What is culture? A simple question with a complex answer. Merriam-Webster defines it as “the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties, especially by education.” Oxford calls it “the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.” Two almost completely unrelated answers, to define just one word. So which is it? An education, or a characterization?
Culture can be used to convey so many different affairs, but I have found that it is quite difficult to depict culture itself. Perhaps it is the chanting to the Guru of the Baisakhi rituals in India. Or maybe it is the “saffron, garlic, and basil mixed with the sweet smells of pepper and the smell of salt on the breeze” found in Turkey. It could just be the floats of the Virgin Mary and her Son, gliding through the dark, lamp-lit streets of Spain at night during Semana Santa, or “Holy Week.” Culture is the heart beat that keeps the body of a society alive. Culture is what defines an assimilation of people who strive to find the zest of life in their daily manners and rituals. Every area maintains culture. Every place subsumes culture. Every person embodies culture. Whether it is in the type of clothes that they wear, the music they listen to, the varying holiday traditions they partake in; it is all part of their culture. And that’s just what culture should be. Deliciously zesty, or banally bland. Clamorously loud, or serenely quiet. Vibrant with energy, or mellow and tranquil. Contrasting. Colorful. Inconsistent. That is culture.
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