The culture of Bermuda features a unique mix of various civilizations. Being a British territory and one of the preferred destinations among the European travelers, the population of Bermuda is multilingual by nature.
The Bermudian culture truly reflects the diversity in its population. Spanish-Caribbean, American and African natives of Bermuda Island practice their own cultures. However, the national culture mostly presents Anglo-Saxon trends.
Features of the culture of Bermuda
English is the main official language in the Bermudian territory. Among the other popular languages of Bermuda, Portuguese is worth mentioning. This is mainly due to the massive immigration from the Portuguese islands that Bermuda culture essentially retains the essence of Portuguese culture. British culture also plays a crucial role in influencing the Bermuda Culture.
The Bermuda Islands are not short of entertainment. Bermuda music and Bermuda Gombey dance have their unique style. The cuisines of the Bermuda Islands come with rich flavor and taste. The local delicacies are indeed gourmets’ delight. Bermuda wedding is a great experience in itself. The natives of Bermuda are accommodative and friendly. Bermuda architecture is an essential part of Bermudian Culture. The architecture typically reflects the cultural variety of the Bermuda Islands.
Traditions in Bermuda
The traditions in Bermuda offer a true mixture of a number of customs and cultures owing to its wide range of the population. The Bermudian traditions include the Gomboy dance, which is one of the most popular dance forms of the Somer islands of Bermuda.
The Gombey dancers, mainly consisting of African and Caribbean nationals, hail from black families. They take part in some of the special cultural festivals of Bermuda. The word ‘Gombey’ comes from the African Bantu language which means both rhythm and drum.
Traditions of Bermuda also entail the 67th annual exhibition on agriculture. Bermuda Botanical gardens in Paget parish played host to this very popular three-day event held in April every year. The exception was perhaps, only in April 2004, when the event was called-off as hurricane Fabian played havoc in September 2003. The exhibition is depicted on the lines of British style to demonstrate that farming remains well-entrenched in Bermuda’s history and heritage.
Unlike the remaining months of the year, the Bermuda people intent on going to Botanical Gardens are treated differently. An entry fee is levied for every Bermudian to gain access to the gardens while keeping an eye on the exhibition. This practice also goes into the history of Bermudian traditions.
The main highlights of this exhibition are:
- Horses
- Cattle along with pigs
- Goats
- Foodstuffs
- Vegetables
Apart from these, the culinary arts, and handicrafts are also put on display at the annual Exhibition venue to maintain trails of the customs of Bermuda.
People of Bermuda
The population of Bermuda contains a rough figure of more than 61,776 Bermuda people. Out of this, 61% are of African descent, 38% are of Caucasian descent, and a small minority are of American Indian descent.
The people of Bermuda speak English, which is their official language. Some people again speak Portuguese due to their ancestry.
The majority of Bermudian people embody Christianity as their religion. About 28 percent of Bermudian people belong to the Anglican religion and about 15 percent have their religious belief in Roman Catholicism.
On the literacy front, people of Bermuda gain proficiency to read and write from the age of 15 years or above.
Four cities in Bermuda viz. Hamilton- the capital of Bermuda, Bermuda, St Georges, and Sandys is well inhabited by Bermudians.
Bermuda is a land of various ethnic groups and Bermuda people resemble a great example of unity in diversity as a cross-section of people hail from different clans and ethnicity jell together. While Black comprises 61 percent of the total Bermuda population, white and others form 39 percent of the total populace.
Cuisine of Bermuda
Bermudian cuisine is all about imported flavors, hot and spicy delicacies, and local seafood. People here love to gorge upon fruits, vegetables, and seafood. Bermuda delicacies are largely inspired by English and American cuisine and most of them are imported from overseas basically from the USA.
The Traditional Dishes of Bermuda include:
Fruits and Vegetables
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Peas and Plenty:
Black-eyed peas cooked with onions, salt pork, and sometimes rice.
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Hoppin’ John:
Peas and rice and Pawpaw Casserole are consumed with meat dishes or poultry.
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Treats of Bermuda:
Dishes are prepared with guavas like Bermuda syllabub.
Seafood
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Bermuda fish chowder:
Prepared with rockfish and is consumed with sherry and rum along.
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Hash:
Once a favorite platter of Bermuda Cuisine, it is made with a shark.
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Wahoo streak:
A recipe for sweet fish wahoo is a delicious menu.
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Bermuda lobster:
Dishes prepared with it are very famous among the locals and are accompanied by a high price tag.
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Mussel pie:
A recipe of steamed mussel in papaya, bacon, potatoes, onion, lemon, thyme, and curry powder.
Liquors
- Rum and Ginger Soda
- Shandy
- Shrub
Snapper
Bermudian Cuisine gives a taste of Bermuda’s blended culture and heritage. So Bon Appetit!
Gombey Dance
Gombey dance is one of the rich traditions that the people of Bermuda always take pride in. The word Gombey defines both an African drum and rhythm. The drum is made of sheep skin of Bantu origin.
Gombey dance is one of Bermuda’s oldest dance traditions. In the Gombey dance, a troupe of highly colorful dancers along with a band of musicians assembles on the streets of Bermuda during holidays mainly at Christmas time to demonstrate their skills and culture.
Gombey dance demonstrates rhythm. The dance also unleashes occasional glimpses of acrobatic leaps, turns, splits high kicks, and deep knee bends.
The analogy of the Gombey dance can be drawn from that of a West African tribal dance. The dance represents a plethora of cultures and unleashes cultural nicety to the hilt. Gombey dance in Bermuda first came into its own during the 17th century, when slaves from Africa, North America, and the Caribbean were brought to Bermuda and shared a helping hand in close cooperation with other brethren of the same status to mold it into what it is today.
Gombey dancers are those individuals, who follow the trail of this heritage pursued by their forefathers. Gombey dance is a custom that is handed down to generations. The generations, in turn, simulate those minute details viz. Technique and musical scores while in action.