Traditions in the Culture of Mexico

Mexico is very a unique country compared to her North American neighbours. It has the most unique traditions regarding family life. Beliefs, expectations, systems of individual and societal conduct are so unique and cherished by most Mexican. Even a Mexican would take it as you are from a different earth. Mexicans are known to be keen in keeping ties in extended families and other relations as they attach great meaning to family matters.

Mexican family life is directed by the fine old policies. This entails assigning gender sensitive duties to different family members. A male member's role is to maintain and provides protection to his wife and family as a whole whereas the woman dominates the homestead front by handling all domestic chores. Adultery is considered a social norm for male members of a family. Abuse, both emotional and physical, is part of life. In general wives are expected to tolerate this treatment from their spouses, and many of them take it as an acceptable behaviour.

A mother is usually given the responsibility of sustaining  the household and taking care of the children, who will in turn come revere her, while dreading their dictatorial father .Girls in the family are strictly controlled and under constant surveillance by parents and other family members until the day they get married. Children often live with their parents until they get married, even if they remain single until their thirties or later. The family divisions remain closely associated often with grandparents, uncles, aunts, and children all living under one roof or within in the same area.

As a matter of fact, with the explosion of modern culture, this is getting atypical and frequently becoming lesser. It is getting more influence from other cultures like American. American culture continues to shape Mexican way of living and eroding the traditions which are hitherto getting outdated. Over the past few decades, these typecasts have began to significantly fade with time. Men have the characteristics of machismo boasting with pride and self-belief in front of their families. Mexican family way of living is displayed by the various dealings that the men engage themselves in.

Considering the many culturally important events that Mexicans perform annually we obtain an idea of how regularly they get together as families. They are fairly religious and they hold significant sacred events throughout the year on which the families come together to enjoy themselves. In a speedy paced life, Mexicans appear to be more reluctant in attitude by the ways of getting things done. This is because of the fact that their societies are held together by family bonds, beliefs and tradition.

Their character of hospitality sets them apart. You will find a typical Mexican on the streets to be friendlier as your folks would be to you. They appear to care for others with love, admiration and solemnity. As long as you are courteous of their local culture they will receive you with open arms and demonstrate to you what best they have to offer. What is considered as very significant is the exchange of proper greetings in the social circles. Handshakes are considered as being the pattern of salutation and before even trying to ask a question or favour it is advisable to exchange greetings and shake hands. It is more important to address all members of a group as an individual than greeting a group in the combined sense which is considered as both laziness and rudeness (Natella 108).

Family life in the culture of Mexico is given the first priority as compared to the traditions in the American culture where family is usually comes second. Children are distinguished and privileged in the culture of Mexico, but in American culture they have minimal parentage and they independent. In Mexican culture, a wife fulfils familial role, as compared to American culture where she often attend to more than a role. Mobility is more controlled in Mexican tradition culture as compared to American culture where mobility is fashionable.

Unlike in the American culture where citizens have pride in their economic sovereignty, Mexican culture still values community in its cities and schools as well as its organizations. The anticipation of working and socializing jointly is an important constituent of society, and has its foundation in the strong bonds formed in the families. Even police officers of lowest rank readily accept bribes from people who are wishing to evade a night in prison, unlike in American culture where it is extremely unacceptable (Natella 126).

Important similarities in these two cultures are that, a family's role is to care, socialize and build up an individual character. How a person behaves and what he or she become in various stages in life is dependent in his or her family life. In Mexican as well as American culture, a family's role is to care for and protect young children and other vulnerable members of the family. The children are more often than not closer or dependent on their parents and their siblings in contrast to other members of the family.

Children who are raised in a proper family environment and who fit in a family with good ties are nearly always happier in life. Therefore one cannot contradict the significance of family life. It brings about good behaviours for a better life. This prevents cases of waywardness. It also helps an individual in setting goals in life when he has a good life in family. The role of family is also essential to people as it is the part of life which has more impact on us as in comparison to any other. The way a mother cares for children is really the deciding feature of what those children will be like as individuals when they grow up (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel 55).

Unlike in Mexican culture, American culture has a family unit which encourages independence and slacken off the blood ties. Family unit is usually considered the nuclear family and is characteristically small. People in American culture are proud of their personal accomplishments, inventiveness and success, and do not share those resources with other family members. America culture comprise of other different unique subcultures.  This is because American culture includes tradition, standards, conducts, beliefs, values, arts and modernization developed both locally and imported through colonization and immigrants from other countries (Abazov 184).

 This may suggest about the role of family life in various cultures combined together. Increased family movement and modernization has vastly blurred family roles in different cultures.  So the role of family life in various cultures is being redefined. Like now, the role of the mother whose role was that of a housewife and in charge of the children, has changed to formal working (Wheatley 23).

Almost all the societies in world have unwritten social build and values concerning the appropriate roles of each family member, even though there are individual differences in all societies as to have the same opinion or not to this roles. For example, most of the women in almost all cultures today disagree with the mother's place as in the home and consider it better for the woman to be educated and working.