My CultureEuropean Vol. 01 HeritageEuropeanMonth D&I Newsletter | August 2022 AssimilationCultural in FestivalsEuropeanAmerciaBooks,Podcasts,andMore
My CultureEuropean European Heritage Month
Forholiday.thepast 15 years, our family spends Christmas dressed in onesies, reindeer outfits, elf suits, and ugly sweaters. It’s now a full-blown tradition, even when we go out for dinner.
Mostly for our family it’s about the food. Our background includes Ireland, England, the Netherlands, and the Cherokee Nation. So with that, we prepare and remember our history with food such as Shepherd’s Pie, Yorkshire pudding, sausage rolls, popovers, English trifle, bread pudding, and various fresh vegetables roasted and cooked rustic style. And of course, turkey and slowsmoked ham over a fire, depending on the
Chris Starkey - Recovery Operations Manager
European tradition still practiced: My family observes the Christmas holiday through the Feast of the Epiphany or through 1/06. It is customary for Italians to take a longer Christmas holiday that follows “Christmastide” during the Catholic liturgical calendar. So an extra week of fun.
Something unique: Italian coffee culture considers milk in coffee a no-no after 11 am. Cappuccinos, caffe lattes or latte macchiatos are best ordered in the morning.
Something admired: I love the 14th-century figures of the Italian Renaissance. Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, was the first Italian to publish a major work in the vernacular language and not in customary Latin. Travis Bongiorno - Recovery Agent
There is a fairly famous scene of Dick Van Dyke Morris Dancing in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
British tradition passed down through my family: Although I was not born in Scotland, I come from a Scottish family and consider myself a Scot. The one tradition my family has always had is for the men at Scottish weddings to wear a kilt. A Scottish wedding is where either the bride or groom are Scottish or from Scottish heritage (associated with one clan or another). I was married in a kilt and have worn a kilt at many weddings. Ferrie does not have its own clan name or tartan, but it is part of the Ferguson clan.
John Ferrie - IT Director
European Heritage Month
Something about our culture that is not widely known: At large gatherings like fairs and such, Morris Dancers usually perform. This is a form of folk dance and is always accompanied by folk music. The dancers wear bells on their shins and usually dance with sticks, swords, or handkerchiefs.
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Something I admire about my culture: I’ve always admired the British stoic sense of perseverance. Our “Keep Calm and Carry On” attitude is not just a motivational poster or thought, it’s actually part of our psyche! It goes right along with the British “Stiff Upper Lip”. This is a mindset I have always taught my daughter about.
Immigration to the U.S. in the Late 1800s
Between 1870 and 1900, the largest number of immigrants continued to come from northern and western Europe including Great Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia. But "new" immigrants from southern and eastern Europe were becoming one of the most important forces in American life.
The title itself is a mouthful. Our definitions of cultures are often used interchangeably with ethnicity or race. While it does involve race in its definition, Merriam-Webster denotes a culture as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. This is the definition I am referring to for the purposes of this article.
Cultural Assimilation in America
European Heritage Month
By Kimberly Fields
While sharing a continent, the two ethnicities had practices that may have differed from one another at that time...and still do today.
For many reasons, Europeans migrated to the modern-day United States of America. By the 1500s, the French and Spaniards began to mark their territory by way of settlements. As you could imagine, while sharing a continent, the two ethnicities had practices that may have differed from one another at that time and still do today. Cooking is a perfect
becamethebecameborrowingmodificationandItalian,andAsexampleofadifferencebetweenthem.moreEuropeansfilledAmericaovertime,theybecamemoremorealike.ThedivisionbegantoblurbetweentheIrish,Dutch,Britishandsoforth.Whatbegantakingplace,stilloccurs,isacculturation.Acculturationisaculturalofanindividual,group,orpeoplebyadaptingtoortraitsfromanotherculture.Inasense,AmericaRome.Astheoldadagegoes,“WheninRome,doasRomansdo.”Well,itdidn’tstopthere;theEuropeans“Romans.”
Europeans began to assimilate. They took in so much of each other’s cultures that
newseeminglydifferenttotoimmigrantsandtooktooccurrencedecisionThiswereSomeEuropeanoforinsteadEuropeanuncommontheyactuallybecameoneanother.Itisnotnowtohearapersonofdescentidentifyas“White”ofItalian,Greek,Irish,Hungarian,anotherethnicity.Therebecamealossidentitythatcontinuestothisday.Allculturesislumpedintoone.traditionsanduniquecharacteristicslostovertimeduetoassimilation.isnottosaythatitwasaneasyoradesiredresult,butitwasanthatmorethanlikelytookplaceincreasesocialacceptance.ItnotonlyplaceamongEuropeanimmigrantsrefugees,butamongstmostandrefugeeswhenrelocatinganothercountrywheretheywouldlikebeaccepted,notjudgedforbeingbyother’sstandards,andhaveaeasiertimeadjustingintheirhome.
Jay Patel, writing on behalf of the Department of English at the University of Maryland, talks about immigration, atandidentity.toinitial“Toassimilation,acculturation,andculturalidentityinhisarticle,AssimilateortoAcculturate.”Hepointsoutthatwhileassimilationmaybebeneficialinallowingimmigrantsfitin,italsocausesthelossofone’suniqueculturalHetalksabouthisownexperiencesofassimilatingwhathegainedhowever,hisculturalidentitywasplacedthewayside.Henotes,
“While primarily assimilation leads to a loss of cultural identity, it can also have severe bybecomingtotheirtobutbestmightAteffectspsychologicalontheimmigrant.first,assimilationappeartobethechoiceforimmigrantseventually,theycometermswiththelossofowncultureandbeginseethecostsofoverinfluencedtheAmericanway.”
individual'sfollowedleisureincludeA.andIntheirassimilationamongwithinrelationshipsPatelgoesontomentiontheimpactofculturalassimilationonwithfamiliesinhomecountriesandevenfamiliesAmerica,asassimilationcreatesalargegenerationalgapimmigrants.Youngergenerationsseemtoembracethewhileoldergenerationsworryaboutpreservingtraditions.ascholarlyarticletitled,“Migration,CulturalBereavementCulturalIdentity,”writtenbyDineshBhugraandMatthewBecker,Bhugranotesthat,“componentsofculturalidentityreligion,ritesofpassage,language,dietaryhabits,andactivities.Religiousritualsandbeliefs,evenifnotasanadult,makeupakeycomponentofanculturalidentity.” "...eventually, they come to terms with the loss of their own culture and begin to see the costs of becoming over influenced by the American way.”
Let’s first identify and begin to acknowledge your cultures. Immerse yourself in your culture and learn some things you don’t already know. Immersing yourself could simply be a walk down memory lane, talking to older family members about family traditions that have been passed down or finding out what they know about your descendants and home Readingcountry. books, doing some research, watching documentaries, traveling home, and attending events related to your culture are also things you can do. how do we preserve cultural identity while still being acceptedsociallyornot seen as an odd ball?
So
Embracing your culture and sharing it with others can change your social construct and your feelings about who you are and how others view you. It is perfectly fine to not be like everyone else. In fact, it’s a good thing to be Whiledifferent.weallshare our American culture, we all have individualities that make us and our cultures unique, and that is certainly something to celebrate. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/u-s-immigration-before1965#:~:text=By%20the%201500s%2C%20the%20first,Jamestown%20in%20the%20Virginia%20Colony. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acculturation https://www.britannica.com/topic/assimilation-society https://english.umd.edu/research-innovation/journals/interpolations/spring-2012/assimilate-or-acculturate https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414713/
European Festivals
An annual Danish festival celebrating the Christmas season with wine, beer, tree lighting, a parade and live entertainment! Solvang is a city filled with Danish culture and was founded by Danish-Americans. If you can’t make the festival, take a trip to enjoy the city.
https://www.solvangjulefest.org/
While there are quite a few held in the US, this one is a pretty popular one. It is located in Crownsville, MD and is underway right now! It resembles 16th century England and has entertainment of that time period like jousting and sword swallowing. There are 19 dates and 19 chances to go back in history. Get more information here.
JuleFest in Solvang, CA
European Heritage Month
Maryland Renaissance Festival
https://rennfest.com/
Could I really leave this one off of the list??? It’s a college kid’s dream come true! (sorry college parents). There are many opportunities nationwide to celebrate, but you can stay home this time if you’d like. Triangle Oktoberfest takes place in Cary each year and is the largest in Central NC. If you want to travel, head over to Hickory, NC the second week of October for this three-day event. It is one of the most popular Oktoberfest in NC. Both have authentic German food, beer, games and other entertainment sure to please a https://downtownhickory.com/oktoberfest/crowd!https://triangleoktoberfest.org/ inspired-festivals-in-the-us/https://www.roamright.com/travel-insurance-blog/discovering-european-forthefirst4events.
Polish Film Festival in America in Chicago, IL
This annual event has been taking place since 1989 and is a pretty big deal. I’ve gone a few times on field trips and the movies are great for those who are ok with subtitles and/or are into documentary style movies. You can view one movie or get a festival pass. Takes place in November and would make a great Fall break trip!
https://pffamerica.org/en/ Maifest Chicago Maifest has passed for the year, but you can plan for next year in case you really want to go back to Chicago. Traditionally, it is a German celebration of the arrival of Spring. Along with the tradition, it is also a promotion and celebration of Chicago’s German heritage and benefits several German charities during this four-day fest. Like what you are reading? Find out more info here
http://www.mayfestchicago.com/ Oktoberfest
TimesandNostalgia,Culture:Heritage,OurAccelerated by Davis Berliner
BOOKS
European Heritage Month
Seeking Sicily: A Cultural Journey Through Myth and Reality in the Heart of the Mediterranean by John Keahey
Losing
An American in the Making: The Life Story of an Immigrant by Steven G Kellman
Accidental Immigrants and the Search for Home: Women, Cultural Identity, and Community
Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook by Vicky Bennison
Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child & Jacques Pepin Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
PODCASTS STATUS PODCAST PIECES PODCAST Top Podcasts on European culture, heritage, and history. EUROPEEASTERNTASTING PODCAST AMERICANITALIAN PODCAST ARE EUROPEWE PODCAST HISTORYTHE OF POLAND PODCAST EXPERIENCEWINESPANISH PODCAST
DOCUMENTARIES AND MOVIES Journey to America 1989 Documentary The Fourth Partition 2013 Documentary An American Pickle 2020 HBO Feature Film Avalon 1990 Feature Film Liberty: Mother of Exiles 2020 HBO Documentary The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999 Feature Film European Heritage Month
A Smith Debnam D&I Committee Publication
