It’s easy for people to forget where they come from and for some, continuing old family traditions is a way to stay in touch with their culture.
Alma Garcia, 39, understands what it’s like to keep her culture alive and strong in her home.
“I arrived from Guadalajara, Mexico, in the U.S when I was 15, in 1989,” she said.
Traditional dishes like tamales, tacos, chili, and pan dulce are often prepared and enjoyed by her family. Also, Garcia’s family, including her children, speak Spanish.
Besides language and food, Garcia’s family also celebrates holidays that are of her culture. “There’s Day of the Dead on Halloween to remember family that have passed over. Three King’s day on Jan. 6 is another holiday we celebrate.” Garcia’s career has also been influenced by her cultural upbringing.
“Coming from a humble family, it was always my dream to be the first to finish high school and have an actual career.”
Luis Peralta, 22, is an automotive technnology major at Bakersfield College. Peralta’s family is from Monterrey, Mexico and he is the first out of his family to attend college. Besides traditional Mexican dishes, Peralta says he and his family enjoy drinking
Tequila- with an agave worm in it. “After the whole bottle is drank, you eat the worm and you chew it.”
Christmas and New Years are celebrated a little differently in Peraltas home. Instead of celebrating Christmas on Christmas day, Peralta’s family celebrates Christmas eve and it’s the opposite way around with New Years. “We celebrate New Years on the first, instead of celebrating on New Years Eve like some people. I know of many other Mexican family’s that do as well.”
Culture is incredibly important and necessary in peoples lives. Culture gives people a sense of identity and a feeling of belonging.
There’s meaning in every family tradition, and it’s valuable. If we all lost the knowledge of our cultures, there would be no individuality and we would have no pride in where we came from.
Keeping your culture alive in your home isn’t just a fun thing to do, but it’s also smart.