Bermuda 2.

**~~Dominicanese~~** · 09-18-2016, 05:48 PM

Bermuda 2.

Culture:
The culture of Bermuda reflects the heritage of its people, who are chiefly of African and European descent. A small percentage of Asians also live on the island. Although Bermuda is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, it also has strong historical links with the United States. On one hand, Bermudians seem British in their customs - for example, playing cricket, driving on the left, and having Queen Elizabeth II on their banknotes. At the same time, a strong North American cultural influence is obvious: the currency is the dollar (on par with the US Dollar); Bermudians frequently watch television from the US; and Bermudian English shares many similarities with American English. Dress in Bermuda, however, is distinct from either American or British styles. While in the US or Britain, shorts are considered casual dress, Bermuda shorts are considered to be formal attire in Bermuda, and are worn with a jacket and tie. Also, despite the island's tropical climate, it is common for Bermudian women to wear heels and stockings while men wear sports jackets and ties both day and night.

Cuisine:
Bermudian cuisine is the cuisine of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. The cuisine of the islands reflects a rich and diverse history and heritage blending English cuisine and Portuguese cuisine with preparations of local seafood species, particularly wahoo and rockfish. Traditional dishes include codfish and potatoes served either with an add on of hard boiled egg and butter or olive oil sauce with a banana or in the Portuguese style with tomato-onion sauce, peas and rice. Hoppin' John, pawpaw casserole and fish chowder are also a specialties of Bermuda. As most ingredients used in Bermuda’s cuisine are imported, local dishes are offered with a global blend, with fish as the major ingredient, in any food eaten at any time.

There are several dishes served on Bermuda that are unique to the island which offer a taste of traditional Bermudian culture. Fish is one of the main ingredients in Bermudian cuisine. Local fish includes mahi mahi, snapper, spiny lobster (during September–March), tuna, and wahoo. These are used in dishes such as fish and chips, panfried fish, and boiled salted codfish and potato, a traditional dish in Bermuda (usually served on Sundays with tomato sauce and olive oil).

Fish chowder is considered a national dish, which is a staple food not only in restaurants and hotels but also in homes; the main ingredients are fish stock, fish, vegetables and bacon fat and served with spices, but a Bermudan specialty is to serve it with black rum and sherry peppers. Beef stock is an essential ingredient in Bermudian fish chowder. sherry pepper is prepared with ripe and very hot bird peppers using sherry for marinating it, and supplemented with herbs and spices; and black rum is rum is derived by blackening with molasses in a special barrel for aging.

The specialty in some restaurants during the week end is a codfish brunch. It is a large serving of full blown codfish, boiled and steamed with salt, and with boiled potatoes, onions, and sliced bananas. The topping is with hard-boiled egg or tomato sauce, and, also occasionally with avocado slices.

Appetizers served are a shark hash and Codfish cakes. Shark hash is minced shark meat, sautéed with spices, and served on toast. Codfish cake is made out of salted cod mash (smashed) and with cooked potatoes and fresh thyme and parsley. Then, it is formed made in to patty and fried on a pan. It is also served with topping of a "zesty fruit salsa and a side of mesclun salad" sandwiched in a white bun with mayonnaise.

Music:
A traditional form of music and dance is known as The Bermuda Gombey, which is of West African derivation, and involves rhythmic chanting and rapid drumbeat. The Gombey incorporates traditional West African dance with components from Christian missionaries, British soldiers and peoples of continental North America and the Caribbean. Also encountered in the Bahamas, the Bermudian version of the dance involves the use of the British military snare drum, beaten with wooden sticks. This practice stems from the fact that many slaves worked in British military bases. These dances are traditionally performed on New Year's Day, Boxing Day, and 24 May (Bermuda Day).

The island's musical traditions also include steelpan, calypso, choral music, as well as an array of bagpipe music played by descendants of Irish and Scottish settlers; the biggest bagpipe band on modern Bermuda is the Bermuda Islands Pipe Band. Bermuda is also the home of one of the most popular Caribbean music groups in the United States, the Bermuda Strollers.

The music of Bermuda is often treated as part of the Caribbean music area. Its musical output includes pop singer Heather Nova, and her brother Mishka. Collie Buddz has also gained international success with reggae hits in the US and the UK.

The islands are also home to gombey dancers, reggae, gospel music, drum majorette bands, jazz and other styles.

Ethnic Racial Composition:
* 54% Black (Many have European and Native American ancestry to some degree)
* 31% White
* 8% Mixed
* 4% Asian
* 3% Others

People:
In the British West Indian islands (and also in the United States), the majority of enslaved blacks brought across the Atlantic came from West Africa (roughly between modern Senegal and Ghana). Very little of Bermuda's original black emigration came from this area. The first blacks to arrive in Bermuda in any numbers were free blacks from Spanish-speaking areas of the West Indies, and most of the remainder were recently enslaved Africans captured from the Spanish and Portuguese. As Spain and Portugal sourced most of their slaves from South-West Africa (the Portuguese through ports in modern-day Angola; the Spanish purchased most of their African slaves from Portuguese traders, and from Arabs whose slave trading was centred in Zanzibar). Genetic studies have consequently shown that the African ancestry of black Bermudians (other than those resulting from recent immigration from the British West Indian islands) is largely from the a band across southern Africa, from Angola to Mozambique, which is similar to what is revealed in Latin America, but distinctly different from the blacks of the West Indies and the United States.

Most of Bermuda's black population trace some of their ancestry to Native Americans, although awareness of this is largely limited to St David's Islanders and most who have such ancestry are unaware of it. During the colonial period, hundreds of Native Americans were shipped to Bermuda. The best-known examples were the Algonquian peoples who were exiled from the southern New England colonies and sold into slavery in the 17th century, notably in the aftermaths of the Pequot and King Philip's wars.

Languages:
English is the official language of Bermuda. A local dialect is spoken in informal situations but it is simply known as Bermudian English. Bermudian English is of British-West-Country, South Irish, and British-Elizabethan English origin, with some minor influences from Portuguese and West African languages. Portuguese is also spoken in Bermuda by a large part of the population. Little is known about Bermudian Portuguese. Native Bermudian words have survived and are still heard in daily conversations.

Religion:
During the intercensal period, the distribution of persons across the various religious affiliations shifted but remained generally widespread. All religious groups experienced declines in their followings with the exception of Roman Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists and non-denominational groups. Nearly one fifth or 20% of the population claimed no religious affiliation in 2010 compared with a 14% share in 2000. Although the number of Roman Catholics increased to 9,340 persons, its share remained constant at 15% compared to 2000. Over the ten-year period, nondenominational congregations increased a strong 33% while the Seventh-Day Adventist following rose 6%.

Sports:
A variety of sports are played in Bermuda, from those brought by British and International relations (namely football, rugby football, and tennis), to those popularised nationally (such as sailing). Some sports and events have greater historical and cultural significance whilst others are played for entertainment or competition.

Bermudian videos