The Culture of the Union of Midway is very diverse, and contains mixed elements of different cultures from all over the world. The Midwayan culture combines many influences from Asia, Europe and North America. Though it can often be described as a combination of American and Japanese culture.
Language[]
The Union of Midway has English and Japanese as it's official languages, but the people of the Union of Midway are free to speak any language that they choose. The predominant languages are just English and Japanese. The minimum required percentage of population that speaks the language for the language to be recognized as an official language is 10%. There are many other languages spoken in the Union of Midway. Many Midwayans are bilingual, or can at least understand one of the official languages. The languages spoken in the Union of Midway are:
- English (43%)
- Japanese (42%)
- German (9%)
- Italian (3%)
- Russian (2%)
- Other (1%)
NOTE: This list only includes those who speak those languages as their primary language, and does not include second language of the people who are bilingual.
Esperanto[]
Many Midwayans are at least proficient in the international auxiliary language known as Esperanto. Much of the population speaks it and uses it to overcome the language barrier presented by Midway's diversity. A poll conducted in early 2010 showed that at 25% of Midwayans were fluent in Esperanto, with another 60% taking lessons in Esperanto. This widespread use of Esperanto has caused many to call for Esperanto to gain recognition as the countries official second language.
Dialects[]
English Dialects[]
Inscription in Hawaiian Pidgin (Gospel of Mark 1:9-11) near a church in the Sand Islet Province.
The typical English dialect in Midway is American English, while it is not uncommon for there to be other English dialects as well. Hawaiian Pidgin is another commonly spoken dialect of English in Midway.
Hawaiian Pidgin is mostly spoken in the Sand Islet Province, and in the Sand Islet Province, Hawaiian Pidgin is the recognized official dialect of English. The large majority in the Sand Islet Province that speaks Hawaiian Pidgin is thought to have been caused by the fact that a majority of the descendants of plantation workers chose to settle in the area after the dissolution of the United States and founding of the Union of Midway.
Japanese Dialects[]
The typically spoken Japanese dialect in Midway is standard Japanese, however it is not uncommon for dialects of Japanese to be spoken within Midway. This is because the Union of Midway consists mainly of immigrants. The dialects of Japanese most commonly spoken in Midway are the Chūgoku dialect and the Kansai dialect.
Liturature[]
The Union of Midway is influenced by the freedom to express oneself. Thus many Midwayan literary writers write anything they please, so long as it doesn't violate copyright. The distinctive Midwayan literature began to appear after the PB-NpO War. During this time many Midwayan literary writers wrote about their views on the war. This was also a time in which the science-fiction genre in books became very popular. Now there are books of every genre in the shelves of Midwayan book-stores, but the science-fiction genre remains one of the more popular.
Visual Arts[]
Visual arts in the Union of Midway is heavily influenced by Japanese visual arts. Painting and calligraphy are both important aspects of Midwayan visual arts. Many Midwayan painting techniques are adopted from Japanese and European painting techniques. Midwayan calligraphy is identical to Japanese calligraphy.
Music[]
Music in the Union of Midway is very diverse. It goes through nearly all American and Japanese styles of music. hip-hop, Techno Music, jazz, Rock & Roll and pop are some of the popular styles of music in the Union of Midway. Classical music is also popular among Midwayans who are older than 35. Japanese music is also popular among the population.
Sports[]
Sports is a very important aspect of Midwayan culture. Martial arts, such as Judo, Karate and Kung-Fu, are widely practiced in the Union of Midway. Baseball, soccer (football) and other popular western sports are also practiced in the Union of Midway. Baseball is the most popular sport in the Union of Midway, and soccer is the second most popular sport.
Popular Culture[]
The popular culture of Midway has expressed itself through a number of media, including movies, music and sports.
Theater[]
Theater in the Union of Midway is based in Western tradition. It is also heavily interlaced with Midwayan literature, film, television, and music. There are also strong comedy traditions in some areas the Union of Midway as well. The musical theater is one of the most popular in form, as it has found it's way onto movie and television screens.
Television[]
Television is one major mass media in the Union of Midway. Most Midwayan households own at least one television set.
Nationalism[]
The ultranationalist view for intense support for one's nation is deeply engraved in the culture of the Union of Midway. This happened soon after the Nationalist Party of Midway was formed and began gained popularity among the population. Since then this has become a part of Midwayan culture.
Other[]
Holidays[]
This is a list of all the holidays in the Union of Midway. All holidays listed are free days unless specified otherwise. The Holidays listed without dates are celebrated by either the respective religions calendar or at the specified time of year.
- January 1 - New Years Day
- January 21 - Memorial Day - January 21 chosen because that is the day the Guam War ended.
- February 12 - Emperor Memorial Day - Commemoration for the restoration of the old government.
- April 24 - Easter
- May 5 - Children's Day
- December 24-25 - Christmas
- Hanukkah (Citizens only get days off if they request it, and the workplace/school/government is required to give the person the day off and cannot deny the request)
- Ramadan (Citizens only get days off on Eid ul-Fitr)
- Eid al-Adha
Beliefs[]
The people of the Union of Midway also have many cultural beliefs that don't fall into any of the above categories. The following is a list of those beliefs.
- The people of the Union of Midway believe that the government should listen to the desires of the people.
- The people of the Union of Midway believe a nations government should be chosen by its people.
- The people of the Union of Midway believe that the environment should be cared for, and are taking measures to combat environmental damage.
- The people of the Union of Midway believe in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of petition, freedom of press, and freedom to assemble peacefully.
- The people of the Union of Midway believe that people have a right to express their beliefs and therefore lets there citizens protest freely, even if it means violence.
- Despite the fact the government allows violent protests, violent protest is generally condemned in favor of peaceful protest,.
- The people and government of the Union of Midway are against Nuclear Weapons, and will sign any nuclear-non proliferation treaty that bans Nuclear Weapons but allows Nuclear Power.
- The people of the Union of Midway believes that the nation needs to help others in times of need.
- The people of the Union of Midway believes that all humans are equal regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, nationality, gender etc.
See also[]
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