are several concerns regarding whom one should get involved with, particularly in terms of class and racial distinctions. It is expected and predominant that people marry others of their same or higher social class standing—including racial status as well. The ideal is generally to marry somebody "whiter" or at least of the same racial status; the opposite, although not completely rare, is seen as going against the norm." http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Venezuela.html#ixzz3BAMmySAp .Most marriages are performed by the catholic church, and some celebrations can last for days. New traditions are emerging where the wives are going to work and the children are being cared for by grandparents or other relatives.
SPORTS AND RECREATION: Venezuela has traditional pastimes such as Toros Coleados (which is a style of bullfighting in which the bull is thrown from the tail). Also, Venezuelan citizens enjoy watching and participating in baseball and football (soccer). Players have been recruited to play in the Major League teams of the United States of America. Venezuela is a tourist destination because the climate is tropical and it has a long stretch of beach (approximately 130 miles long). There are museums and historical landmarks to visit. For thrill seekers who have money to spend, the white water tributaries of the Orinoco River is available for rafters and kayakers. Mountain climbers can climb the various mountain ranges and there is a ski resort at Cordillera de Merida.
THE ARTS: Venezuelan's art is a mix of pre-colonial and colonial styles which include paintings, fine arts, literature, music and dance. Some of the famous artists are: Teresa de la Parra, Arturo Uslar Pietri, Gego, Armando Reveron, Artuo Michelena, Jesus Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz Diez, Marisol Escobar, and Yucef Merhi.
HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS: During Christmas Venezuelan families serve hallaca (a type of dumpling with cornmeal dough, meat, raisins, capers, and olives) and tizana (a fruity drink). There are five important festivals which involves a lot of colored decorations and a lot of lights. They are: The Procession of the Lady Shepherdes, The Carnival in Venezuela, La Paradura del Nino, Drumming Feast of St. John, and The May Cross Celebrations. The biggest festival that occurs is "Carnival". Carnival is celebrated in the month of February 40 days before Easter Sunday. Carnival lasts for four day with a variety of activities including water balloon fights, but also the chance to wear new outfits. The town of El Callo is the popular place for tourists to celebrate Carnival.
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS: Dancing is very popular custom in Venezuela. Gaita is traditional music played mostly at the festivals. Joropo is the national music, but the most popular music and dance is Salsa. Another custom is time verses relationships. Punctuality is not as important as people and relationships, and it is not uncommon for people to be late for any function. Grooming and appearance is very important. They prize physical beauty, are very interested in fashion, and are very concerned about their outward appearance. Venezuelans are outgoing and extroverted in their behavior. For the most part, Venezuelans eat a large breakfast, a large lunch and a small dinner.
Sources for this page: 1. www.everyculture.com › 2. https://www.cia.gov/.../the-world-factbook 3.http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english.html 4. http://www.intercultures.ca/ 5. www.swyaa.org/ 6. www.family.jrank.org 7. www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk 8. www.venezuelareport.com/ 9. http://www.britannica.com/ 10. www.safaritheglobe.com