Cuba Culture

Due to the 400-year stay of the Spanish people in the island, Cuba's culture has morphed into a predominantly Spanish one.Machismo and respect for women, which are similar to the Spanish core values, are very important proofs of this. However, given the fact that it has been a trading country with relations to other European countries like Britain and the Americas, there are also aspects of culture that resemble these countries culture. Despite this, however, there are still aspects that were maintained by the Creole people, who are the original inhabitants of the island.

The Spanish in the culture

Though most people recognize the Rastafarian nature of Cuban music, the bigger part of this aspect is actually Spanish in nature. It is a fusion of percussion and string sound from the creatively made drums of the Creoles and very sweet sound of the Spanish guitar. This made the Cuban traditional songs, both lively and mesmerizing.

Another influence of the Spanish people in the culture of Cuba is the religion. The country assimilated Catholicism and most celebrations in the catholic calendar are important festivities in Cuba as well. For instance, feast days of saints are dates marked in the Cuban calendar and usually the days when Cuba is good to visit.

The American side

As the country also dealt with America, there are also elements of culture which were originally from that America. Brought by American dockworkers, the sport commonly played in Cuba is baseball. Although Football is now gaining popularity, baseball remains as the favorite sport. The one, which for some reason, helped the country be freed from Spain.

The Creole

Apart from the sound of percussion in the music, the Creole contributed to the language of the country. The originally Spanish traditional dialect was replaced by Haitian Creole language, which is used until today.