Culture of Urcea: Difference between revisions

The culture of Urcea is influenced a great deal by the cultural legacy of the Latinic people and Great Levantia, which existed for nearly a millennia ending in 503 AD. During that time, Great Levantia became the primary cultural, military, and political force in Levantia.

 

In recent years, the culture of Urcea has been substantially influenced by cultural interaction with the peoples of Western Crona via Urcea's involvement in The Deluge. In particular, the growing prevalence of "crossover culture" in New Yustona has introduced new types of food and music into mainstream Urcean culture, though many social scholars have noted that it will take several decades before elements of Cronite culture are fully embedded in everyday Urcean life. Most prevalent by the late 2010s was the introduction of certain Cronite words as slang in everyday Urcean language.

Gassavelian people are descendants of Uzdehzani people, Nestorian refugees who fled from Audonia during the rise of Islam and the Oduniyyad Caliphate. The relatively small group of refugees founded the Principality of Hištanšahr, establishing themselves as the small ruling caste over the indigenous majority, a mix of primarily Gaelic and Istroyan people with a few Latinic settlements to the northwest. The Kingdom of Gassavelia succeeded Hištanšahr, incorporating the area into the Holy Levantine Empire and breaking down the boundaries of intermarriage between the Uzdehzani and the local gentry and peasant classes. The mixing of these three primary cultures established the Gassavelian people, who, like the Caenish people and Carán people, are considered by some to be related to the Urcean people with a unique Audonian influence. The Uzdehzani people gradually faded away by the sheer weight of demographics, but their influence - and, in some cases, family lineage - remain to this day, giving the Gassavelian people a distinct culture from their neighbors. Urcea acquired the western half of the Kingdom of Gassavelia following the Great Confessional War in the 1500s. Given some autonomy behind local Dukes, the Gassavelians nonetheless were partly integrated into Urcean culture, adopting the Julian Ænglish language of their new Kingdom and abjuring their previous Protestant faith to embrace Catholicism. The integration of [[Urcean people|ethnic Urcean]] [[Ómestaderoi]] within Gassavelian cities during the {{wp|Industrial Revolution}} also played an important role in the cultural interchange that lead to the Gassavelians being viewed as part of the wider Urcean nationality. Gassavelians have held positions of prominence in Urcean society since, and Gassavelia is one of the largest subdivisions of Urcea.

Nysdrine people are descendants of Urceans or other Levantines living in [[Crona]], or ethnically native Cronites adhering to Levantine religion and culture in Crona. Most Nysdrine families in Urcea originated in [[New Yustona]] and immigrated to Urcea since its foundation in the 19th century, but the Nysdrine population in metropolitan Urcea and its overseas possession has been increasing dramatically since The Deluge and the exposure of Levantine culture to an increasing number of native peoples of Crona.

Lebhan is still considered to be the cultural language of Urcea despite its widespread use in some areas of the historical Holy Levantine Empire, so much so that some foreign scholars occasionally incorrectly refer to it as "Urcean". It has since been primarily replaced by Julian Ænglish. Many historians and scholars once believed the language came to Urcea during the High Middle Ages and especially during the Saint's War through the influence of mercenaries, merchants, and the neighboring realms of Angla and Helvianir - this model was called the "Replacement Theory". Modern scholarship, however, has indicated that some form of proto-Ænglish or Ænglish hybrids were in use in rural parts of Urcea well before the Saint's War. The majority of modern historians have replaced the "Replacement Theory" with the "Organic Theory" - namely, that Ænglish and Lebhan "grew up together", so to speak, in different parts of the country, and that increasing social and economic integration lead to the formation of Julian Ænglish, which is unique because of the distinct influence Latin and Lebhan had on the language relative to other versions of Ænglish. Whichever theory may be the case, in time, the Ænglish language became the default language of commerce for traders to use, particularly in regards to trade with the other states of the Holy Levantine Empire. The further reign of the House of Julio-Angloise and the influx of Ænglish refugees following the Nordmontaine War accelerated the acceptance of Ænglish as the government language of the Kingdom. It is the primary language spoken today, though some pockets of Lebhan still remain, especially in the Ionian Highlands.

In the southeast is the region of Gassavelia, a semi-autonomous part of the Apostolic Kingdom, wherein a type of Romance Vulgar Persianid, the Gassavelian language, is spoken, which is the third most spoken language in the Kingdom.

The notable exception to the traditional naming scheme is that of the [[tria nomina system]], introduced in the middle of the 19th century during the Romantic period as a hearkening back to the naming conventions of Great Levantia. The tria nomina adopted the traditional naming system by transforming the surname into a cognomen and introducing the name of one's estate as a nomen. The system was widely adopted by optimate families and the heads of the Estates of Urcea, but saw relatively little penetration into middle or lower class Urcean families, and the system was ordered abolished by the 1890s. Many families retain their tria nomina names today, most especially the members of House de Weluta. During the early 20th century, many former freemen who became prosperous "new men" under the restoration adopted "false tria nominas" in order to appear higher class; these names became hereditary. Perhaps the best known individual with such a "false tria nomina" is James Cossus Reed, who served as Chancellor and Temporary President in the 2010s.

The Feast Day of [[St. Julius I]] on April 1st and is an important holiday celebrating national themes, though in recent decades the King's Birthday has supplanted it as the main "patriotic" holiday, and instead it has taken on a greater religious significance.

Urcea is a relatively class-mobile country without rigid social distinction, though the most common observation is that there are three "soft" classes; a lower or working class, a middle class, and an upper class. Historically, Urcea employed a distinct class system based on property requirements, inheritance, and heredity, and, during the high medieval period, serfdom. Much of the social structure was disrupted during the Saint's War and Great Confessional War, leading to a weakening of the class system and end of serfdom following the latter conflict. Formal class distinctions remained on the books until the end of the [[Red Interregnum]], when they were functionally abolished by King [[Patrick III of Urcea|Patrick III]] during the restoration. Urcea has largely abolished its system of {{wp|peerage}}, although it still exists in the form of non-inheritable courtesy titles.

Despite being a relatively egalitarian society, Urcea does maintain an extensive system of {{wp|Life peer|life peerage}}, non-inheritable titles granted by the [[Apostolic King of Urcea]]. Titles are typically granted as a recognition of merit, both in public service or extraordinary work as a private individual. Many titles are granted to prominent members of [[House de Weluta]] who serve in official government functions. A life peerage usually conveys a sense of social importance and carries with it some minor privileges, such as the right to be announced at public events such as theatrical showings. In formal ceremonies, a life peer has the right to enter any procession in the highest place of honor and may be seated at the most honorable position unless the King himself or a Bishop is in attendance, in which case the peer has second position or lower as the need presents. Peerages have a complex hierarchy of prestige which was simplified in 1982 to a four-tier system. The four tiers typically correspond to ranks of titles (barons, counts, dukes, and princes or their equivalent), but some more prestigious titles may appear in a rank above their normal tier.

As a life peerage might suggest, an individual holds the title, honor, and privileges of that peerage until their death, when it is not inherited by their children. A widow, however, may continue to be addressed by their predeceased spouse's title (i.e. "Duchess") and may continue to be received with the honor and dignity of the spouse of a peer until their own death.

Urcea is well known for its relatively expansive understanding of the role of government in public morality, but this application of moral laws derives from the Urceans' understanding of the relationship between man and the state. As the organic outgrowth of society, there is usually widespread support for implementation of moral laws within society. Consequently, things such as adultery, sodomy, and abortion are not only illegal but punishable by severe fines. Most Urceans throughout the political spectrum either support moral codes or at least have no opinion on them besides the far-left part of the spectrum represented by the Social Labor Party which actively calls for the creation of something resembling a free marketplace of subjective morals and social ideals.

Consistent polling indicates that most Urceans do not believe their country is a "democracy" nor describe their country's values as "democratic" despite relatively high scores from international observers for regularly-scheduled free and fair elections. While Urceans do generally believe that a country having elections is an important value, democracy as a standalone concept is viewed negative and with suspicion and is often used as a disparaging term in Urcean society in a way meaning mob rule. Many Urceans instead describe their electoral system and participatory government as "[[Organicism#Shared_commonwealth|shared commonwealth]]" which express "commonwealth values", which are often used by both academics and politicians. These two terms and their shared concepts often poll highly among Urceans across the political spectrum.

''More Information'': [[Goura's Index of National Attitudes]]

In the Ionian Highlands, a similar but separate loose clan structure is in use. While Highlanders live as nuclear families, it is often in close proximity to others, and typically first and second cousins are raised together. These smaller clan units retain loyalty to their kinsmen even outside of the direct mini-clan unit, and even in the 21st century a single, distantly-related clan can make up a plurality of dioceses within the Highlands. Accordingly, consanguinity laws (within four degrees) are strictly enforced. Highland clans are known to form local sports teams and leagues with other clans, and though ancient rivalries have mostly subsided, sometimes these matches can result in violence by hooliganism.

In terms of ingredient contents, mainstream Urcean cuisine is similar to that in other Levantine countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain with about three-quarters of grain products made of wheat flour and many dishes use indigenous ingredients, such as turkey, venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup which were consumed by [[Gaelic people|Gaels]] as well as early [[Latinic people|Latin]] settlers, and these types of food feature prominently within [[Latin Heroic Age]] legends. In addition to wheat, rice and pecans are the minor staple crops of Urcea, with pecans serving as both a delicacy and as a major cooking ingredient. Chicken and beef are the primary types of protein in [[Urcea]], although varieties of pork sausage - ranging from breakfast sausage to hot dogs - are also commonly consumed. Corned beef is among the most popular specific types of beef served, consumed in sandwiches or as breakfast {{wp|Hash (food)|hash}}. Since the 2020s and the beginning of [[The Deluge]], ingredients and meal types from Urcean territories and protectorates in [[Crona]] have entered into popular consumption within Urcea. These cuisine styles are referred to as "colonial cuisine", and colonial cuisine is increasingly creating many variations and derivatives of Urcean cuisine staples established over the course of the 20th century.

Most historians believe the popularity of hors d'oeuvres in Urcea originated as partial meal offerings during {{Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church|Catholic days of fasting}} including and especially {{wp|Ember days}}; the practice of replacing a meal with a quick round of hors d'oeuvres is popularly referred to as "embering" with many linguistic scholars agreeing the term originated in Ember days.

Plaza clusters, so named for a cluster of tables and often referred to as "PCs", is a regional type of restaurant found primarily in older urban parts of [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] in narrow streets and open plazas, though the format has become increasingly emulated nationwide. The PC typically offers a full menu for lunch and dinner of regional foods and is entirely outdoors, with tables and chairs spaced unevenly radiating outward from the storefront where the restaurant's kitchen resides. PCs emphasize the convenience of "fast food" while offering sit-down full meal service by eschewing many of the traditional social mores of dining - such as conversational wait staff - with the expectation that customers will finish their meal within an hour and fifteen minutes or less. These types of restaurants work by having low costs for upkeep of dining rooms and other dining-adjacent facilities while dealing in volume, typically allowing for higher quality ingredients and the hiring of more experienced chefs and line cooks. The PC format is the sole type of restaurant where a {{wp|gratuity}} for wait staff is not anticipated.

Urceans are known for having very large portion sizes for most of their sit-down meals, and for the presentation of hors d'oeuvres typically large trays with a large variety are made available for consumption. It is not considered impolite in Urcea to go up for second or third rounds of food.

A vast majority of Urceans are [[Levantine Catholic Church|Catholics]], which is the official religion of the state. Aside from being a major factor in Urcea's geopolitical dealings, the Catholic Church also proves to be, in many ways, the central organizing structure and focal point in Urcean society. Celebrations of baptisms are usually town-wide, and mass attendance far exceeds most other Catholic countries. Urcea also produces more Catholic priests than any other nation, many of which are then sent to minister overseas in countries with clerical shortages, particularly in [[Sarpedon]] but elsewhere as well. Religious toleration is the law and discrimination against other religious groups is forbidden, but is common in everyday elements of society.

The Catholic Church's influence in Urcea is well known around the world, and it has been said that unifying element of the Urcean national culture - which includes many local cultural variation - is the Catholic faith. The Church is also responsible for organizing local governments in the Provinces through the Bishops and Dioceses. The Catholic Church is also headquartered in Urceopolis, and the Holy See resides there, making the Urcean capital the center point through which all Catholics share communion. Additionally, the Church, in the person of the Pope, holds the independent Papal State within Urceopolis. As such, the Pope serves as a key unofficial adviser to the Apostolic King of Urcea due to the close proximity of St. Peter's Basilica to the Julian Palace. Several Popes have come from the ranks of the Urcean Bishops over the ages, particularly considering the roots of the Papacy in Great Levantia and Urceopolis, though prelates from many other places in Levantia have sat in the Chair of St. Peter as well.

While post-Conciliar masses in Urcea were once popular in the 1970s and 80s, said in Aenglish as well as in Lebhan in some places, their popularity has diminished and have practically disappeared in Urcea since the end of the 20th century. Since then, the Tridentine Mass has become commonplace in Urcea and the Church has considered making it the Ordinary Form of the Mass within the Kingdom.

The view of [[Judeo-Protestantism]] - a conspiracy theory and theological argument that Protestants and Jewish people belong to the same overall religious current - was once extremely prevalent in [[Urcea]] but has declined significant with improved theological education.

Mass production and distribution of the Selectro 1000PC in 1972 brought about the advent of the home computer era, and with it, video games became a new form of entertainment. These early video games were often crude given the technological level of mid 1970s computing, but by 1980 a degree of sophistication saw the rise of early role playing games in addition to space-themed top down games. Unlike many other countries, Urcea did not experience an arcade craze, as the availability of home computers by 1977 for most families made the arcade model a non-starter in Urcea. However, the early 1980s also saw the first widely-manufactured video game consoles. Consoles rapidly gained market share as the technical sophistication of games outpaced the average family's ability to upgrade their computers, such that by 1987, 16-bit consoles assumed the dominant public image of video games. Consoles remained the primary developer of video games until the late 2000s, from which time PC-based gaming has held the majority of the market share in Urcea.

Baseball has been regarded as the Urcean national sport since the late 19th century, and is by several measures the most popular spectator sport. Many scholars have contested that the game started in Urcea, becoming widely attended during the Aedanicad, though the historical consensus now suggests that the game organically developed all across the southern Holy Levantine Empire. Urcea is a member of every major Levantine baseball association, and the major league Continental Baseball Conference (CBC) has one of the highest average attendances of any sports league in the world. Out of the 32 teams in the [[Continental Baseball Conference]], 10 are in Urcea proper or its two states, Ænglasmarch and Gassavelia; consequently, there are 100 official affiliate minor league teams in Urcea spread throughout ten leagues. The Crown Series, the CBC's championship series, is watched by millions globally and is the most watched event in Urcea each year.

The third most popular sport in Urcea is gridiron football, which became popular following the end of the Great War. Typically considered Urcea's "second sport" (though racing draws relatively more views in its shorter season), football is typically played in the Continental Baseball Conference's off-season with its first games being played in October and its season ending in mid March. Though football began play in Urcea during the 1900s, the rise in the sport's popularity is traditionally attributed to the return of soldiers of the Royal and Imperial Army, who had grown accustomed to games "faster" than baseball from Sarpedon, such as rugby. Veterans and veteran families began flocking to the sport when baseball season ended; the admiration of veterans among Urcean society led to an interest in seeing the returning soldiers play, giving a massive boost to the sport's popularity. The major football league in Urcea is the [[Royal Association of Football Clubs]] (RAFC). Unlike baseball's Continental Baseball Conference, the RAFC is exclusive to Urcea and fields 28 teams divided into two leagues of two divisions each.