Cultural Traditions!

I love to learn about the culture and traditions of people.  

There are so many great ones!

Oh how I wish you could all hear the Cabo Verdianos sing!
A song of the heart is a prayer...I understand that better than ever before.
They LOVE to sing! (many times... even on tune!)
Even the young Primary children value hymn books and know their favorite hymn by its page number.
 Singing is a gift of their culture!
Song is free and singing is for everybody and it is loud and it is wonderful and it is felt.
These Primary girls  just finished practicing a song for our District Conference in August.

Something about Children, Music, Inspired Lyrics, and my tear ducts...Oh My!  

Our young single adults had a Noite Cultural (Night of Culture).  Some of them are in the photo above.
They came dressed in costumes of years gone by.  We laughed alot during their fashion show
(complete with judges and prizes!)
The Cabo Verdian traditional dances were danced and some of the young adults sang songs...
including Grandpa much to the enjoyment of the group!
They had a dance off - 4 different kinds of dances and then came the refreshments!

KusKus (koose koose) is a traditional treat made with corn flour, water,
a tiny bit of sugar and cinnamon.
Edy (Young single adult Pres. and Francisco (Dist. Sec.) will add a bit of milk to soften it.
It is comparable to a tough cornbread (they steam it in a pan above boiling water).
(These served over 50 happy young adults!)

Dried corn kernals are placed in cement urns and women use wooden mallots in synchronized,
even melodic movements to mash it into flour.
It is fascinating to watch this tradition of family and friends helping to prepare the flour.
Corn flour is used in many of their meals.

Each country has it's cultural traditions that makes it special and unique.
In every country there are some traditions that must be changed along the way to welcome better ones.
I hope they never lose these sweet traditions of  singing, dancing, smiling, and sharing..

The people here are trying to overcome the bad traditions of alcohol and drugs.
We have witnessed many tears of children who have been abandoned by fathers and/or mothers and we have seen these youth try to teach their parents and brothers and sisters the importance of standards.
It is very common for these young people to have many brothers and sisters by different fathers and different mothers and live with someone else.

Often couples have to marry first when they have a desire to become baptized.
I have been amazed at how much joy they feel to obey that commandment of Heavenly Father
 and how much joy it gives their children when they are married!
Many are learning the importance of a family tradition!
Many want a culture where marriage matters, where parents love each other and their children.
They long to have education, jobs, enough food, and hope!

We talk openly with the youth of the church about their traditions and their decisions.
The good ones and the bad ones.
The ones that must be kept forever...and the ones that must be thrown away yesterday!

And then we listen to them sing!!!