Culture of Candelaria And Marquez

'Candelariasian', 'Candelarias', 'C&M' and 'Candelaria And Marquez' culture are umbrella terms all used, generally interchangeably, to encompass the artistic, musical, literary, culinary, political and social elements that are representative of both the islands of the Candelarias group, and the modern state of Candelaria And Marquez.

Initial Candelariasian culture was overwhelmingly British and Spanish in nature, split almost completely with the predominately Marquez-based Hispanics (the usual preferred term for Candelariasian Latinos) and the majority British population on the rest of the islands. There was no aboriginal inhabitation prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late eighteenth century, nor is there any evidence of there ever having been.

Over time, the initial two communities have become more integrated; though still maintain a significant degree of cultural separation. An arguably greater impact on the dominant Candelarias British (or 'Anglo') culture has been the arrival of many waves of immigrants - from the Italians and Czechs in the very earliest days, to the modern communities of Chinese and Muslims, of various backgrounds. Modern C&M culture has therefore been shaped by waves of migration that have combined to form a unique blend of cultures, customs and traditions; though it must be stressed that whatever the ethnic heritage of the islands' inhabitants, the country to this day retains a distinctly British feel despite its generally left-leaning politics and outlook.

National Identity

Main article(s): National identity of Candelaria And Marquez

The early decades of British colonisation of the Candelarias were marked by a notion of building a "second England". Even with the advent of partial self-rule, many inhabitants saw the country as a continuation of Britain overseas, with its own government at times being seen as something of an unnecessary annoyance to proper relations with the United Kingdom. Despite the mass immigration of non-Britons that began in the second half of the 19th century; this attitude persisted greatly and to some extent, particularly in the under populated west of Candelaria, continues to this day. Culturally, the new nation long not only remained indistinct from Britain, but grew closer to it; a phenomenon which managed to thrive throughout a time when public opinion was turning rapidly against the British government, monarchy and the institutions of the motherland.

The process was all but completed by the early twentieth century, though it would not be until the end of the Second World War that all formal ties with the UK were severed. However, a real sense of Britishness - or certainly that of a historical variety - is greatly retained in the islands today, despite all the many and varied influences of world and regional culture on the islands. Though multiculturalism is a fondly considered concept on the islands; the Candelarias and modern C&M have predominately avoided the idea of 'multi-communitism', with new immigrants: individuals, families and their cultural heritage, being consistently well integrated into the whole; with the cuisine, music, dress, traditions and less tangible values being assimilated into the country's pre-existing culture and identity rather than supplanting it nor, in general, acting as a distinct set of traditions alongside it.

Though an undeniably tolerant, open people; Candelariasians of all backgrounds have struggled in adapting to the realities of the modern world. The fashion in which large nations may slip in and out of existence, and the presence even within C&M's neighbours of sentient, intelligent non-humans; are concepts among many which have proven difficult to gain common acceptance both among the people and government. When the journalist Davey Stockton used the phrase, "an extraordinarily average nation of really rather above average people," in the early 1990s he was being quietly ironic, but the notion has appealed very much to the C&M psyche. Natives tend to be greatly proud of what they see as their sheer normality in the face of a world of weirdness; seeing themselves as a compassionate, pleasant people against a backdrop of increasingly bizarre anarchy slowly engulfing the multiverse.

Multiculturalism

C&M's multiculturalism is enshrined in the Second Constitution and a concept much trumpeted by successive governments as central to the islands' modern identity. In cities such as Albrecht, Arrigo, Bove, Clotaire and Melin, multiculturalism itself is the cultural norm and diversity the force that unites the community. In most of the rest of the country however this diversity is rather less in evidence. In these areas, the varied cultures and attitudes of the many different groups to have been assimilated into Candelariasian society still survive only to a modest extent, with non-British surnames often the only obvious signs of the peoples’ complex heritage. More recent immigrants, particularly those of non-White ethnicity, have tended to marry - though not necessarily live - within their own communities, retain their mother tongues as a first language for several generations, and hold more closely to the culture of their home countries. There has been some degree of state encouragement for them to do so, an issue that remains a hot topic in C&M with the right-wing of the country in particular. Many such "new Candelariasians" also complain however that state encouragement for them to preserve their historical identities represents an insidious, if probably unwittingly, form of racism.

Hispanic Marquez

Whilst the majority of immigrant groups of all colours and creeds live in a thoroughly Anglophone and Anglo-Saxon world, the statehood of Candelaria And Marquez embraces the Hispanic cultural element that makes up nearly one half of the population of the island of Marquez, a people who settled the island some time prior to the arrival of other foreigners, and have long been marked by their refusal to integrate fully into the Anglo-centric society of most of the rest of the country. Children of this group are permitted to be taught solely in Spanish at school (though as with English-speaking C&M children they are expected to be proficient in both national languages of the country), and similarly conduct their work and social life in concordance to their pre-British heritage. Many Hispanic Marquezians, and particularly supporters of the Marquez National Party, refer to themselves as "indigenous Candelarians", though this claim is hard to sustain; the original Spanish settlers having arrived on the islands between the 1770s and 1870s, with the British arriving between the 1820s and early 1900s. Precise figures of the country's Hispanic population are readily bandied about by groups and individuals of various political leanings, but are in truth hard to come by. Those who claim Spanish as a first language make up around 18% of C&M's population, though this group includes people living outside of Marquez and well as many individuals not of Spanish ethnic origin - most notably South Americans arriving in the early 20th century but also western Europeans, including Britons, who settled in Spanish-speaking areas of the country. Equally, there are many citizens of Hispanic origin across the Candelarias, including Marquez, with no particular affinity to their ethno-cultural heritage, as well as those who are not Spanish-speaking nor of Hispanic ethnic origin that still support the cause of Marquezian "nationalism".

Whatever their numbers, Hispanic Marquezians remain a highly influential group in C&M society with their own distinct culture and attitudes. With the exception of the large towns of Castillo and Miranda, which are both dominated by Spanish-speakers; most Latino Marquezians live in the cities of Arrigo, Bass and El din, or in small villages and hamlets in the north-east of the island that are often entirely separate in feel from the rest of the Candelarias.

Though the country's bilingualism and dual-culturalism was officially recognised in the earliest days of the Dominion; the Candelarias' Spanish-speakers have long suffered from a degree of discrimination verging on outright racism. Prior to the late twentieth century, there was a very obvious lack of Hispanic names and faces within the country's government, law makers, and top businessmen etcetera; whilst despite specific laws against such an occurrence, a number of public entities openly practised anti-Hispanic segregation well into the 1970s. Certainly the worst outlet of this was the National Eugenics Council of the 1950s and '60s, a semi-governmental body operation to encourage abortions and sterilization among young, lower class, and unmarried and/or mentally retarded women, particularly of non-Anglophone parentage. It should be noted that much of the NEC's activities were often carried out with the tactic support of Hispanic community leaders - particularly those of a religious background.

The situation has improved beyond all measure in recent years however, with the educational achievements and occupational status of Hispanics well in line with their social background and measured intelligence.

Regional Differences

With the obvious exceptions noted above; C&M's culture is fairly uniform across the country, even allowing for inevitable differences between urban, suburban, subrural and rural communities; while the economic and class status of the country's people is similarly such. Indeed, the country operates no structured regional, provincial or county boundaries; with smaller towns and villages being referred to as, e.g. "Melvorne, near (or “nr”) Abiodun" or "Scottisvillla, north-east Candelaria". There has emerged however a definite disparity between the south- and north-east of Candelaria itself; with cities and towns such as Albrecht, Allemali, Bove, Dyce and Warne (as well as many of the cities of western Marquez with whom they constitute "the Strip") showing a consistently more socially conservative consensus among their inhabitants that the "Gang of Four" in the north-east; Alvery, Caires, Clotaire and Khatib, where there are far more nightclubs and casinos, and, for example, rather more children born out of wedlock to single mothers. All the cities on the eastern half of the largest island are however more ethnically and culturally diverse, and generally more internationalist in outlook that those of the less-populated west in cities such as Brayton, Hanlon, Maidment, Saurin and Vo.

Merchantism

The writer, philosopher and - briefly - Prime Minister; Reuben Merchant has come to be seen by many as the "father of the nation". Though far from widely known outside of the Candelarias; in his adopted country Merchant's works, principally Discussions on the Past and Future of the Species came to be seen in the late 19th century as the country's unofficial constitution. In modern times, there is a general consensus among C&M historians and philosophers that his writings retain very little merit in and of themselves; and whist his era continues to supply a large part of National History on the country's curriculum at all age groups; Discussions and his other well-known efforts are seldom read in any form outside of universities.

With all this said, however, as a figure he retains a sense of the Candelarias embodied. 'Reuben' re-established itself as the most popular name in the islands for newborn boys in the mid-seventies (it has also become modestly popular for girls), and his Three Central Precepts for Better Living appear framed on the walls of many offices, schools and homes; and on t-shirts. These are horribly wordy, as was the style at the time, but can best be summed up according to the modern-day writer Joseph Ness as;

1. Do unto others as you believe to the best of your abilities they would wish to be done by providing this doesn't greatly impinge of the wishes of any third party or parties.

2. It is highly improbable that there is an afterlife or any form of end-time judgement, and it is wise not to consider there such. Be good, because it can only be the right thing to do, not because you will be rewarded or punished for your behaviour be it in this life or the next. If it gets you into heaven, that's just a happy bonus not a means to an end.

3. Try not to be a dick.

This is generally agreed to be distressingly accurate.

The Name of the Nation

The matter of the country's official designation is worth noting, since it has long proven a sticking point in the country's unity. Prior to the Civil War and Second Constitution, when the country was known as the Dominion (and later Republic) of the Candelarias; the terms "the Candelarias" and "Candelaria" were used pretty much interchangeably, few seeing a real need to give the island group's largest island a distinctive name. The concept of a 'Marquez' distinct from 'Candelaria' (i.e., everyone else), began to come into use among Marquezian Hispanics in the early 20th century, and was soon adopted equally by many Anglophone Marquezians, angered by economic policies coming from Albrecht which they saw as strongly in favour of those living on the 'main' island. At some point in this century, those living on the largest island began to adopt the term 'Candelarian' as being exclusive to themselves, leading in due course to the revoltingly unwieldy national adjective of 'Candelariasian' to describe all people of the islands, be they from Candelaria, Marquez, or the Outlying Islands.

Following the Civil War, the short-lived Republic of Marquez returned to the newly re-established country of the Republic of Candelaria and Marquez (later Candelaria And Marquez). The sentiments at play that resulted in this new name are far from clear - it will likely forever remain uncertain as to whether those involved saw 'Candelaria' as referring to all the islands bar Marquez; or whether they were acknowledging the declarations of independence from the majority of the Outliers, and not officially including them in the new Republic.

Whichever, the Outliers would become represented on the new flag, send representatives to the House in Albrecht and accept the general direction set by the government on the largest island; while the term 'Candelaria' as referring exclusively to that island soon came to stick.

Generally, the accepted short form of the modern Republic's name, C&M, is also used as the national adjective, where it seems appropriate. 'Candelariasian' is still in regular use, particularly among the elder generation; while 'Candelarian', though now strictly speaking incorrect and highly offensive to certain Marquezians, is regularly used; particularly by foreigners.

Flag

C&M's modern flag, in official use from the Declaration of Independence in 1947, was designed by Clotaire schoolgirl Annie Pannel as part of a nationwide competition earlier that year; a decision which rankled professional flag designers at the time and to some degree still does to this day. Essentially an update of the former colonial flag; the Union Jack was removed while the three green stars became two circles and an oblong (altered by general agreement to an oval shortly before its official adoption). The original stars represented a major company involved the establishment of the British Candelarias, but were long taken to represent Candelaria Island, Marquez and the Outliers, and the new shapes have continued to be considered such. Likewise, their green colouring is now taken to refer to the country's (theoretically) lush foliage. The navy blue background of the original flag, used by many British colonies, was changed to a brighter blue more reminiscent of the islands' surrounding waters.

Anthem

The islands' most celebrated poet is Luis Fernando Fernandéz Rodriquez, a lowly bank clerk for most of his life, self-published a single volume of his work, The Spartan Slope and Other Odes in 1862. It failed to sell all twenty printed copies, and he died a pauper eight years later. His work was popularised by the islands' self-proclaimed laureate, Thomas Paige, who devoted many years to the search for Fernandez Rodriquez's lost works. In 1944, one such poem, O, Sweet Nation was set to music by the composer Kenneth Park, and was officially adopted as C&M's national anthem in 1961. Unfortunately, O, Sweet Nation is generally agreed to be an over-long, tuneless, dirge. It doesn't help that the original poem upon which it's based was, alongside the odd bit of social commentary, a wistful ode likening a country to a woman of such beauty that the poet could never hope to make her his. The second verse gets a more lusty treatment from sports crowds, being positively carnal in nature, including several thinly-veiled references to breasts. Most people's favourite bit is when he likens her 'prized rosettes' to the hill-forts once built by the British as a base from which to attacks Spanish-held territory.

There have been innumerable attempts to create a more tubthumping anthem following the end of British rule, including the amusingly jingoistic Stand up Straight, Thee of the Candelarias, in use officially between 1947 and 1961 and the most popular choice of the most patriotic. More recent efforts have similarly failed to capture the public imagination, with the country's most popular themes remaining the late nineteenth century; Sing, Little Fanny and Brave Men of the Candelarias, Stay Not at the Rear!, though possibly not for the right reasons. Most Candelariasians just can't bring themselves to sing any song, particularly about a country, too seriously.

Motto

The country's official motto became Solidarity of the Nation in 1931. Nobody knows who exactly coined it or what, when all's said and done, it actually means. When has that ever been important, though?

The Size of the Nation

A significant discrepancy exists between the stated population of C&M by the United Nations, and that suggested by national censuses. It remains highly debatable who is actually right, but it's the Candelariasian government. Really. It’s ever so important.