American culture 2

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American culture

Les 1: Arts

• Architecture ✓
• Theater ✓
• Literature ✓
• Music ✓
• Film ✓

American culture

Les 2: Society

• Religion
  
• Sports
  
• National holidays
  
• Cuisine
• Guns
  

Religion

• What are the main
    religions in the United
    States?

Religion

Just over 40% of Americans state that religion plays a big part in their lives. The biggest religion in the United States is Christianity. The United States has the largest Christian population in the world.

Religion

 Judaism is the second-largest religion in the U.S., practiced by 2% of the population, followed by Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, each with 1% of the population. Mississippi is the most religious state in the country, with 63% of its adult population described as very religious, saying that religion is important to them and attending religious services almost every week.

Religion

The most religious state or 

territory of the United States 

is American Samoa 

(99.3% religious).

What sports do you
associate with the
United States?

Sports

Baseball is the oldest of the major

American team sports. Professional

baseball dates from 1869. Though

baseball is no longer the most

popular sport, it is still referred to as

"the national pastime."

Sports

American football, known in the United States as simply "football," now attracts more television viewers than any other sport and is considered to be the most popular sport in the United States. The 32-team National Football League (NFL) is the most popular professional American football league. 

Sports

College football also attracts audiences of millions. Some communities, particularly in rural areas, place great emphasis on their local high school football team. American football games usually include cheerleaders and marching bands, which aim to raise school spirit and entertain the crowd at halftime.

Sports

Sports

Basketball is another major sport, 

represented professionally by the 

National Basketball Association. It 

was invented in Springfield, 

Massachusetts in 1891, by Canadian-

born physical education teacher 

James Naismith. 

Sports

Soccer is very popular as a participation sport, particularly among youth, and the US national teams are competitive internationally. A twenty-six-team (with four more confirmed to be added within the next few years) professional league plays from March to October, but its television audience and overall popularity lag behind other American professional sports.

Sports

Homecoming is an annual tradition of the United States. People, towns, high schools and colleges come together, usually in late September or early October, to welcome back former residents and alumni. It is built around a central event,most often a game of American football.  

What holidays do you know
that are celebrated in
the US?

National holidays

Major holidays in the United States include:

• Martin Luther King day
• Presidents' day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

National holidays

Martin Luther King day is 

celebrated on the third 

Monday in January. It honors

 Martin Luther King Jr., a 

Civil Rights leader.

National holidays

Presidents' day is celebrated on the third Monday of February. It is to honor all the United States' presidents. It was first called Washington's day, after the first American president.

National holidays

Memorial Day is celebrated on

the last Monday of May. It

honors all the fallen soldiers 

from the Civil War onwards.

National holidays

Independence Day is celebrated on the 

4th of July. It celebrates the Declaration

of Independence. Independence Day is

usually associated with having a barbecue

and setting off fireworks.

National holidays

Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September. It celebrates the achievements of workers and the labor movement and it marks the unofficial end of the summer season.

National holidays

Halloween is celebrated on the 31st of October.

It is based on the Celtic festival called Samhain,

which was brought to America by Irish settlers.

Usually during Halloween, people dress up in

scary costumes and go trick-or-treating in their

neighborhood. 

National holidays

Thanksgiving is celebrated on

the fourth Thursday in 

November. It traditionally 

celebrates the giving of thanks

for the autumn harvest. Usually

it includes the eating of a 

turkey dinner. 

National holidays

Christmas is celebrated on the 

25th of December. The day after is

called Boxing Day. It celebrates the

birth of Jesus Christ. Usually, 

Christmas is celebrated with 

having a big Christmas tree, and 

opening the present underneath on Christmas morning.

Cuisine

The cuisine of the United States is extremely diverse, because of the relatively large population and the number of native and immigrant influences. Mainstream American culinary arts are similar to those in other Western countries. Wheat and corn are the primary cereal grains. 

Cuisine

Traditional American cuisine uses ingredients such as turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn (maize), squash, and maple syrup, as well as indigenous foods employed by American Indians and early European settlers, African slaves, and their descendants.

Cuisine

Iconic American dishes such as apple pie, donuts, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants and domestic innovations. French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are consumed.

Cuisine

Different regions of the United States have their own cuisine and styles of cooking. The states of Louisiana and Mississippi, for example, are known for their Cajun and Creole cooking. Cajun and Creole cooking are influenced by French, Acadian, and Haitian cooking, although the dishes themselves are original and unique. Examples include seafood gumbo and  jambalaya.

Cuisine

Soul food, mostly the same as food eaten by white southerners, developed by southern African slaves, and their free descendants, is popular around the South and among many African-Americans elsewhere. Syncretic cuisines such as Louisiana Creole, Cajun, Pennsylvania Dutch, and Tex-Mex are regionally important.

Would you eat these American meals?

Hotdog with beef chili, white onions and mustard

Hotdog with beef chili, white onions and mustard

Yes definitely

No way José

Chowder made with potatoes and clams

 

Chowder made with potatoes and clams

Yes, the more the better

Not in a million years

Creole Jambalaya with shrimp, ham, tomato, and a sausage

Creole Jambalaya with shrimp, ham, tomato, and a sausage

Yes, I need this now!!!

No thank you, I have taste buds

California club pizza with avocados and tomatoes

California club pizza with avocados and tomatoes

Yes, I would eat this every day if I could

No, why on earth is there avocado on this pizza???

Guns

In sharp contrast to most other developed nations, guns are legal in the United States, and private gun ownership is common; almost half of American households contain at least one firearm. In fact, there are more privately owned firearms in the United States than in any other country.

Guns

Civilians in the United States possess about 42% of the global inventory of privately owned firearms. Rates of gun ownership vary significantly by region and by state; gun ownership is most common in Alaska, the Mountain States, and the South, and least prevalent in Hawaii, the island territories, California, and the Northeast megalopolis. Gun ownership tends to be more common in rural than in urban areas

Guns

Sadly, accidental deaths through gun indicents happen on average twice a day. This could happen because of a child findign a gun and shooting it, or someone clumsily cleaning their gun.

Do you think guns should
be legal for civilians? Why?