
Culture refers to the total way of life that is
learnt and shared by any society. It is the combination
of the arts, customs beliefs and institutions
created by a group of people at a particular time
and place which forms part of our cultural heritage.
Our cultural heritage
includes everything that has been handed down
to us by our ancestors that continues to affect
our patterns of behaviour and the way we live.
However, for a thought or action to be considered
cultural, it must be commonly shared by some population
or group of individuals. It includes the way we
dance or sing or play music. It is the way we
speak, the expressions and the languages we use.
It is the special foods we cook, and the way they
are prepared. It is the stories that we tell or
write about ourselves and the land around us.
It is the toys and handicrafts we create, the
way we build our homes and the traditional methods
we use to fish or farm. Our culture is made up
of all these things, it even includes the way
we enjoy ourselves. A great aspect of our culture
is our folklore such as; Clowns,
Moko-Jumbies, Masquerade,
Bull, and Actors.
All come on display in the tremendous exuberance
at Christmas time during our carnival to entertain
and educate the community about our culture.
|