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Salvadoran Culture
Family Life
From our perspective, families in El Salvador are much closer than families in America. We often hang out together, and we have a responsibiility to take care of each other. The roles of men and women depend on the particular family situation. In some families, women must always listen to the men. However, in many other families, the women live without a male partner. Since there are more male than female Salvadoran immigrants in the U.S., a lot of women must take care of their children and their household all by themselves. Similar to the U.S., children often tend not to listen to their parents as they get older. Children leave home when they feel that they are ready to take care of themselves. In fact, it is common for people to live on their own, either through choice or necessity, when they are only 15 or 16 years old.
Beliefs
Religion is a big part of the lives of older Salvadorans, but it is losing popularity among the younger generations. Older people tend to go to church more than younger people. The Catholic Church has traditionally been the most important institution in El Salvador. Currently, about 58% of the population is Catholic, while between 21-35% is Protestant. There are many private schools which teach religion along with other subjects.
Language
Spanish is the major language of El Salvador. However, the Spanish that is spoken in El Salvador is somewhat different than the dialects in other countries such as Mexico. Some words actually have different meanings. There are still some native languages, but since the native population has decreased, these languages are unfortunately becoming lost to most Salvadorans.
Dress
Salvadorans dress the same as people in the U.S. People in rural areas might wear clothing that is more suited to the physical labor that they have to perform. Since the temperatures are much warmer than in New York, our clothing is designed to keep us comfortable and cool. Guyaberas are a type of shirt that is worn by men on special occasions. Traditional dress for women includes embroidered shirts and skirts.
Food
Salvadorans eat lots of beans and rice. Tortillas are eaten often, as are beef and pork. Pupusas (tortillas stuffed with beans, cheese, and meat) and pasteles (fried pockets of cornmeal stuffed with meat) are very popular. We use hot peppers and hot sauce to season our food. We eat several types of produce which we cannot find here, such as jocotes, a dark red fruit. In El Salvador there are many kinds of mangos, such as apple mangos, but in the U.S. we can usually only find one variety.
Recreation
In El Salvador, children often hang out in the parks. We play soccer and fly kites for hours. This is one of the things that we miss the most since coming to America. Salvadoran women like to watch novellas, or Mexican soap operas, on television. Salvadorans listen to cumbia, which is a combination of many different styles of music, such as salsa and hip hop.
