Ethnicity designates one’s racial, national or cultural origins (Matsumoto et al., 2013). The relationship between nationality and ethnicity bring into light customs and traditions. Like the United States, Jamaica is ethnically diverse; in part, this is due to the history of this nation. The origins of Jamaica trace back to slavery days when the British parliament and the Spanish rule governed the country’s agriculture. When the wealth of the country was recognized, other nations wanted to embark on this prosperous opportunity. Therefore, a diverse array of ethnicities still remain in the country today. We can expect to see Chinese-Jamaicans, European-Jamaicans, Spanish-Jamaicans, French-Jamaicans, African-Jamaicans and Indian-Jamaicans living in different parts of the …show more content…
The British custom of tea-sipping and soup slurping is an intricate part of this West Indian culture. The Chinese brought rice to the country which is a huge staple in Jamaican Cuisine. Any curried meat is a flavor of cooking that was adopted from the Indians to enhance the Jamaican tradition. While the Spanish, French and Africans brought in the various religious practices to the island. Thus, the blend of the many differing cultures unified the culture of Jamaicans. As a Jamaican living in the United States, I still practice and incorporate most of the culture today. The religious practices from the European and Africans are a part of my current practice of Christianity. As far as the cuisine, I maintain my culture by cooking and baking dishes that include curry, rice, soup and desserts.
In conclusion, culture can be defined in a number of ways. National pride and ethnicity play a huge role in unifying a country and creating cultures. Underneath cultures arises the customs, traditions, and beliefs of a particular society. These factors are how one identifies themselves. Without understanding who you are and where you’re from, you cannot identify yourself as an affiliate of a particular