Jamaica
Come join us! 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Weather and Climate
During the dry/ warm seasons there is heavy precipitation with 75% chance of thunderstorms, 15% moderate rain and 11% light rain. While in the cool seasons there is only 6% chance of thunderstorms, 55% moderate rain and 36% light rain.
Characteristics
The city of Kingston is the biggest city in all of Jamaica facing a natural harbor. It was founded in July 1692 after a major earthquake destroyed Port Royal. As time went on Kingston became the biggest trading city in Jamaica.
Hope Gardens serves as a national attraction. It is about 2,000 acres of land making it the largest botanical garden in the Caribbean. Hope Gardens is situated at the foot of the
Blue Mountain. In the past it was used as a crop testing facility for plants like cocoa, coffee, tobacco, and pineapple.
Culture
In Jamaica, the main language spoken is English. There is a creole language named Jamaican Patois which derived in the 17th century when African slaves were exposed to different forms of English. Patois is the combination of the African language and the English language they were exposed to.
Folkways
There are many folkways in Jamaica. One of which is, in marriage, the spouse is made by choice and not arranged. It is common to get permission and approval by the family members of the spouse. Secondly, When addressing someone it is important to address them by their honorific title (Mr., Mrs., etc) and their surname. Along with this folkway there is a smaller one attached to addressing someone this way. One has to get permission to call one by their first name. Lastly, status is respected. They refer to higher authority by commonly using the terms bossman and bosswoman.
Food Taboos for children
Daily Taboos
In marriages, if anything is broken at a wedding it is believed that the marriage will break apart too.
Values
As in many cultures, it has been a rule to respect your elders such as teachers, ministers grandparents etc. They impose the values on the children while they grow up in the communities. This is helpful for keeping the some of values the same from generation to generation while the the younger generations are changing.
In Jamaica it is common for the city of Kingston to have different morals and values of those in the country. As for working, jobs, status and home life can differ between city and country.
Subcultures
The Rastafarian believe completely in living off the land 100% of the time. They do not believe in going to the hospital when sick or scientific medications. To heal wounds they would take "sacred herbs" and chew them or rub them on their skin.
To the Rastafarian, everyone is equal and they have a strong standard of not discrimination. Along with little to no discrimination, the Rastafarian believe styling hair to look good is vain and unacceptable, hence the dread locks. Dread locks are part of the natural lifestyle in which they do not cut or chemically treat the hair.
Going against the most traditional taboo in Jamaica, the Rastafarian have a huge belief in the act of smoking marijuana. They believe it helps them live the calm, non-aggressive and stress free life.
Reggae music has helped the Rastafarian people express their values and beliefs. The most commonly known Rastafarian is Bob Marley, and in our society today, Snoop Dog, now Snoop Lion, has announced taking up the Rastafarian lifestyle and experiencing their non-aggressive life style.
Rude Boy
The Rude Boy subculture originated in the poorer parts of Kingston, associating with violent youths. The rude boys started wearing sharp suits and thin ties with trilby hats. Their fashion style helped create the image of American Jazz. Our American outlaw and gangster films helped contribute to the advancement in the Rude Boy style.
Cultural Landscape
They have added many United States fast food restaurants to accommodate and attract tourist that want fast and easy food. Along with making fast food accommodations with food they have created many new tourist spots for a change in attractions. These cultural landscapes have added to Jamaicans economy, and allowing them to add more.
Cultural Diffusion
With many Jamaicans migrating to the UK in the 1960s they experienced many different kinds of music along with reggae. Reggae was the popular music of the time and when they migrated back to Jamaica, they brought reggae back along with them.
Just a simple thing such as human migration, we bring over multiple foods, resources, jobs, employment, sports and many other things.
Home of Usain Bolt
Cultural Changes
Along with smoking, homosexuality is being accepted more and more as the generation goes on.
Further back in history, the slave trade contributed to a lot of cultural changes. The cultures of slaves coming to and from many countries contributed music, jobs, resources, languages and many more. Each region that passed through may have contributed to the culture they have now.
Resources
"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Jamaica. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"Jamaica - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette." Jamaica. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"Jamaica Weather & Climate." Jamaica Weather, Temperatures. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"Jamaican Living." : Jamaica's Cultural Landscape. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"You've Just Watched." The Daily Meal. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.