Culture

The culture of Belize has a rich diversity; it made up of a mixture of influences and people from Kriol, Maya, Garinagu (also known as Garifuna), Mestizo (a mixture of Spanish and Indian), Mennonites who are of German descent, with a blend of many other cultures from Chinese to Lebanese. It is a unique blend that emerged through the country's long and occasionally violent history.

Belize has retained an old world charm long lost in most other countries. Courtesy is important to most Belizeans. It is not uncommon for Belizeans to greet each other on the street even if they have never seen each other before, or for acquaintances to spend minutes at a time chatting, oblivious to what is happening around them.

Marriage and Family

Whilst marriage is common and celebrated with church weddings and colourful reception parties featuring food, drink and dance, an increasing number of Belizean families are headed by single parents, especially mothers. Men sometimes father children by several women without marrying any of them, or choose to enter a common-law marriage, living or visiting the family but not settling down.

The extended family is Belize's most common, due to the absence of a number of Belizean parents either in jail, dead, or living and working in the United States, Caribbean and Central America. Most of Belize's population is under 21, and more often than not grandparents raise the children, or else the women of the household take responsibility for them without input from men.

Most Belizean families either own or rent some type of house, typically wooden or concrete, and built to withstand fires and hurricanes.

Food

Belizeans eat widely from among the food groups. The typical breakfast consists of bread, often homemade but increasingly bought from Chinese shopkeepers, eaten with cheeses, beans, eggs or cereal, finished off with milk for younger ones and coffee or tea for adults.

Midday meals vary, from lighter foods such as tamales, panades (fried maize shells with beans or fish), and meat pies, escabeche (onion soup), chi mole (soup), and garnaches fried tortillas with beans, cheese, and sauce, to various constituted dinners featuring some type of rice and beans, meat and salad or coleslaw. In the rural areas meals may be more simplified than in the cities; the Maya use corn or maize for most of their meals, and the Garinagu are fond of seafoods, cassava (particularly made into hudut) and vegetables.

The nation abounds with restaurants and fast food establishments selling fairly cheaply. Fruits are quite common, but raw vegetables from the markets less so. Mealtime is a communion for families and schools and some businesses close at midday for lunch, reopening later in the afternoon. Conversation during meals, unless the topic is important, is considered impolite.

Socialising

Belizeans are informal and friendly in greeting one another; it is considered rude not to hail even a slight acquaintance or greet the clerk or receptionist when entering a place of business. A simple nod of the head or a wave is acceptable when passing someone on the street, and acquaintances might also be greeted with any number phrases.

Other acceptable greetings are handshakes, combinations of palms and fists touching, thumbs locking and pats on the back, or even a kiss on the cheek for someone you really appreciate. Formal situations call for use of titles, and children are expected to address their elders with Miss/Mister and answer 'Yes, ma'am' or 'No, sir' when asked questions.

Since the introduction of television in 1980, visiting with friends is not as common as it used to be. So when such a visit occurs Belizeans generally take care to make even unexpected guests feel at home. Arranged visits most often occur on weekends. A visit might start with a conversation and refreshments at the gate or on the porch before continuing in the house.

Recreation and Sport

The most popular sports are soccer and basketball, and there is enthusiastic support for league teams formed since the early 1990s. Other sports enjoyed in Belize include volleyball, track and field, boxing, cycling and softball, which all have established associations. Catching on in recent years are canoeing, chess, darts, billiards, martial arts and even ice hockey (in the Western Cayo District among the Mennonite population). An international cross-country cycling race is held every Easter weekend.

Concerts and school fairs are well supported. Belize has the world's second largest barrier reef and hundreds of small islands, called cayes, that are popular recreation areas for urban people, particularly during school holidays and Easter.

Music

Punta is by the far most popular genre of Garifuna music and has become the most popular genre in all of Belize. It is distinctly Afro-Caribbean, and established stars include Andy Palacio, Herman 'Chico' Ramos, 'Mohobub' Flores, Adrian 'The Doc' Martinez, and Lindsford 'Supa G' Martinez.

A slower, more melodic variant, known as Paranda, has been catching on recently through the talents of Honduras' Aurelio Martinez and Paul Nabor of Punta Gorda; Nabor's signature track 'Naguya Nei' is considered the informal popular anthem of the Garifuna nation.

Brukdown is a very popular modern style of Belizean music. It evolved out of the music and dance of loggers, especially a form called buru. Its greatest proponents include Wilfred Peters and Gerald 'Lord' Rhaburn of Belize City and Leela Vernon of Punta Gorda.

Reggae, Dancehall and Soca imported from Jamaica and the rest of the West Indies, and Rap, Hip-Hop, heavy metal and rock music from the United States, are also popular among the youth of Belize. Belize's recording industry turns out a few CDs each year; the majority of musical exposure occurs at monthly concerts featuring Belizean and international artists sharing the same card, or else DJ's mixing music at local nightclubs.

National Symbols

• National Animal: Baird's tapir (locally called mountain cow because of its habitat)
• National Anthem: Land of the Free, lyrics Samuel Haynes, music Walford Young
• National Bird: Keel billed toucan
• National Flower: Black orchid
• National Tree: Mahogany (exported in huge quantities in the 18 and 1900s; one of Belize's first exports)