HispanicheritageessayOA

Have you ever thought about what culture is? Culture is who you are and where you come from. Where you come from is very important it describes who you are, and why you do the things you do. For example, I am half American and half Puerto Rican. I started learning more about my culture when I moved in with my aunt and uncle four years ago. One of the first things I learned was about the Three Kings who bring gifts to the children like Santa Clause in the U.S.

One of the things that is very important in Puerto Rico is religion. Most of the Puerto Ricans are Catholic, but they welcome all religions. In their religion they give small credit to Latin and African-Americans. Sacred days are very important they dance, sing, play music, and drink. Some sacred days are private these includes baptisms, weddings and ceremonies. A historical holiday is called a home fiesta and is celebrated at home with close friends and family. There are some events that are fun and they are public to everyone those are called public fiestas. These fiestas are usually celebrated in honor of patron saints or music festivals. (Countries and thier Cultures). When Ponce de Léon came to Puerto Rico in 1508 he brought many Roman Catholic priests. They preached to the community and started doing baptisms in 1511. The percentage on Roman Catholics in Puerto Rico today are about 75 to 85 percent. Today in every town in Puerto Rico there is a church as its main focus. You can go into the church and you probably won't miss all the women kissing the dress that is worn by a statue of Mary. You will also see them praying and lighting candles in the church. Some Puerto Ricans practice different, but unique religions like one for example is called Espiritísmo this combines Catholic and Indian beliefs which I think is pretty cool. There are also things that stores sell that are like good luck charms for different things like love or success. These things include plants, roots, candles, and jewelry. Another religion is called Santería it was brought to Puerto Rico by Yoruba African slaves. This religion believes in many gods too. In Puerto Rico this religion is practiced a lot. ( "Puerto Rico Facts )

I interviewed my uncle who was born in Cuba, raised in Puerto Rico, and has been living in the U.S. for the last 34 years. Since I have been living with him and my aunt he has taught me about my Hispanic heritage. Some of the things he said were that culture is a way of life of a group of people. They are beliefs and values that are passed along from one generation to the next. He says family is one of the most important things. He mentioned that family may seem like a very simple concept, but in reality there is not a simple definition for it. A family is a group of people who share a legal bond or a blood bond. Education is very important in our family he said that it is the only treasure that no one can take away from you, it gives you independence from others. Another important thing in our family is religion we do actively participate in our religion. My uncle says that religion is the thread that keeps us together. He always teaches me and my cousins different things about our religion and tell us stories of how things used to be when he was growing up.

Another thing that is important in our family is meals together. My uncle said the most important meal of the day is dinner because it gives us the opportunity to sit down together at the end of the day. We can pray together and give thanks to the Lord for all the things he has given us. We also take this opportunity to talk about what is going on in our lives; that is why this meal is most important to our family. My uncle says that success is having a steady job and being able to provide for your family and I agree with him.

I have learned a lot about my heritage and I believe that is very important to learn more about it. Even though I am afraid to go on a plane I am excited about going to Puerto Rico this summer. I am also excited to see all the amazing things like the iguanas, beaches, food, and attractions. This is my opinion on why we should keep Hispanic heritage alive. In your life you can lose almost everything, but the things I guarantee you will not lose are your customs, heritage, and traditions. Our family makes a great effort to make sure we know about our traditions, language, and customs and hope that we will do the same with our children. (Torres, Carlos)

"Countries and Their Cultures." //Religion and Expressive Culture //. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2015. .
 * Awesome source for beliefs and religion.

Culture,Eating,Economy,Events - CountryReports." Country Reports,Family,Fashion,Gender Roles,Geography,Government,History,Language,Maps,n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <[]>.
 * This site is useful because this gave me lots of useful and unique facts about Puerto Rico. This cite was verified by the country reports.com

"Puerto Rican Identity,n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <[[[]>.,n.d]]. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
 * Great source of information

"Puerto Rico Facts,& Religion - Moon.com." Moon Travel Guides. N.p.,20 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <[]>.
 * I think this is a useful website because it was written in March, 2013 it was written by Suzanne Van Attem who was born in Puerto Rico so she has expirence. Torres,Carlos. "Hispanic Heritage." Personal interview. Apr.-May 2015."Countries and Their Cultures." Religion and Expressive Culture.

"Torres, Carlos" "Hispanic Heritage." Personal interview. Mar.-Apr. 2015.