HispanicHeritageNotesPS

Thesis Statement: We keep Hispanic Heritage alive because many people still organize their lives by their native cultures.

http://www.countryreports.org/country/Panama/visiting.htm

Socializing: In Panama,
 * if a business person comes to talk to you about business, they make small talk first to know the other person on a personal level.
 * Men and women, when greeting friends will kiss their cheek. When greeting strangers, they shake hands. Two men always shake hands.
 * Favorite topics of conversation: family, common friends, interests, hobbies, and sports.
 * Exchanging gifts consist of small items, not expensive gifts.
 * Good manners dictate that guest eat everything on their plate. They signal that they have finished a meal by placing their knife and fork vertically and parallel on their plate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama#Traditional_clothing
 * Panamanian men traditional wear usually consists of straw hats, white cotton shirts, and trousers
 * the women's clothing is the "pollera" which is "cambric" or "fine linen." it is white and made with 13 yards of material
 * it consists of a ruffled blouse worn off the shoulders and a skirt on the waistline with gold buttons
 * the skirt is also ruffled so that when it is lifted it looks like a peacock's tail or a mantilla fan
 * designs on skirt and blouse - flowers or birds
 * Two large pom poms (mota) are on the front and back of the shirt, four ribbons hang from the front and back on the waist line, five gold chains (caberstrillos) hang from the neck to the waist, a gold cross or medallion on a black ribbon is worn as a choker, and a silk purse is worn on the waistline
 * Earrings (zaricillos) are usually gold or coral
 * the slippers match the color of the "pollera"
 * hair is in a bun held together by three gold combs with pearls (tembleques) worn like a crown
 * "pollera" costs up to $10,000 and take a year to complete
 * pollera de gala consists of a short-sleeved ruffle skirt blouse, two full-length skirts and a petticoat
 * the pollera munfana is a daily dress, with a blouse, a solid color skirt, a single gold chain, and a pendant earring with a natural flower in their hair
 * they have a white jacket with shoulder pleats and a flared hem
 * the "pollera" originated in Spain in the 16th century
 * it was typical in Panama in the 1800s, worn by women servants
 * Traditional clothing in Panama can be worn in parades, where the females and males do a traditional dance. Females do a gentle sway and twirl their skirts, while the men hold their hats in their hands and dance behind the females.

http://www.panama-culture.com/en/costumbres.aspx
 * A dance called “Gran Diablo” (Great Devil) - shows the underworld struggle between good and evil and represented in the shape of Angel Saint Michael and the Devil
 * “ La Pajarilla” (The little bird) - an art formed by inhabitants of San Jose de Las Tablas, one of the Corpus celebrations
 * "El Torito" (The Little Bull) is a dance full of joy
 * The most outstanding festive days are those dedicated to the Patron Saints: the Sabbath of Glory, the Day of the Cross, La Mejorana Festival, La Pollera Festival, Saint Sebastian in Ocú, Corpus Christi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Panama#Museums
 * The best overview of Panamanian culture is found in the Museum of the Panamanian, in Panama City
 * Other museums include Museum of Panamanian History, the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Museum of Religious Colonial Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of the Interoceanic Canal, and the national institutes of culture and music
 * Some museums preserve aspects of the country's pre-Columbian, colonial and post-independence heritage