American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States
American culture incorporates the customs & traditions of the United States. “Culture includes religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe to be right or wrong, how we sit at tables, how we greet visitors, and how we greet loved ones.
And a million other things,” said anthropologist Christina De Rossi of Barnett and Southgate College in London.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the United States is the third largest country in the world, with a population of over 332 million. A baby is born every 9 seconds, and a person dies every 11 seconds.
Apart from Indigenous Americans who were already living on the continent, the population of the United States was built on immigration from other countries.
According to the Census Bureau that, a new immigrant moves to the United States every 666 seconds.
Because of this, the United States of America is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, according to The London School.
According to the Library of Congress, almost every region of the world has influenced American culture, mainly since the English colonized the country in the early 1600s. A
merican culture has also been shaped by the various cultures of Indigenous Americans, Latin American, African, and Asian peoples.
According to Golden Beacon USA, the United States is sometimes described as a “melting pot”, with different cultures contributing their own distinctive “flavours” to American culture.
Just as cultures worldwide have influenced American culture, American culture influences the world today. Western culture generally refers broadly to the cultures of the United States & Europe.
The way people “melt” in the USA is different. “Different groups of immigrants integrate differently,” de Rossi told Live Science.
“For example, in the United States, Catholic people Spanish-speaking peoples communities may keep their language & other cultural family traditions, but are integrated into the urban community & have adopted the American way of life in many of the other ways.”
The Northeast, Midwest, South, Southeast, and Western regions of the United States all have different traditions and customs. Here is bit brief overview of the culture of the United States.
Language
According to the U.S. government, the United States has no official language. While almost every language in the world is spoken in the United States of America, the most commonly spoken non-English languages are Spanish, Chinese, French, and German.
U.S. Ninety-nine percent of the U.S. population speaks and understands at least some English, and most official businesses are conducted in English. (American Culture)
Some states have official or preferred languages. For example, according to the Washington Post, English and Hawaiian are the official languages in Hawaii.
The Census Bureau estimates that more than 350 languages are spoken in the United States itself. The Bureau divides those languages into the four categories: Spanish; Other Indo-European languages, including German, Yiddish, Swedish, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Hindi, Punjabi, Greek, and many more.
Asian and Pacific Island languages include Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Tamil, and others.
There is also a category for “all the other languages”, and that is for the languages that do not fit into the first three categories, such as Hungarian, Arabic, Hebrew, the languages of Africa and the languages of the native peoples of North, Central and South America. (American Culture)
Religion
Nearly every known religion is practiced in the United States based on religious freedom. According to information collected in 2017 by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research group, nearly 70% of Americans identify as Christian.
The research also found that about 24% had no religious affiliations, and about 6% of the population comprises non-Christian religions.
The number of people without religion seems to be decreasing. According to the Research Center, this category is expected to decline from 16% in 2015 to 13% in 2060. (American Culture)
American style
Clothing style varies according to social status, region, occupation & climate. Jeans, baseball caps, cowboy hats, sneakers, and boots are some clothes associated with Americans.
However, there have been many other styles through the decades, with Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Victoria’s Secret being some of the best. Are from the -a famous American brand.
According to Statista, American fashion is widely influenced by celebrities and the media, with U.S. clothing and accessories sales amounting to US$24 billion in 2019.
More and more Americans are buying the fashion, electronics & more online. According to the Census Bureau, in the third quarter of 2021, U.S. Retail e-commerce sales totaled $214.6 billion. (American Culture)
American food
American cuisine was influenced by Europeans and the Native Americans throughout its early history. Today, many foods are commonly identified as American, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and meatloaf.
According to the Smithsonian, “As American as Apple Pie” refers to something authentically American, regardless of its non-American origin.
There are also cooking styles and types of foods specific to the region. Southern-style cooking is often called the “American comfort food” & includes dishes such as fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas & cornbread, according to Southern Living.
Tex-Mex, popular in the Texas and the Southwest, is a mix of Spanish & Mexican cooking styles and includes items such as chilli and burritos, and relies heavily on shredded cheese and beans, according to Culture Trip.
Jerky, dried meats served as snacks, is also food made in the United States, according to NPR. (American Culture)
Art
The United States is also known worldwide as a leader in mass media production, including television and films. According to Select USA A, the United States comprises a third of the worldwide media and entertainment industry and is worth $717 billion.
According to PBS, the television broadcasting industry tightened its grip in the United States in the early 1950s, and American television programs are now shown worldwide.
The United States of America also has a vibrant film industry centered in Hollywood, California, and American films are famous worldwide.
According to Forbes, the U.S. film industry earned a record $100 billion in 2019 before it collapsed in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
However, the art culture of the United States extends beyond films and television shows. According to Arcadia Publishing, New York is the home of Broadway, and Americans have a rich theatrical history.
According to the Museum of Folk Art, American folk art is an artistic style recognized by quilts and other hand-crafted objects. American music is diverse, with many types, including rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, country and western, bluegrass, rock ‘n’ roll and hip hop. (American Culture)
Play
The United States is a very sports-minded country, with millions of fans following football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, among other sports.
Baseball, which developed in the Colonial America & became an organized sport in the mid-1800s, is America’s favorite pastime. However, Harris Poll said its popularity was eclipsed football over the past three decades. (American Culture)
American holidays
There are many holidays celebrated only in the United States of America. Americans celebrate their independence from Britain on 4th of july. Memorial Day, celebrated last Monday in May, honors those who died in military service.
Labor Day celebrates the country’s workforce on the first Monday of September. Thanksgiving, another typical American holiday, falls on the 4th Thursday in November & dates back to colonial times to celebrate the harvest.
Presidents Day, marking the birthdays of George Washington & Abraham Lincoln, is a federal holiday that occurs on the third Monday in February.
Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 to honor the contributions of veterans. The gift of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered on the third Monday in January.
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