The Honduran People

Religion. About 88 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, but various other Christian groups are active and freedom of religion is guaranteed by law. Protestantism is growing rapidly, with a variety of churches present in even the smallest towns. Most Protestants (or evangélicos) attend church regularly. Some follow specific rules affecting their lifestyle (no coffee, dancing, etc.). The Catholic Church maintains a strong influence on society through festivals, family celebrations, and politics. Many public holidays cen­ter on religious themes. Each town and city has a patron saint for whom it holds an annual festival.

General Attitudes. In Honduras , as in much of Latin America, social philosophies like fatalism, machismo, and hora latina are evident. Fatalism exists partly due to the dif­ficulties of life in poverty; people are aware of limited social mobility and try to accept their position in life as something they cannot control. This attitude often relieves frustration and allows people to focus on what is good in life rather than what is unpleasant. During conversation, people often add the phrase Si Dios quiere (God willing), particularly when making commitments. Machismo is indicative of a male-dominated society in which women are expected to remain submissive. Women comprise less than one-third of the for­mal labor force, and most rural women do not work outside the home. Hora latina refers to the concept of time and schedules. Since individuals’ needs are more important than schedules, being late for appointments or social events is a way of life. For example, a person would not hesitate to stop and talk to a friend on the way to an appointment, even if meant being late. This occurs even in urban settings, when punctuality is a bit more important, because personal contact and relationships are often necessary to conduct business and work with the government.

Hondurans value their Christian beliefs, as well as their ties to the land and to agriculture. Environmental issues are important to Hondurans, but poverty causes money to take precedence in many cases.

Personal Appearance. Hondurans normally wear Western style clothing. Shorts rarely are worn in public except in the coastal areas, where it is hot and humid. Urban men often wear a guayabera (a decorative shirt of light fabric that hangs to just below the waist) instead of a more formal shirt and tie.  Urban women are especially stylish with respect to clothing hair, and makeup. In rural areas, where the majority is poor, many people wear secondhand clothing imported from the United States . Men wear rubber boots when working in the fields while women wear flip-flops. Baseball or wide-brim hats are common. T-shirts with English slogans are popular throughout Honduras , even though the wearer probably does not speak English. Dressing up for special occasions is important to Hondurans. People are careful to keep dress clothes separate from clothes worn at work and at home. The wealthy wear the latest Western fashions.

Greetings. A handshake is an appropriate greeting for men and urban women. Middle- and upper-class women kiss male and female friends on the cheek. Rural women greet one another by placing one hand on the upper arm of the other woman. The abrazo is a warm embrace shared by close friends and relatives. When meeting someone for the first time, a person addresses the other by official title or Señor, Señora, or Señorita (Mr., Mrs., or Miss). The titles Don (for men) and Doña (for women) also are used before first names to show respect. Usted (the formal version of “you” in Spanish) is appropriate among acquaintances or those meet­ing for the first time.

One customarily gives a general greeting when entering a room. In small groups, people greet and say good-bye to each person individually. People commonly say Que le vaya bien (May it go well with you) when parting. While passing someone in the street, one says Adios. Meaning “Good-bye,” Adiós in this case is meant as a general greeting. One always says Buen provecho (Enjoy your meal) at the table before a meal. A person approaching or passing a table in a restaurant also says Buen provecho to the people at the table.

Gestures. Hand and body language are important to commu­nication. Waving the index finger is often used to say “no.” Clasping both hands indicates strong approval. Touching the finger below the eye warns caution. And a hand placed under an elbow usually means someone is thought to be stingy. People commonly point with. their lips or chin. To express enthusiasm, they place their middle finger and thumb togeth­er and shake their hand, producing a snapping noise. One beckons by waving the hand with the palm facing down. Beckoning with the index finger is rude. Poorer people tend to avoid eye contact when speaking.

Visiting. Visiting is a common pastime on Saturday after­noons and Sundays, and people often visit unannounced.

People in rural areas also visit on days when they are not in the fields. Hondurans are courteous and generous to guests in their homes. Hosts almost always offer their guests refresh­ments, such as juice, soda, coffee, or sweets; refusing is impolite. Unexpected visitors arriving at mealtime often are extended an invitation to eat with the family. Even people of humble circumstance will share whatever they have to make a guest feel welcome. If a guest does not feel like eating, the host may wrap up a little food to send home with him or her. When leaving a home, guests are especially respectful to the head of the household.

Social events may have an indicated starting time, but hosts and guests understand this is very flexible; being sever­al minutes or even an hour late is not uncommon.

Eating. Hondurans eat breakfast between 6 and 8:30 a.m., the main meal around noon, and a lighter evening meal sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. Coffee breaks are customary in the late morning and mid-afternoon. Meals are eaten in a leisurely manner. Diners keep both hands (but not elbows) above the table. People customarily hold the fork in the right hand and knife in the left; rural people might use pieces of corn tortillas instead of utensils. Families do not necessarily eat together, due to lack of plates or table space or simply as a matter of convenience. At finer restaurants, a 10 to 15 percent tip is appropriate; tips are not necessarily expected at less formal restaurants.

Family. Family ties are strong in Honduras . Members of the extended family, including grandparents and other relatives, often occupy the same household. While the father is respect­ed as the head of the household, the mother has the greatest responsibility and influence in everyday family life. Girls are expected at a young age to help with household chores and child care; boys do little until they are old enough to help in the fields. Hondurans carry both their paternal and maternal surnames. The father’s surname is the individual’s family name; the mother’s surname appears at the end of the per­son’s name. Both surnames follow one or two given names. When a woman marries, her name does not change.

Unfortunately, a large number of families live in poverty. Most Honduran homes do not enjoy modern conveniences. Small adobe houses with dirt floors are common in rural areas. Cities have both modern, luxurious housing and poor slums. People in remote areas lack electricity and other mod­ern conveniences.

Dating and Marriage. Young women have their formal initi­ation (La Fiesta Rosa ) into social life at age 15, when elab­orate parties are held to recognize their coming of age. Youth begin dating in groups; a young woman usually is accompanied by one or more other young women. Later on, couples date without accompaniment. Activities are simple and usually just involve socializing. Couples often get together and establish themselves at dances.

In rural areas, most poor people will start their families without marrying, often as young as age 14. Common-law marriages generally are accepted, so many people never offi­cially marry. Single mothers are common in all social class­es, and many siblings in these families have only the one par­ent in common. Young single mothers often return to live with their parents until they are older or find another spouse.

Recreation. Fútbol (soccer) is the national sport. Young boys play the game almost anytime, anywhere, and professional competition is available as well. Although in recent years more girls have become involved in fútbol, they are still more likely to play basketball. Boys and men in rural areas enjoy playing card and dice games. In villages on the north coast, men like to play dominoes after they return home from a day’s work of fishing. Wealthy Hondurans enjoy cycle races, baseball, golf, tennis, and swimming. Movies are popular in urban areas.

Arts. Honduras is known for brightly painted ceramics, carved wooden trunks, handmade musical instruments, and other woodwork. Metalwork, embroidery, and weaving are other arts. Honduras is home to many Mayan ruins, including Copan , which is located near the Guatemalan border. Pottery and stone carvings have been discovered there.

Many people enjoy music and dance. A popular music is la punta, which originated with traditional Garifuna music and dance. It is traditionally played with instruments like drums, a conch shell, and maracas and has a complex rhythm. The marimba (similar to a xylophone) is a common instru­ment; other traditional instruments include flutes and trum­pets. Other styles of music are Ia varsoviana, el barreño, and el sueñito.

Education. Schooling is required for six years beginning at age seven. However, while nearly all children begin their schooling, many drop out before the end—especially among the rural poor. Less than half of all children actually complete the full six years, and less than one-third advance to the sec­ondary level. Children often are needed at home to help with farming or household chores, and having them gone all day at school can be too great a sacrifice for many families. In some areas, schoolchildren attend classes in tents because of damage to school buildings from Hurricane Mitch. The National University of Honduras and some trade schools pro­vide higher education, but only 9 percent of the population advances to those levels of study. Honduras has some of Central America ’s best agricultural and forestry schools.