Festival Experience, Essay Example

One thing that particularly struck me at the festival was the authenticity of the whole experience as if I was actually in a Hispanic society. There was no shortage of Hispanic cultural artifacts such as music, food, and cultural costumes. Many boys were dressed as Matadors while little girls were dressed in ruffled dresses. Some other children were dressed as Native Indians. I also could not help but notice that many families visiting the festival also included elderly people and it was apparent these elderly people lived with their extended families.

The experiences at the festival have helped me confirm many beliefs I had about Spanish culture. First of all, Spanish culture still places huge emphasis on extended families and older people continue to reside with their adult children. This probably means Spanish culture is quite collectivist in nature as opposed to individualistic cultures in many western countries including the U.S. The fact that many children were enthusiastic participants also showed that Spanish take huge pride in their cultural achievements and children are introduced to cultural experiences at an early age including active involvement in festivals. It is probably important to Spanish that their children retain their distinctive cultural identity even if they grow up in predominantly non-Hispanic culture. I also noticed that festival participants made heavy use of body language and gestures in communication processes which shows Spanish cultures tend to be high-context in terms of communication style.

As far as Spanish food is concerned, I saw many food items with beans. Before this, I used to think beans is a major staple only in Mexico and certain Latin American countries but now it seems it is an important food component of almost every country in Spanish-speaking world. Overall, this festival confirmed my beliefs that family and community are still vital components of Spanish cultures and Spanish take great pride in preserving their traditional arts.