The culture of Gibraltar reflects Gibraltarians' diverse origins. While there are
Andalusian and British influences, the ethnic origins of most Gibraltarians is not confined to British or Andalusian ethnicities. Most ethnicities include Genoese, Maltese, Portuguese, and Germans. A handful of other Gibraltar residents are Jewish of
Sephardic or of North African origin or even Hindu.
British influence remains strong. Although Gibraltarians often speak to each other in an English-influenced Andalusian dialect called Yanito or
Llanito, English is the language of government, commerce, education and the media. Gibraltarians going on to higher education attend university in the UK. Patients requiring medical treatment not available on the Rock receive it there as private patients, paid for by the Gibraltar Government.
Gibraltar celebrates its National Day annually on 10th September, the date chosen to commemorate the 1967 Referendum which was the first act of self-determination of the people of Gibraltar. Despite the political undertones of the day, it is very much a festive occasion, with everyone dressing in Red & White and congregating in the main square (Casemates) to celebrate. 30,000 red and white balloons are released followed by music, dancing and other events around Gibraltar.
Andalusia (Spanish: Andalucía) is a region of Spain. Andalusia is the most populated and second largest of the seventeen autonomous communities that constitute Spain. Its capital is Seville. Andalusia is bounded on the north by Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha, on the east by Murcia, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and Gibraltar, and on the west by Portugal.
The name Andalusia is derived from the Arabic name "Al Andalus", which referred to the parts of the Iberian peninsula which were under muslim rule. The Islamic history of muslim Spain can be found in the entry al-Andalus. Tartessos, the capital of a once great and powerful Civilization, was located in Andalusia, and was known in the Bible by the name of Tarsis. More information about this region can be found in the entry Hispania Baetica, the name of the Roman province that corresponds to the region.
Andalusian culture has been deeply marked by the eight centuries of muslim rule over the region, which ended in 1492 with the conquest of Granada by the Catholic monarchs.
The Spanish spoken in the Americas is largely descended from the Andalusian dialect of Castilian Spanish due to the role played by Seville as the gateway to Spain's American territories in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Andalusia is known for its moorish architecture. Famous monuments include the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Córdoba and the Torre del Oro and Giralda towers in Sevilla. Archaeological remains include Medina Azahara, near Córdoba.
Andalusian cuisine is known for its use of fish and shellfish, its desserts, and its world-famous sherry.
A
Sephardi is a Jew originating in the Iberian Peninsula, including those subject to expulsion from Spain by order of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabel (as codified in the Alhambra decree of 1492), or from Portugal by order of King Manuel I in 1497.
Historically, Sephardim are those Jews associated with the Iberian peninsula and whose traditional language is Ladino.
The name Sepharadi literally means "of Spain," in Hebrew, as Sepharad means Spain.
In the vernacular of modern-day Israel, Sephardi has also come to be used as an umbrella term for any Jewish person who is not Ashkenazi - Ashkenazim have for several generations constituted the bulk of world Jewry.
A variety of different non-Ashkenazi Jewish groups within Israel are sometimes identified as Sephardi.
For example, the "Mizrahi" . It is a convenient way to refer collectively to a wide range of Jewish communities, most of which are as unrelated to each other as they are to either the Sephardi or Ashkenazi communities. In the context of modern Israeli society the label is commonly used in the sense "non-Ashkenazi and non-Sephardi Jew" and is mostly associated with the Middle East and North Africa. They loosely encompass the Jewish communities historically associated with Africa and Asia, or more specifically the Near East and North Africa, most notably those of Southern Arabia (Yemen), Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Persia (Iran). Jews from these Near Eastern communities are more specifically referred to as "Oriental Jews", or the Hebrew equivalent (Mizr??îm). Some of these were once also referred to as "Arab Jews", a phrase that is rarely used today. This article treats only Sephardim in the traditional sense, not this broader Modern Israeli Hebrew definition. See also: Jewish ethnic divisions
Though many Mizrahim now follow the liturgical traditions of the Sephardim, and in modern Israel may be colloquially referred to as Sephardi Jews, the Mizrahim are not Sephardic, as they are not descended from those Jews who were expelled from Sepharad (the Iberian peninsula) during the Spanish Inquisition and the Portuguese Inquisition.
Sephardi has in some modern contexts acquired the meaning of "non-Ashkenazi Jew", however, to include Mizrahim with Sephardim may be considered culturally insensitive or ignorant.
Note that the term Nusach Sefard or Nusach Sfarad does not refer to the liturgy generally recited by Sephardim, but rather to an alternative European liturgy used by many Chassidim. Sephardim traditionally pray using Minhag Sefarad, which is quite similar to Nusach Eidoth haMizrach (liturgy of the Eastern Congregations).
Llanito (IPA: [ja'nito]) is a mixed language spoken in Gibraltar. It is also spoken by overseas migrants and their descendants in Spain, United Kingdom, and Spanish-speaking Latin America and Hispanic communities in United States. It is a mixture of English and Andalusian Spanish with influences from Moroccan and Tunisian Arabic, Genoese Italian, Ladino, Maltese and Hebrew, as well as other linguistic impacts (see Demographics of Gibraltar). Gibraltarians may also call themselves Llanitos (female Llanitas). The term los Llanis is also used in La Línea, the town on the Spanish side of the border, to describe - generally disdainfully - their neighbours, although Gibraltarians do not consider it to be insulting and often pride themselves on being called Llanis.
To many outsiders, Llanito sounds incomprehensible, as speakers appear to switch languages in mid-sentence, but to Spanish speakers who can understand English, it sounds surprising and unique. They also mispronounce English words, giving them an Andalusian flavour. For example, bacon is pronounced beki; cake, quequi; and a policeman is known as un bobi, (from "bobby"). However, this is more common with the older population as the younger generation have a different slang, for example la palma for 'the police'. Gibraltarians, especially those with higher education, speak standard Spanish of both Andalusian and Castilian dialects and standard English of the British English variety.
Examples: Llanito compared to standard Spanish and English
Llanito: Quillo, I'm telling you que no puede...
Spanish: Tío, te digo que no puedes...
English: Mate, I'm telling you you can't...
Llanito: Hay un call pa ti.
Spanish: Tienes una llamada./Hay una llamada para ti.
English: There's a call for you.
Llanito: Sí, pero at the end of the day...
Spanish: Sí, pero al final del día...
English: Yes, but at the end of the day...
Llanito: Por qué, darling?
Spanish: ¿Por qué, querido/a?
English: Why, darling?
Llanito: Cusha tio, vamo al keo pa toma papiti...
Spanish: Oye tío, vamos a casa a comer algo...
English: Listen mate, let's go home to eat something...
Llanito: Gibraltar e British...
Spanish: Gibraltar es britanico
English: Gibraltar is British
Llanito: Te llamo p´atra anyway
Spanish: Te devuelvo la llamada de todas maneras
English: I´ll call you back anyway
Culture
