Each country has its own gloriously weird cultural traditions. They seem entirely normal to the local population, but visitors might be taken aback by some of these things. When drinking with a group of people in Germany, it’s considered slightly rude to not touch glasses with each new drink, while making eye contact. If you immediately pick up your glass and start slurping without observing this tradition, it’s believed that you’re doomed to seven years of bad sex. If you lose a loved one, it feels like a part of you is gone, and a small tribe in Indonesia turns this feeling into something literal. It’s traditional for women to cut off a segment of their finger when a member of their immediate family passes away. Cuba is not without its own unique cultural traditions, and being aware of them before you go means you’re more likely to feel like a local. So what are some of these Cuban traditions you need to know?
Fenced properties are rare, even in the more rural parts of Cuba where people don’t live in apartment buildings. Fences are generally more practical, and when you see them, they’re there to keep animals in, rather than people out. Being open and hospitable is one of the Cuban traditions that has been ingrained in the national psyche. In smaller towns you will see that many people don’t even close their front doors, meaning their friends and neighbours can visit whenever they want.
The importance of the Church in daily life has shrunk in Cuba since the revolution, which is the case with most socialist countries. There are plenty of stunningly beautiful churches to see, and worshippers can certainly practise their faith without fear or prejudice, but Cuba is not so religious for a country with that many churches. When it comes to funerals, religious services are in the minority. Most funeral services are humanist/secular, where the deceased is remembered for their service to Cuba’s socialist dream.
Don’t be alarmed if when walking the streets of Havana, you see two men (or women) having a passionate, fiery argument. They’re unlikely to start punching each other, but intense arguments are one of those Cuban traditions that visitors might need to get used to. These arguments are a form of expression, and can be easily seen amongst Cubans watching a sports game. It’s fascinating to watch if you have the opportunity – two (or more) people will argue until they run out of breath, and then they simply shake hands and walk off.
Cuban weddings might be held in a church, but are generally not religious in nature. As in most parts of the world, a Cuban wedding can be rather expensive, especially when you consider that most Cubans earn an average of USD $20 per month. Weddings are important, and families save for a long time to have the best day possible. Guests are expected to help chip in when it comes to the honeymoon, and it’s a Cuban tradition for male guests to have a dance with the bride, and then pin money to her dress.
When meeting someone for the first time, you might want to address them in a more formal manner, by addressing them as Mr Jones, or Mrs Smith, or whatever the case might be. This is also the case in Cuba, where you can address someone as Señor Jones or Señora Smith, but there is another option. As a remnant of Cuba’s revolutionary past, you can also address someone as “comrade.” So feel free to say hello to Compañero Jones or Compañera Smith. While younger Cubans might invite you to call them by their first name, it’s considered more appropriate to use formal titles when speaking to someone older than you.
Are you a hugger? Greeting someone is something that differs in each country, and Cuban traditions have their own code for this. When meeting a male, it’s considered polite to shake his hand when saying hello and goodbye, and when meeting a female, a kiss on the cheek is standard. Two people who know each other quite well will generally hug when they see each other.
Even if you’ve had a fantastic past 12 months, there are probably some regrets – some bad things that have happened. A New Year’s celebration in Cuba includes a symbolic “death” of the bad things that have happened in the last year. It’s a Cuban tradition to set fire to an effigy – a large human shaped doll. As it burns away to nothing, the unpleasantness that it represents is banished to history.
8. CUBAN TRADITIONS FOR NAMING BABIES
There are common names in most cultures, and while there might be five men named John at your office, this is less of an occurrence in Cuba. Certainly, traditional names are popular, but it’s also common for parents to make up names for their children. These can be hybrids of names of the newborn’s family members, or it might be an entirely invented word. These “new names” can be difficult to pronounce, so brace yourself when you go to Cuba, since you might be meeting people called Odlanier, Aledmys, or Usnavi.
In Cuba paid maternity leave is available for one year for either the mother or the father. Mothers have right to an additional three months of unpaid maternity leave.
Perhaps one of the most beautiful Cuban traditions is the importance of the written word. Cuba has an extremely high literacy rate (99.8% of the adult population), and writers are seen as true visionaries, capable of seeing the world in a way other people cannot. One of the most celebrated heroes of the Cuban Revolution was in fact a poet, José Martí. If you’re in need of a mental and spiritual (and ego) boost, perhaps you could move to Cuba and write a book? Cuban writers have received many important prizes such as Cervantes (Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Dulce María Loynaz, Alejo Carpentier) and Juan Rulfo (Cintio Vitier, Eliseo Diego). Also, Cuba hosts one of the most important Latinoamerican literature awards – Casa de las Américas’. Some other relevant international writers incidentally were born in Cuba because their parents were traveling in Cuba at the time such as Italo Calvino and Anais Min. Hemingway got his Pullitzer prize with a novel inspired by Cuba: the old man and the sea. Hemingway wrote his most important books in Cuba, the ones that led him to being awarded a Nobel prize that he donated to Cuppers Sanctuary in Santiago de Cuba.
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