El Salvador has many festivals that are celebrated throughout the year. El Salvador del Mundo (for the patron saint of El Salvador) is on the sixth of August. Religious holidays are celebrated more intensity than individual's holidays (e.g. one's birthday). This occurs in America, yet on religious holidays in America are becoming less religious- in El Salvador he religious zeal is strong. Celebrations in San Salvador, the capitol, begin several days in advance and include a fair and big parade. Other celebrations are held during Semana Santa (their version of Easter; proceeding a week after our Easter). On December twelfth, the day of the Virgen de Guadeloupe, each town has an annual festival to honor its patron saint. Zuly's grandparent's village, St. Queistis, patron saint is Michangelo. These festivals are very important for the townspeople. Not only they celebrate the occasion- either religious or family; they celebrate how lucky they are. Humbleness in lower class El Salvador is as wide spread as the automobile in the US.

A small parade is at all the festivals. I found it very interesting that their parades start with the religious leader of the town. In America, our parades began with the police and fire trucks (symbolizing our pride and respect by having them in the front of all of our parades). Therefore, they must respect and honor their religious leaders more than their police. "Firecrackers continually go off and eating won't stop until eleven at least night," said Grandma. Non-stop celebration with the whole community binds them into a tight woven family. This reminds me, that the structure of the town is very interwoven which suggests, by Levi-Strauss, there are hidden duties for each member. It is not written on paper, but has become tradition through the structure of the town, duties of being in the front of the parade, ones that supply the firecrackers, and other duties done for the parade and in it are an unconscious habit.

Sharing is very common in their old small town. Considering that everyone had to pull together for group survival, sharing has become commonplace. This is a value that America has seemed to forget. Since everyone is in the proverbial hand basket, they understand that borrowing is necessary. Material possessions are not valued to the same degree as here in the US. Gift giving and exchanging is common. Cultural mores (a norm of society, a rule that is known to all the people, yet not a law- e.g. not shaking one's hand is considered rude in America, but there are not any laws stating one will be punished, but they will be looked down by other's in the society) guide the degree of gift, or service, exchange. The exchanges will always be equal. There is an air of honesty whenever these exchanges take place. The system has very little greed. Often in peasant villages there is an unwritten rule that if one person succeeds it is at the expense of another. Getting ahead is discouraged for this reason.