Island of Guam

There are numerous tourist attractions in Guam, and further from its welcoming beaches, great bargains, and elegant hotels, it has additional important attraction, its unique culture. The customs and traditions of Guams boastful island heritage thrive and have expanded into a vibrant, current way of life. The fiesta is a famous way of celebrating and sharing Guam culture. It is held after a function normally linked to the commemoration of citys patron saint, Mass and a procession. The feast of Immaculate Conception is held annually on December 8th, and Guam Catholics emerge in large numbers in Hagatna to pay tribute to Santa Marian Kamalen in a march around the islands capital. It plays a big role in welcoming newcomers to Guam and gives them a rare chance to enjoy local tastes served with warm hospitality. The history of fiesta dates back three hundred centuries ago, this is the same age of the Santa Marian Kamalen statue, which a revered icon. The fiesta culture has been passed from one generation to the other and happens to be a carryover from 1825 and 1834, after Guams faithful promised to hold a march in Marys honor following a series of distressing earthquakes.

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American colonialism brought about secular celebrations with the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Veterans Day. In Guam, the most widely commemorated secular holiday is Liberation Day, celebrated every year on July 21st to observe the recapture of Guam by the United States military in 1944 (visitguam). Since then, a parade characterized by floats and marching bands has been staged every year to pay tribute to Chamorros and military veterans who endured the years of wartime terror. In the wake of Liberation Parade, people are granted the opportunity to interact with Chamorros and military veterans who were in Guam and captured alongside the island in 1941.

Chamorro, an Austronesian language is spoken by approximately 50, 000 people, two thirds of which are Guam people while the other third is spoken by people in the Northern Mariana Islands. Chamorro language is spoken by Chamorro people who happen to be the indigenous habitants of Northern Mariana and Guam Islands. The language is facing the threat of extinction as can be explained by the huge decrease in language fluency during the last one century. Before the Spanish American War, it was estimated that two thirds of the Guam population had literacy in Chamorro language. However, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, less than 20% of Guam people can fluently speak their native language, and a big number of the 20% that could speak Chamorro were aged above fifty five years (Census 2000). The drop in the Chamorro speakers could be explained by two important events: the Spanish American War and 2nd World War. In 1922, the U.S. government abolished Chamorro language in schools. Moreover, similar policies were executed by Japanese government had power over Guam during the World War II. The same restrictions under Guam Language continued even after it was ceded back to the U.S. after the World War II. By the time the restrictions were waived, damage had been impacted. Eventual generations were basically brought up in households where solely the oldest members of the family were fluent in Chamorro. However, there have been recent efforts to revitalize the Guam language. For instance, in 2013, Guam established a Public Law 31-45 that seeks to increase the instructing of the Guam culture and Chamorro language in schools.

References

https://www.census.gov/census2000/states/us.html

http://www.visitguam.com/chamorro-culture/