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The Spanish culture is colourful, rich and mysterious. The culture is a result of its geographical location and the people who influenced the area and is a mix of Greek, Roman, Muslim, Phoenician and North African. The location on the Iberian Peninsular which is shared with Portugal and the access to the south and Mediterranean has enabled trading links to these areas and has lead to many diverse influences on Spain and its culture.

Bullfighting is probably the most well known of Spanish traditions and culture that shows the influences that other peoples and races have had on the country. Bullfighting was brought to the Iberian Peninsular by the Phoenicians and Greeks and was then over time adopted into the Spanish culture. Important changes in bullfighting occurred in AD711 when the North African Moors moved to the area of Andalusia. The sport was which originally involved men on horses fighting bulls gradually changed to fighting without the aid of horses. The Moors also changed the bullfight from a sport to a more ritualistic event as is evidenced today in the modern bullfight.

Spanish culture is famously linked to the Flamenco dance style. Flamenco or passionate Flamenco originated in the area of Andalusia and was a traditional gipsy dance.

Artists have also famously impacted on the culture, including El Greco, Diego Velasquez and the 20th century masters as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Spain has also had modern influences and the guitar, the main instrument of modern pop music was developed in Spain when a sixth string was added to the Moorish Lute.

Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?Spanish-Culture&id=886456

The Distinguishing Features of Ancient Chinese Culture

• A Long History with Good Recording of History
  Chinese culture has a recorded history of 5000 years. These 5000 years can be retraced in ancient books.
• Rich Contents
  Few people have realized that the traditional Chinese culture is actually not one culture but a conglomeration of many cultures of different tribes and different periods. For example, Buddhism was not a native religion of China. It spread into China from India through West Asia. Many West Asian tribes were believing Buddhism. They were defeated by the Turkic tribe and then started to immigrate into China. They brought Buddhism into China. Buddhism later became one of the major religions of China. The Chinese land was governed by different tribes in history. However, unlike other colonizers, the different governors in China’s history did not destroy the mainstream Chinese culture. They accepted the culture and language, and enriched the Chinese culture by adding contents from their own culture. The ancient China might be the most multi-culturalized country in the world. With all these enrichments, every aspect of Chinese culture, including the food, clothing, or drama, religion etc, has got very rich contents.
• Semi-divine Culture at the Early Stage
  At the early stage of Chinese history, Chinese culture was a semi-divine culture, in which divine beings were living together with humans and teaching culture to humans directly. Chinese people who lived at the Kun-lun Mountain survived the Big Flood. So Chinese culture had a continuous development from the Pre-Big-Flood period. The most profound parts of Chinese culture, such as I Ching, Ba Gua etc, actually were inherited from the Pre-Big-Flood period.
• Unique Language
  Chinese characters are imitations of object shapes, while other language of human kinds are mostly symbols to describe pronunciations. The language has become very meaningful after every word being explicated by all the persons and events that have happened in the long history.
• Now A Buried Culture
  The current governing Communist Party took power in China in 1949. It turned out to be the only governor that has committed a total destruction of Chinese culture. Now in mainland China, the school text books and media are filled with Communism contents. The real traditional Chinese Culture is not there in China’s mainstream society. We can only try to find the real Chinese culture in ancient books.

In summary, the Chinese culture is a big hidden repository of treasures that is to be discovered and restored.

Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?Chinese-Culture—A-Conglomeration-Of-Multiple-Cultures&id=1142713

There are many cultures we are aware of today, the United States is a nation of many ways of life. The word culture focuses on society and its many members and all from one single ‘biological” species. There are 6.2 million people living on earth today.

The differences in how people live may not be very important, where-as New Yorkers wear conservative business suits. Many cultural differences are quite profound. Like for instance; some people have many children, and others have few; some honor the elderly, and others push them aside; some are peaceful, other warlike; and people have many distinctive religious beliefs as well as many ideas about things we might class a “rude or
Polite”

Therefore, culture is the value, beliefs, behavior of material objects and people that put together many cultures and way of life. We look to the word society as a people who interact in a certain place and different culture.
Culture shock; is a personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life. Different from what we thing and know; only humans rely on culture rather than instinct to ensure the survival of their kind, in short, only humans rely on culture and ways of life

Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?Cultures&id=248232

United States is a country that completely represents the western culture. Such culture existed in this country since time before it was recognized as a country. United Stated culture was mainly influenced by the British Culture in the beginning. British colonization resulted in the expansion of English language and legal system. Other European parts are also held responsible for influencing the cultural aspects of the country. Immigrants in a large number from the European countries like Ireland, Germany, Poland and Italy also brought about vast culture development in different parts of the United States.

And of course, the Native Americans, Immigrants from western Africa and younger generation America also share the influences on the culture in USA. The perception about United States being a melting pot is gradually diminishing as the recent academic opinion seems to talk in favor of cultural diversity. It is rather being recognized as salad bowl instead of melting pot. The unique point about the American culture is that has got subculture within it. Northern European culture is the strongest agent that has influenced the American culture—Germany, Ireland and England are the most prominent ones.

Hollywood is the biggest medium that forms the part of cultural entertainment. Many world famous studios of motion pictures are available in the American state of California. Hollywood movies star are the most popular faces in the world of entertainment. Various other means of entertainment like drama, theatre, music shows, games and several others contribute effectively in the development of cultural integration in the country.

Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?Culture-in-USA:-Taking-the-Road-to-Diversity&id=342614

‘Culture shock’ is a term used in differing contexts, occasionally with different meanings. However, when used with reference to relocation it refers to the process of coming to understand and adapt to differences in culture manifest through daily interaction and situations.

Culture shock is a process that affects people of different walks of life. EFL teachers, managers, sportsmen and children all deal with culture shock as part of international relocation. Learning to recognise it and its effects is a useful means of minimising any negative side-effects of relocation.

Relocation abroad is a huge step. The changes and contrasts in the simple things such as the language, food, TV, weather, shopping and socialising are only a small part of the relocation process and culture shock. It is often the deeper differences in customs, mentality, world view and interpersonal interaction that have a more profound effect.

Experts have identified varying stages of culture shock. The most common stages of culture shock one faces with relocation abroad are:

Stimulation – the first stage of relocation is commonly full of hope and excitement. Culture shock is kept at bay due to a positive outlook mixed with an enthusiasm for the relocation. Interaction with the host culture is primarily passive.

Culture Shock – at this stage of the relocation people start to interact with the host culture actively, either through work or in day to day situations. The differences in behaviour combined with the stress of adapting to a new daily routine leads to a dislike and criticism of the host culture. Symptoms of culture shock start to appear such as homesickness, boredom, lethargy, irritability and hostility to the host culture.

Adjustment – after the initial settling-in period, an understanding and empathy with the host culture starts to develop. People feel more comfortable with their routines and surroundings. A working knowledge of the language begins to be used actively.

Enthusiasm – the relocation is now a distant memory and the host country becomes ‘home’. The effects of culture shock lessen as a genuine enjoyment of the new location develops. Elements of the host culture’s behaviours and mentality are adopted. Rather than criticise, certain areas of the host culture are preferred to the native culture.

Prior to relocation, it is important for individuals, couples and families to learn as much about the new host country as possible. If this is not done through a relocation briefing, then personal research should look at the subject of culture shock and areas such as the people, culture, social norms, religions, language, food, entertainment and accommodation. Good preparation can go a long way in readying for and dealing with culture shock.

Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?Culture-Shock&id=11776