Culture of Zwangzug
The culture of Zwangzug is diverse: the nation prides itself on being intellectual, which includes respect for the humanities and arts. This lists various attributes of the national psyche.
The Arts
Music is widely appreciated throughout Zwangzug. Its national anthem is the appropriately if not creatively titled Anthem. "Meta-anthems" are an increasingly popular way representing the country, especially at sporting events. Other popular music is that of Red Knight and Benny Angle. Traditionally, classical music of the nation has a high tempo relative to other, more melodic, works. Picardy thirds are also common. In modern popular music, the final verse will often be a whole step higher than its predecessors.
Zwangzug does not have a strong tradition of visual arts. Its most famous visual artist is most likely Maurits van Huys, who based much of his work around fractals.
Language
English is the de facto official language of Zwangzug, though there is much good-natured controversy between two dialects: "descriptive" (verbose) and "algebraic" (compact) speakers, or notators.
One difficulty is the terminology for residents of the country. Descriptive notators generally accept "Zwangzugian", though pronunciation is difficult. Algebraic notators prefer "peons", though this is mostly sarcastic.
Literature
Many works of literature have been produced in the nation: the list of its donations to the World History Library provide some sense of what contributions were considered its greatest at that time. The Ashahnemas are particularly noteworthy: the collection of legends and folktales, while originally (and to this day, among the nation's indigenous peoples) orally passed down, are still a staple of many children's fairy-tale knowledge. Themes presented throughout the stories include self-sacrifice for an undefined ideal, intelligence triumphing over physical strength, and the collective wisdom of the people as compared to despotism.
Other than that, notable works from the past include The Princess, a tract on political theory by Nicole Ianello (excerpts available here), and Cien Muertos, a Spanish-language book by Neftali Torres. (While there was some Hispanic settlement in Zwangzug, little of that legacy persists.) Amusingly morbid, the short book describes a hundred people: each dies in a unique way.
Religion
- Main article(s): Religion in Zwangzug
Zwangzug is a secular state, and religion is not discussed on public land. Stereotyping of the religious as opposed to reason and thought led to reporting of religious affiliation much lower than governmental projections, but the nation's consistent efforts for more tolerance of the religious have done a great deal to reduce that stigma. As opposed to some other socialist (or communist) nations, religion is not considered the "opium of the people" (a negative that government is mandated to eradicate).
While about a fifth of the population can be classified as following a world religion, nearly half are considered followers of "other religions". The blur between reality and parody makes it very difficult to tell how much of that is actual religious adherence.
Holidays
Zwangzug follows the Gregorian calendar, though it reckons years from a different starting point (its year zero is 512 CE). Its two major holidays are April 4 (Intellectual Freedom Day) and October 19 (Establishment Day).
Media
The internet serves as a prominent media source for Zwangzug: its TLD is .zz. However, there are still other outlets, such as the single television channel Zwangzug Broadcasting. (Television never established a niche in the nation, sandwiched too closely between the rise of radio and the internet. The concept of televised news was viewed with suspicion, and televised sports nearly oxymoronic.) Radio remains popular.
Newspapers
The printed word is pervasive. Zwangzug's two main newspapers are the Merano Regency (descriptive) and the Bangkok Scoresheet (algebraic). Out of respect for trees and mounting expense, a third newspaper recently switched to all-online publication. Taking a prefix to denote that, it is now known as the e-Lipogram.
Sports
The people of Zwangzug will be first to assert that sports transcend athletics. However, the Zwangzug Athletics Organization does coordinate the country's athletic programs. Or try to.
