Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Latin cultures have a very specific meaning, at least in Europe. Religion is also important in this continent not because Italian-Americans or Polish-Americans are Catholics as in the US, but because culture and cultural affiliations, festivities and heritage that we have inherited from elders.
Catholic religion marked the identity of many countries during more than one thousand years, and even for people don't believe or don't go to church, still os part of their identity.
Quite difficult to understand for Americans nowdays.
Ireland and Poland are not Latin because they don't speak a language that comes from Latin. Languages that come from Latin are called Romanesque, French is a Romanesque language.
If they spoke a language derived from Latin, they would be considered Latin.
Except that France is largely dechristianized at this point and religion is not that important. There's also a large muslim population in France, there are also areas where protestantism has always been strong and judaism is also something that matters, even if the population is now quite small. France is mostly a secular republic with a christian heritage, mostly catholic, but it is quite specific. The state is what matters the most. I don't see how religion can be related to the mediterranean because as I said, other non mediterranean countries do have catholicism as the main (or state) religion.
About the language, yeah, sure, but France has also been influenced by germanic languages and has also celtic words. Some words also come from Scandinavian languages because of the Vikings. It is hardly a pure latin language (does it even exist ?).
Nice was Italian for most of its history and was annexed by France in 1859 and then "frenchised", Garibaldi was born there and he wasn't for sure French.
If you supress all the places that France annexed, I don't think there's gonna be much left.
I was merely correcting a fact, Nice wasn't occupied by Italians, it has always been Italian, unfortunately it was given as an exchange gift (with Savoy) for the French help in the second Italian war of independence.
But that's the point, you can't say 'in general' because there is no 'in general', I can't see people in the South 'patying' more than people in the North at all! There is absolutely no basis to this argument at all, In general the people from different countries in the North are as different to each other as they are to people in the South! You say 'everyone knows that' but do they? What do you base that particular statement on? When I travel to the South I tend to see Northern Europeans out partying far more than their Southern counterparts but I wouldn't say 'people from the North party a lot more than people in the South' just because of my personal experiences and what I've seen at resorts!! You just can't make sweeping statements like that about millions of people!
Try to say that out loud and listen to yourself, please x)
You don't have to agree with what I say about the parties of course, but I think we can all agree that the simple fact the OP asked about the north and the south of a WHOLE continent, will automatically make us generalize. How can you not?!!
And as I said, I base all my statements in my experience and in the experiences of people close to me.
When you travel to the south you see northern europeans partying far more than us because they're in the ****ing SOUTH and they can finally enjoy the sun and warm nights and the fact that no one cares what people are doing. As I said, the climate contributes to this and don't tell me this isn't common knowledge xD
But when I first answered to this thread I wasn't talking about how they party when they're in the south, I was talking about their lives, (again) in general, when they're in their homes. For example, here we party all the time in the streets, we have a lot of open air parties everywhere and even when people don't go to open air parties, they party on the streets anyway... of course in north european countries you just CAN'T do that like we do here because of the weather and many times because of the law which is applied more often in the north than in the south. People in the south are careless... here we may sometimes not be allowed to do a open air party somewhere but we do it anyway and no one cares. Oh, and just so you know, now I'm basing this statement in the way things work in Portugal although I'll say in Spain is not so different as I know a lot of spanish people.
I believe there are millions of northern europeans that love to party as much as we do or even more, but they're not ALLOWED to do it the way we are. And how can you ****ing argue with this? xD
Whatever, I'm not trying to put this in anyone's heads. This is the way I (and lots of people I know) see it, wether you agree with me or not x)
Quote:
You've never been in Northern Europe, but you say they party less. Ok, something doesn't add up.
How would it be common knowledge that people in the south party more? I've never heard anything like that.
I think that if you would indulge as much alcohol as an average English, Finnish or Swedish gal you wouldn't party to 7am, because you would pass out before midnight.
Like I said before, I've never been in Northern Europe but I know northern european people and I have people close to me that traveled a lot around the world and I'm talking about my experience living in a country that works a lot as northern europe as well as about the experiences of people I know, so I do believe my opinion is valid wether you agree to it or not.
And it is common knowledge that we party more because, as I said countless times, we CAN do it in a way people in the north CAN'T.
And about the alcohol, people don't necessarly need alcohol to party or to have fun but since you mentioned it, I do have a strong stomach and I used to drink a lot at parties before going to Switzerland. Now, I won't say anything more about that because that is something you really can't generalize, since we're talking about generalizing this whole thing. I know lots of people that can drink a lot, I know lots of people that can't drink at all because they'll pass out as you say, and I know all this people in a lot of different countries (north, south, center). So... that's not really the point I'm making here xD
Listen to me stereotype machine. Isn't it common knowledge that when you are on holiday, you tend to party more? And believe me, we are too partying on the streets and parks in summer, then go to a nightclub to dance, and after we go back to the park or to an afterparty at someone's place and party some more. Exactly like you do. Nobody gives a damn if someone is partying on the street, you see it every weekend. When it's winter, it doesn't mean that people are just sitting alone in front of the TV. We just take the parties inside! Take a few beers and northerners are as careless as the southerners. And what laws? There's a ban on partying? I know of the ban that it's illegal to buy alcohol after 23:00 from stores in Spain, and botellóns aren't exactly legal either. While here it is! And our women are definitely more easier than your cross-legged catholic princesses.
So please, visit Northern Europe instead of relying on boring stereotypes and hearsay. It will be a real eye-opener for you.
Can you read at all?
I already told you the reasons. Climate, laws (or how often they're applied).
I won't repeat what I already said.
EDIT: And I'm not saying you can't party at all. You CAN party... just not in the way we do.
Yeah yeah, I changed my post. Read it and we MIGHT continue the discussion.
There's no laws on "not-partying" here. I don't see any difference in partying styles quite honestly. And I've been in contact with hundreds of exchange students up here.
Have no idea what's going on here but it's truly hilarious.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
