Colors of Washington DC - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

If Americans talk about the city of Washington, they always add D.C., which means District of Columbia. This is necessary to avoid confusion with the state of the same name. Today, about six hundred and seventy thousand people live here. Almost a third of them are illiterate according to the latest census.

You can meet a lot of immigrants from all over the world in Washington. There are many African-Americans here. They make up almost 30% of the total population. So the cultural characteristics of Europe, Asia, and Africa are intertwined here today. But all citizens have common features. For example, you will not meet gloomy and taciturn people here. Only Mexicans are an exception. Citizens always smile during communicating with clients at work, at home with relatives, on a date, accidentally meeting the eyes of a stranger, and in the elevator of a shopping center. Every local resident is always "OK". Even if he isn't, he won't tell anyone about it. Numerous smiles around can cause confusion at first. However, you will get used to this over time.

It is also interesting that, for example, praise is just praise for the people of Washington. It is common in many cultures that some other recognition of a person's merit, such as a promotion or job recommendation, follows praise. However, it is considered that words are valuable in themselves here. Most locals pay very close attention to work, often overworking or going to work on weekends. This is the nature of the "American dream" - you need to work hard, "creating yourself" in order to become successful. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

However, it is incorrect to believe that Washington residents are only interested in work. Many residents run or cycle, go to gyms or participate in baseball, softball, basketball, street-ball, American football, or soccer competitions as part of amateur teams. The locals really like to play sports. They also like to monitor the success of their favorite sports team.

You may find that an unfamiliar person is communicating with you while walking, running, or just going to the store. This is called "small talk" here which means something like a casual conversation on simple topics. Local people love to communicate even with complete strangers. Americans like to joke, sometimes quite aggressively. However, it is not customary to take offense even at hard jokes here. If you speak English well, don't be surprised if you don't always understand what the locals are telling you. Many stable expressions make the speech of local residents unclear to tourists. Americans are friendly and often try to explain to a foreigner everything that he does not understand.

Don't be surprised to see women in sweatpants and men in rumpled jeans. It is customary not to worry too much about the appearance here. Locals like to have fun. They may start singing along to music in headphones right in the subway. Well, why not?

Local people also like to celebrate holidays on a very large scale. If you get to the city during the celebration of Independence Day, on July 4, you can see a Grand parade, a concert of local performers and a performance of the National Symphony orchestra. You will be able to enjoy these shows even if it is raining. You can visit the Cherry Blossom Festival at the end of March. This is the largest holiday in the United States dedicated to Japanese culture. You can enjoy cherry blossoms in the Potomac River valley. Sushi cooking championships, tea ceremonies, and various excursions are held here at this time. Local people also celebrate Catholic Christmas, New Year, and national holidays – Thanksgiving, Constitution Day, National Flag Day, and popular youth days like Halloween or Valentine's Day. National communities celebrate their memorable dates. You can get a closer look at US culture during the Smithsonian Folk Festival.