Traditional customs in Guyana

Guyana is located in northeastern South America. Its full name is the Republic of Guyana. It became independent from the United Kingdom in 1966. The Indian word means "land with lots of water". Rivers are widely spread in Guyana, mainly including the Essequibo River, the Demurara River and the Berbis River. Many waterfalls, the most famous one is Keltur Waterfall, which is claimed to be the largest waterfall in the world. Guyana belongs to the UTC-4 time zone, 4 hours later than GMT and 12 hours later than Beijing time.

The citizens are mainly Hindustan and black people, and most of them believe in Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. The official and common language of Guyana is English. The widespread use of Creole is based on English, borrowing Dutch, Hindi, African and Indian languages). Hindu and Muslim believers use Hindi, Urdu and Arabic respectively during religious ceremonies. Most Indians speak one or more of the nine tribal languages.

Guyana has many ethnic groups and rich and colorful folk customs. Except for social occasions, due to the hot weather, clothes are relatively simple. Men wear shorts and shorts, and women wear T-shirts, dresses, etc. On formal occasions, clothes are more particular, with women wearing skirts and men wearing suits. Wear traditional national costumes on special occasions such as religious ceremonies.

When meeting guests in social occasions, the most commonly used addresses are Mr. and Ms., Madam or Madam. For unmarried young men and women, they can be called Young Master and Miss. Administrative positions or academic titles are generally added before the addresses. When people meet, they shake hands and shake hands with their guests one by one; when relatives and friends meet, they are accustomed to hugging. In Guyana, it is best to make an appointment to meet with each other in advance. It is impolite to visit rashly. When visiting Guyanese homes, it is best to prepare some gifts.

In terms of diet, Guyanese people's staple food is mainly rice, and they also eat corn, flour, cassava, sweet potatoes and other miscellaneous grains. Non-staple foods include tropical vegetables, melons and fruits, seafood, animal husbandry and meat, etc. Coffee, coconut milk and local rum made from sugarcane are very popular.

In terms of living, the distinctive feature of Guyanese houses is that there are many wooden structures, with thatched grass, wood and soil as the main building materials. Houses are built on several wooden piles, becoming tall houses with a certain distance from the ground, and the outer walls and roofs of the houses are painted with inner paint.

In the houses of Bangcona, Guyana, there is a kind of checkered pane, in which there is a red or green pattern. If you came closer and took a closer look, you would be surprised to see that the panes were full of coiled snakes. This kind of snake is also called a "tattooed snake". It will curl its body up and twist it into a very beautiful "pattern". The local people sprinkled a thick glue (a quick-drying glue) on the snake's body, which could immediately glue the "twisted" snake, so they put the live snake "pattern" into the window pane, and it became a beautiful "snake pane". The snake's body will emit a very fragrant smell. When this smell is touched by the insect, the insect will be smoked and fainted. Therefore, local residents use this snake as window panes, which not only adds beauty to the house, but also prevents insects, especially mosquitoes, from flying into the house. The fragrance on the snake's body can generally last for a year or two. Therefore, residents replace the snakes in the window panes every year or two, which can not only update the patterns on the window panes, but also enhance the ability to prevent insects.

In terms of marriage, Guyanese families practice monogamy. People generally marry early, and the forms of marriage are divided into legal marriage and customary law marriage. Different ethnic groups have differences in marriage and family.

Guyana has 16 public holidays every year, including New Year (January 1), Republic Day (February 23), Prophet's Birth (February 24), Holi (March 27), Good Friday (March 29), Easter (March 30), Labor Day (May 1), Arrival Day (May 5), Independence Day (May 26), Mohammed Day (May), Caribbean Community Day (July 1), Liberation Day (August 5), Eid Adha (October 15), Lantern Festival (November 3), Christmas Day (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26). The taboos of Guyana residents are the same as those of British residents. For example, women do not want others to know and ask about their age, and they do not like the unlucky number "13".