I had the pleasure to talk to Guillermo Gonzales from San Salvador, El Salvador this week. We discussed the similarities and differences in his culture in El Salvador compared to my culture in Puerto Rico. One of the social norms in El Salvador different from the US is that house rules are traditional. The women buy the food, cooks dinner, and takes care of the children. Also, there are significantly more challenges for women to get high profile jobs. The men go to work and provide financial support for the family. The women are in charge of the home. Another social norm Guillermo noticed that people in the US care about their personal space. In contrast to Spanish speaking countries, people communicate with each other with more physical contact. Greetings involving kissing in the cheek and hugging is more common.
Holy Week in El Salvador
The most important holidays in El Salvador are Semana Santa or Holy Week and Christmas and New Year’s. Holy Week is a Catholic celebration in which is a time for Salvadorians to reflect and pray, as well as to have fun and be with the family in larger gatherings. There are several religious parades and ceremonies throughout the week which is exactly how I celebrated Holy Week in Puerto Rico. On Friday we fast and do not consume meat and eat only seafood during this time. Everyone attends the procession in the streets around the city and until it concludes in the cathedral for mass. Guillermo and I noticed during Holy Week both in El Salvador and in Puerto Rico from Thursday to Sunday that schools are closed, and almost all businesses are closed and it is treated as a national holiday unlike Holy Week in the U.S.
Pupusa is the most well-known traditional Salvadorian dish.
El Salvador’s ground plantains dessert. Puerto Rican Pastelo, a lasagna ground plantains with beef.
In El Salvador and in Puerto Rico the celebrations during Holy Week includes parties in the streets, live music, and traditional foods. In El Salvador, Guillermo ate empanada de leche or menudo, sopa de pata, and sweet potatos with honey. However, in Puerto Rico, there is shrimp, arroz y habichuelas (rice and beans), and bacalao a la vizcaina (codfish stew). Likewise, the main difference between El Salvador and Puerto Rico when it comes to Christmas and New Year’s celebrations is the food and the music. In El Salvador, turkey, tamales with chicken and vegetables, pupusas, and pasteles is commonly served. In Puerto Rico, it is tradition to eat almoabanas (cheese ritters), arroz con gandules (Rice and pigeon peas), bacalaitos fritos con bacalao guisado (Salt Cod Fritters with Cod Salsa), guineos en escabeche (pickled bananas), mofongo con salsa de tomate (mashed plantains with tomato sauce). Ground plantains is a dish that in El Salvador is made as a dessert while in Puerto Rico is cooked and added to the main course meal. The music is also different. In Salvadorian parties, you will primarily listen to cumbia and merengue counter to salsa and reggaeton in Puerto Rico. Even though we both come from Spanish speaking countries we found more differences than similarities in our culture. We speak the same language but in different dialects have distinct vocabulary influenced by their different cultural history and experience.
Merengue style of music
Cumbia style of music
I found your comment about Holy Week very interesting. I think an integral part of any religion is looking back and reflecting. Yet, the best part about these holiday events are spending time with your family. A couple holidays in my religion are also geared toward the inclusion of the family and spending time with each other.
I really like how you touched on how in other countries a lot of the popular holidays are religious in nature. Growing up catholic in the continental United States I have always wanted to see major holidays celebrated in catholic majority countries where the holiday is ingrained in the culture much like El Salvador. I found it interesting how you contrasted the foods of Puerto Rico and El Salvador and the similarities and differences. I have Caribbean food before but I believe it was mainly Jamaican.