LANGUAGE

Spanish is the official language and is spoken by virtually all inhabitants. Some indigenous people speak their native tongues such as nahuatl.

Nowadays El Salvador is characterized by its peculiar way of speaking since it uses different language, and I do not mean Nahuatl, rather it is language acquired as a slang (Special linguistic modality of a certain social or professional group whose speakers use only in how many members of that group)

For example :

1. ¿Qué onda, bichos?

Rough English translation: What’s up, guys?

2.Púchica!

Rough English translation: Shoot! [Can also be used as a positive exclamation when impressed.]

3. Ta’ chivo, ¿vá?

Rough English translation: It’s cool, isn’t it?

4. Cabal.

Rough English translation: Exactly.

5. ¿Onde está el bolado?

Rough English translation: Where is the thing?

6.ACHIS: Salvadoran expression that highlights that a

particular situation, which causes amazement or does not

interested, scared or not accepted

7. Dar en la nuca:

Compromising situation that denotes stabbing

by the back

QUEZALTEPEQUE

 

Etymology:

Quezaltepeque means “City of Quetzal”. “quetzal” is a bird and national symbol of Guatemala and “tepec” that means mountain or community.

Colonial period

According to bishop Pedro Cortés y Larraz by 1770 Quezaltepeque was called “San José Quezaltepeque” and it had a population approximately of one thousand people and they were all crossbreeds.

Central American federation

During this time Quezaltepeque was a town joined to “Opico’s party”. In 1832 Quezaltequeque leaves Opico’s party to join to San Salvador’s party. In 1839 San Salvador became in “Distrito Federal de la República Federal de Centro América” so Quezaltepeque was included too.

A municipal report  dated in 1860 tells: “This town is growing in buildings and population because it has two thousand nine hundred ninety five inhabitants, a church almost finished and a cloister, a school in the same conditions, three hundred thirteen houses, five valleys named Realengo, Potrerillos, Aposentos, Macanse y García, three manors Atapasco, Tacachico and Tutultepeque”.

Titles:

Quezaltepeque gets its title of Village in 1890. The tile of City is gotten in 1905.

Famous people from Quezaltepeque:

·         José Rutilio Quezada: writer, botanist and entomologist. 

 

ALEGRÍA 

Downtown

Alegría in the past were two populations called Tecapa and Zapotitán respectively who where dived just by a street.

Etymology:

Alegría's lagoon

Tecapa comes from “tec” means stone and “yapa” that means river or lagoon to form “tecapa” “lagoon of stones”. Zapotitán comes from “zapot” that means “zapote”, a fruit and “titan” that means “place between” to form “place between zapotes”. 

Colonial period

According to Manuel de Gálvez Corral by 1740 Tecapa and Zapotitán had thirty 8 and thirty seven heads’ families respectively with populations around one hundred ninety people for Tecapa and one hundred eighty seven for Zapotitán.

Nineteenth century

In 1824 The Department of San Miguel was created, Tecapa and Zapotitán are included in its geographical area.

Around 1837 or 1838 the priest Don José Miguel Alegría came to Tecapa and founded a philosophy school were he taught for more than twenty years. This priest was recognized in 1857 by the government because of his service to the town.

Usulután is created in 1865, Tecapa leaves San Miguel and became part of the new department but Zapotitán is not mentioned again because the twin towns became one.

Other facts:

Tecapa - Alegría. The change in town’s name is proposed by a disciple of priest Miguel Alegría, who was a congressman called Leandro Guzmán, in 1891 the proposal is approved. This proposal was approved because of the great service

Titles of village and city:

Alegría's lagoon 1915

Alegría gets its title Village in 1874 because of their growing, five years later got the title of City.

Famous people from Alegría:

·         Alberto Masferrer, thinker, journalist, professor, sociologist, writer and politician. 

TRADITIONS OF EL SALVADOR

The traditions are: Beliefs trasmitted generation by generation.

Remember: Traditions are thoughts and practices, handing down from generation to generation.

*Celebrate the Holy Week. (The people prepare a colored Wood dust carpet in preparation 

for good friday procession in San Salvador).

*Celebrate Christmas and new year

*Celebrate Independence Day( September 15th).

*Celebrate San Valentine's Day.

*Celebrate Mothers Day.

*Celebrate Father's Day.

*Child Day.

* Celebrate the carnival of San Miguel city.

*Cross day.

*Fireballs in Nejapa city.

* Celebrate

festivities of the town in honor of our patron Saint.

THE COSTUMS 

The customs: Are way of behaving or doing something.

The main customs of El Salvador

* Go to the beaches on Vacation.

* Make tamales at the end of the years or when is the last novena prayer of a person who has died.

* Eat pupusas with fingers without using fork.

* Make and raise piscuchas or comets in October or November,  when it is windy in El Salvador.

* Go to the festivities of the town that are call them " fiestas patronales". Here you can find mechanical games ( known as "ruedas").

*Typical candies ( known as "conserva") and typical craft.

Salvador have many legends for example:

El padre sin cabeza,  la siguanaba, el cipitio, el cadejo, la carreta chillona and among others.

The different traditional play in El Salvador

*Arranca cebolla, (pull the onion).

*Tripa chuca, (dirty guts).

*Capirucho.

*Trompo and Chibola

.

These games are usually played by children.

TYPICAL FOOD

The tipical food.

-pupusas

- empanadas

- tamales

-pasteles

- enchiladas

- chuco

- nuegados

-chilate and among other typical food.

SALVADOREAN SIMBOLS

Bird: Turquoise-browed Motmot (Torogoz)

Coat of Arms:

Coat of Arms: The coat of arms has been in use in its current form since 15 September 1912. ...

Flag of El Salvador.

Flower: Flor de Izote.

Motto: "Dios, Unión, Libertad" "God, Union, Liberty"

Tree: Maquilishuat.

Some Salvadoran poets are:

 Alfredo espino and Vicente Acosta.

DRESS CODE

Typical code dress  are a current representation of the clothing that once used our old generations, without a doubt are an important part of our culture and they are also an important part of our traditions and festivities.

It should be noted that there is no general code dress for the entire country, but we can find several representations that frame specific specific geographical regions that we will know in this blog. So we will know each of those who exist together with their description and meaning.

Volcaneña

Volcaneña costume distinguishes women from La Libertad and the central area of El Salvador. It consists of a “Chal” long and it is of just one color and serves to represent dances known as "Adentro Cojutepeque" and "El Carnaval de San Miguel". It is the suit that is also used in most school celebrations and is the best known in the outside as a typical costume of El Salvador. It has been imposed as a national costume but originally only was used by women of La libertad  and some areas of the Central Region.

Costume of the Panchas

Used in San Salvador and Panchimalco, is very similar to that of Volcaneña with the variant that the skirt is usually dark in contrast to the white blouse and always cotton.

In addition, a yellow strip used for the waist for single women and a red or without a girdle for women already married,also is being a brand of the land of Pachimalco. It is one of the most famous; It is very used in San Salvador, Panchimalco and in the central area, the color that predominates is black and the singles use it with a yellow strip.

Izalqueña

Izalqueña costume is inherited by pre-Columbian times and which is characterized by the use of skirts of many colors,and a whole range of costumes where the abundant color predominates. The blouse is called Güipil and the skirt or guy that is a single canvas is called  underskirt and is distinguished by the peculiarity of handling different colors for each people, being the embroidered the signal to differentiate them. It is the suit that is handled throughout the western area and the most recognized as part of the Pipil  inheritage in El Salvador.

Nahuizalqueña

Nahuizalqueña costume are popular because they come from the areas where Izalco and Nahuizalco arose reflected many similarities and clearly show the indigenous past of El Salvador. The fabric is embroidered by hand in various colors and embroidery is one of the region; That is to say one or another can recognize their origin based on the embroidery of the suit. The suit consists of a white blouse and a skirt called “Cuaiste”that combines with a short but waoff blanket that covers their backs.

Cacaopera

Cacaopera costume is own of the eastern zone, especially, in the department of Morazán. The skirt and the blouse are made in the same color, generally clear, using a light material and complementing it with a white apron with a series of colored embroidery.

Campecina

Campecina costume is constituted by two pieces, the stroke of this is called "whole court" because the blouse goes together with the skirt. The blouse is very stuck to the body and the skirt is paletoneed, the flight is three-canvas and long comes to the middle of the calf. Complement takes the Chal and lately a towel.

Castillo Marroquin , Bany Batzai 

Fuegos Barahona , Liliana Bernardina 

Moz Reyes , Estefany Johanna 

Monterrosa Rodríguez , Douglas Guillermo