Greek Enculturation: Growing Up around Greek Traditions
Growing Up Around Greek Tradition
Growing up in the Greek culture is a not only a significant factor with what my values and ideals are today, but will be the same ideals that I pass on to my children and grandchildren. From my earliest memories I can recall my family was a lot larger than other people’s. This is not only including my consanguineal family, but also including my extended family as well. I had many relatives that were the same thing to me as my blood family circles. I was raised to believe that these people were just as important and close to me as my biological family. Enculturation was happening at a young age and I didn’t even know it.
One of my earliest experiences with being encultured which I may not have even known was the week following my birth. There were some complications with my birth, and my mom tells me that there was a significant amount of people visiting me in the hospital at the time. I am also told that the hospital staff knew who my family was because they were astounded at how many people were coming to visit me. All of these people around me at such a young age already were an indirect, or passive way of learning that I had many people around me who already cared for me. This is a staple of a collectivistic culture in which the community and or family looks out for each other, and those family values are very important. I had already begun learning that there are many people that care for me that are coming to see me. Even though I may not have been completely aware of it because I was so young, this was one way I could have began to feel a sense of our collectivistic culture. This would help prime me at a young age to feel a sense of belonging, community, and family.
With my culture, we follow many specific traditions that I have been practicing since childhood. One trait that Greeks (as well as other collectivistic cultures) have is the kissing on the cheek (left then right) when greeting and or leaving somebody.
Growing up in the Greek culture is a not only a significant factor with what my values and ideals are today, but will be the same ideals that I pass on to my children and grandchildren. From my earliest memories I can recall my family was a lot larger than other people’s. This is not only including my consanguineal family, but also including my extended family as well. I had many relatives that were the same thing to me as my blood family circles. I was raised to believe that these people were just as important and close to me as my biological family. Enculturation was happening at a young age and I didn’t even know it.
One of my earliest experiences with being encultured which I may not have even known was the week following my birth. There were some complications with my birth, and my mom tells me that there was a significant amount of people visiting me in the hospital at the time. I am also told that the hospital staff knew who my family was because they were astounded at how many people were coming to visit me. All of these people around me at such a young age already were an indirect, or passive way of learning that I had many people around me who already cared for me. This is a staple of a collectivistic culture in which the community and or family looks out for each other, and those family values are very important. I had already begun learning that there are many people that care for me that are coming to see me. Even though I may not have been completely aware of it because I was so young, this was one way I could have began to feel a sense of our collectivistic culture. This would help prime me at a young age to feel a sense of belonging, community, and family.
With my culture, we follow many specific traditions that I have been practicing since childhood. One trait that Greeks (as well as other collectivistic cultures) have is the kissing on the cheek (left then right) when greeting and or leaving somebody.