Venezuelan Culture, History, and National Identity: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on Aug 25, 2024 in Social sciences

History of Venezuela

Understanding history helps us appreciate the country we have today, a country for which many fought, died, or dedicated their skills. The heroes, scholars, and workers who came before us have made Venezuela a country worth cherishing.

Tradition in Venezuela

Our traditions encompass everything we have today in terms of culture, history, personalities, folk events, and customs, all stemming from the past.

National Culture of Venezuela

National culture is a set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional features that characterize a society or social group in a specific period.

Folk and Cultural Events in Venezuela

Some of the most important folk and cultural events in Venezuela include:

  • Traditional wattle and daub houses
  • Crafts such as basket weaving, hammock making, net making, and pottery
  • Preparation of food and drinks like chicha, cassava, arepas, and hallacas
  • Proverbs, riddles, tales, fables, and legends
  • Popular language (patois)
  • Games like spin the meters, the parrot, the wakes cross, the burning of Judas, and the crazy dancing

The Proceres of Venezuela

The Proceres, or heroes of Venezuela, deserve our respect and honor. This value of citizenship is passed down from generation to generation. These heroes fought for our independence and accompanied the Liberator Simón Bolívar, not only in the liberation of Venezuela but also in several countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Natural Symbols of Venezuela

National Tree: Araguaney

The Araguaney (Tabebuia chrysantha) was declared the national tree of Venezuela on May 29, 1948, due to its striking colors of extraordinary beauty. It is a typical plant of tropical or deciduous woodlands and the warm lands of the savanna and semi-arid hills.

National Bird: Turpial

The Turpial (Icterus icterus) was nominated as the national bird of Venezuela on November 11, 1957. It is widespread across the arid tropical zone of the country, particularly abundant in the coastal region. This bird has a wingspan of about 24 cm and is yellow-orange, except for its head and wings, which are black with white parts, and a blue patch around its eyes.

National Flower: Orchid

The Orchid (Cattleya) was declared the national flower of Venezuela on May 28, 1949, due to its outstanding qualities and diversity of shapes, sizes, and colors. Orchids are found throughout the country, especially abundant in the tropics.

Notable Figures Representing Venezuelan Identity

Science

  • Rafael Rangel (Doctor – Research) was born on April 25, 1877, in Betijoque, Trujillo state. One of his professors was Dr. José Gregorio Hernández. He dedicated his life to research, focusing on anatomy, histology, bacteriology, physical and medicinal chemistry.
  • Jacinto Convit (Medical – Research) was born in Caracas on September 11, 1913. He graduated as a Doctor of Medical Sciences on September 27, 1938. Convit and his research team developed a vaccine against leprosy and used the same model to cure leishmaniasis. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1988.
  • José María Vargas (Doctor – Master) was born in La Guaira in 1786. He played a commendable role following the earthquake of 1812 by providing admirable care for the wounded. Bolívar appointed him rector of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) to implement major educational reforms and materials. He entered politics after being proposed and elected president of Venezuela, but heavy fighting forced him to resign.

Literature

  • Andrés Bello was born in Caracas in 1781 and died in Chile in 1845. His life and literary work were conducted in three different environments: Caracas, where he spent his first 29 years and was the teacher of Simón Bolívar; London, where he spent 19 years; and Chile, where he spent 36 years and wrote his most important literary works.
  • Rómulo Gallegos was born in Caracas in 1884. Some of his works include Climbing, Dona Barbara, Poor Black, and The Flame at the Peak of the Crow. He won the National Prize for Literature and served as president of Venezuela. He died in New York in 1969.
  • Miguel Otero Silva was born in Barcelona in 1908. He was a poet, novelist, essayist, and politician. He founded the newspaper El Nacional. Some of his most important narratives include Dead Things, Fever, and When I Mourn, I Don’t Cry. He died in Caracas in 1985.
  • Teresa de la Parra was Venezuelan, although she was born in Paris in 1980 and died in Madrid in 1936. Her real name was Ana Teresa Parra. She returned to Venezuela for two years. At 15, she won her first poetry prize at school. Her first novel, Ifigenia, is a dissonant novel, where the protagonist leaves the outside world and takes refuge in a world of dense, deep, and psychological introspection. Her second novel, Memoirs of a White Mother, was written in Switzerland while she was undergoing treatment. It is a book full of melancholy.

Sports

  • Baseball: Johan Santana was born in Tovar, Miranda state, in 1979. In 2004, he became the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history. In 2007, he was named the best pitcher of the year. In Venezuela, he played with the Magallanes Sailors, and in the United States, he played with the New York Mets and Florida Marlins.
  • Swimming: Francisco Sánchez was born in Cumaná, Sucre state, in 1976. He is the only Venezuelan swimmer to have reached two Olympic finals and achieved three short-course world titles.
  • Horse Racing: Gustavo Ávila was born in Caracas in 1939. He was known as”The Monste” for his dominance in the sport. He was the only Latin American to win the first two steps of the North American Triple Crown.
  • Volleyball: José Joaquín Arvelo is one of the great witnesses of the evolution of volleyball in Venezuela. The Miranda Park gym roof was named after him. Between 1965 and 1967, he was the leader of the volleyball association and an instructor at the official military cooperation training school.
  • Boxing: Francisco Rodríguez was born in Cumaná, Sucre state, in 1945. He was the best amateur boxer from Venezuela and the only athlete to win a Creole gold medal at the Olympic Games (Mexico 1968). He was named the Athlete of the Year in Venezuela in 1968.

Rules of Behavior with Patriotic Symbols

Patriotic symbols deserve respect because they represent the nation. Here are some rules of behavior:

  • Stand up and salute when hearing the national anthem.
  • Sing the national anthem with respect and enthusiasm.
  • Raise the flag on national holidays.
  • Uncover when the flag passes by.
  • The flag should be hoisted daily at the Presidential Palace.
  • The flag should be raised when the National Congress and legislatures are in session.
  • The flag should be flown at half-mast during mourning.
  • As good Venezuelans, we must respect the national flag.
  • Fly the flag every day indicated.
  • Do not raise faded, torn, or wrinkled flags.
  • Singing the national anthem is an honor for all.

National Symbols of Venezuela

The Flag

The flag was created by Francisco de Miranda, who raised it for the first time on the ship Leander in the Bay of Jacmel (Haiti) on March 12, 1806.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms carries the national flag colors in its three sections:

  • Left: Red with a bunch of corn, representing the many states of the nation.
  • Right: Yellow with a sword, spear, bow and arrow in a quiver, a machete, and two flags entwined by a laurel wreath.
  • Bottom: Blue with a white wild horse galloping left and looking forward. It was established on March 9, 2006.

National Anthem

The national anthem, with lyrics and music by Salias Landaeta,”Gloria al Bravo Pueblo” dates from the days following April 19, 1810.

Values in Venezuelan Society

Values help us grow and make possible the harmonious development of all human capacities. They are linked to our very existence, affect our behavior, and guide how we act and live in society and family. Values are essential for personality development.

Preservation of National Identity

Values are the expression of something that we must live internally. By assuming them as theoretical elements, they materialize through our conduct.

Characteristics of Values


• The value is a quality of being: being (person or thing) is that possesses this quality desirable for individuals or groups
• The value is never exhausted: their goals are never met in full, there’s always open horizons
• The world of what constitutes the person value: the value is worth only when a staff is valued
· In all it is a antivalues value: value is the positive side of things, the negative side is the anti-values
• The intuition, feelings and emotions play an important role when choosing a value
· The values are relative: they depend on the time, place, type of society. Each historical moment has its own values
· Values are guiding judgments: people make value judgments because there are few reference values
· Has values hierarchy: the values are ordered hierarchically as are upper and lower.
ETHICAL VALUES, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL
Solidarity means a really strong, powerful, valuable achieved through the interaction of people in social life. Solidarity implies a spirit of cooperation and participation.
Discipline: consists of that set of laws or regulations governing the institutions and people.
Generosity: It is that quality that humans have to be noble of heart. He is generous when you let go that things are not material, but may also be to offer them to others without obligation.
Honesty: is a quality human being that allows you to act with sincerity and truth in the proceedings of each day.
Respect: it has to do with that feeling towards another person or object, etc.., With some awe of special status or treatment.
Responsibility: refers to the ability of each of us to account for our actions. To be responsible is to be mature.
Territoriality is a privilege that gives people the ability to belong to a nation.
Safety:is the confidence or peace of a person.
Sovereignty: the right of any citizen or the people to elect their rulers.
Freedom: the ability to make decisions themselves and master their own actions.
Justice is the virtue of giving each his due, what should be done according to law or reason.
Equality: the ability not to give or receive privileges in relation to others.
Health: is the state of being free from organic diseases.
Education: the one effect of the training and education.
Religion and popular religion: every human being needs in life presence and proximity of a superior being to fill the gaps in our heart, only God can perform this mission.