Culture & Identity of Guyana
Introduction
Guyana is an odd combination of restraint and religion with Caribbean-styled drinking, relaxing, dancing, and eating. Additionally, the people are very diverse due to the country's history of numerous immigrant groups. Despite the differences in culture, religion, and beliefs, the way of life for most of the people can be unified in their shared history, strong religious backgrounds, conservative belief systems, but also their enjoyment of life and social relationships essential to all people.
Most people in Guyana live along or near the coast, although the cities in the country are small and uncommon. Only about a third of the population lives in these cities, but the strip of land along the coast is fairly densely populated as many people have some land, but large farms or plantations are rare today. This means the people have land to farm on, but also generally have access to the cities so there is a wide range of available job options and lifestyles.
For most people the work day or school day begins fairly early and work generally lasts until about 5:00 pm; although schools usually get out in mid-afternoon. Sundays are typically a day to relax as few people work and Saturdays are often the same. During this free time family comes first in Guyana, but friends are also very important and on nights and weekends most Guyanese spend their free time with their family or friends. Going out to a restaurant, bar, club, or movie is not uncommon, although few people make visiting these places a regular habit. Weekends are also a great time to get out and play sports, socialize, or just relax and unwind. Depending on an individual's religion, many people also attend religious services during the weekend.