Culture of Europe

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The Culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures of Europe. Whether it is a question of West as opposed to East; Catholicism and Protestantism as opposed to Eastern Orthodoxy; Christianity as opposed to Islam; many have claimed to identify cultural fault lines across the continent. There are many cultural innovations and movements, often at odds with each other, such as Christian proselytism or Humanism. Thus the question of "common culture" or "common values" is far more complex than it seems.

Contents 1 Global influence 2 Food and drink 3 Library resources 4 Language 5 Music 6 Religion 6.1 Official religions 7 Sport 8 Philosophy 9 Symbols 10 See also 11 External links

[edit] Global influence

European culture also has a broad influence beyond the continent of Europe due to the legacy of colonialism. In this broader sense it is sometimes referred to as Western Civilization. Nearly all of the Americas were ruled by European powers at one time or another, and some parts of the New World, such as French Guiana, still are. The vast majority of the population of the Americas speak European languages, specifically Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and to a much lesser extent Dutch. Additionally the cultures of the European colonial powers (Spain, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia,^{[citation needed]} Belgium and France) exert a strong influence.

The legacy has spread European culture elsewhere in the world. Europe profoundly influenced on the cultures of Africa, India, Australia, and other places colonised or settled by Europeans.

[edit] Food and drink

See European cuisine

[edit] Library resources

See The European Library

[edit] Language

Main article: European languages

[edit] Music

Main article: Music of Europe

[edit] Religion

Main article: Religion in Europe

Christianity being the dominant feature in shaping European culture for at least the last 1700 years. Modern philosophical thought has very much been influenced by Christian philosophers such as St Thomas Aquinas and Erasmus.

The most popular religions of Europe are the following:

• Christianity
  • Roman Catholicism: Countries or areas with significant Catholic populations are Portugal, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, south Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, south Germany, south Switzerland, Italy, Malta, Austria, Hungary,Slovenia, Croatia, the Croatian parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, west Ukraine, Romania, Latgale region in Latvia, and Lithuania. There are also large Catholic minorities in England and Wales.
  • Orthodox Christianity: The countries with significant Orthodox populations are Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland (Karelia), Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine.
  • Protestantism: Countries with significant Protestant populations include Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, the UK, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. There are significant minorities in France, Czech Republic, Hungary, and indeed small minorities in most European Countries.
• Islam: Countries with significant Muslim population are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia (especially in Kosovo), several republics of Russia, Crimea in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Also, as of 2005, about 5% of the EU identify themselves as Muslims, with many Muslim immigrants in Germany, the UK, Benelux, Sweden and France.

Other minor religions exist in Europe, some brought by migrants, including:

• Judaism, mainly in France, UK and Russia.
• Hinduism, mainly among Indian immigrants in the UK.
• Buddhism, thinly spread throughout western Europe, and in Kalmykia, Russia
• Indigenous European pagan traditions and beliefs, many countries.
• Rastafari, communities in the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and elsewhere.
• Sikhism and Jainism, both mainly among Indian immigrants in the UK.
• Voodoo, mainly among black Caribbean and West African immigrants in the UK and France.
• Traditional African Religions (including Muti), mainly in the UK and France.

Millions of Europeans profess no religion or are atheist or agnostic. The largest non-confessional populations (as a percentage) are found in Sweden, the Czech Republic and France although most former communist countries have significant non-confessional populations. Attendance at church is a minority activity in most Western European countries - as an example, the Church of England attracts around 1 million worshippers on a Sunday [1], which corresponds to about 2% of the population of England.

[edit] Official religions

A number of countries in Europe have official religions, including Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Vatican City (Catholic); and Greece (Eastern Orthodox), Denmark, Iceland and Norway (Lutheran). In Switzerland, some cantons are officially Catholic, others Reformed Protestant. Some Swiss villages even have their religion as well as the village name written on the signs at their entrances. In Bulgaria, an article in the constitution defines Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the country's "traditional religion".

Georgia has no established church, but the Georgian Orthodox Church enjoys "de facto" privileged status. In Finland, both Finnish Orthodox Church and Lutheran church are official. Russia recognises Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism as all "official"^{[citation needed]} (with three states, Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva, officially Buddhist^{[citation needed]}). England, a part of the UK, has Anglicanism as its official religion. Scotland, another part of the UK, has Presbyterianism as the 'National' church, but is no longer "official", and in Sweden, the 'National' church is Lutheran, but no longer "official". France, Turkey and Azerbaijan are officially "secular".

[edit] Sport

Europe's influence on sport is enormous. Indeed, it is difficult to think of a modern sport, apart from basketball and related sports, that does not have its origins in Europe. European sports include:

• Association football (Football), which has contested origins between England and Italy. What is uncontestable is that the oldest association is The Football Association of England (1863) and the first international match was between Scotland and England (1872). It is now the world's most popular sport and is played throughout Europe.
• Rugby Union and rugby league, which have similar origins to football, and whose rules in Union's case today date from 1845 (see article History of rugby union) are popular in western Europe, Romania, and Georgia, in Union's case, and in England and south-west France in League's case. The influence has been carried abroad by colonisation, with many former British colonies playing Union along with Argentina, Japan and others. Rugby League is mainly confined to New Zealand and Australia. However, the discus throw, javelin throw and shot put have their origins in ancient Greece. The Olympics, both ancient and modern, have their origins too in Europe, and have a massive influence globally.
• Field Hockey as a modern game began in 18th Century England with Ireland having the oldest federation. It is popular in Western Europe, the Indian subcontinent, East Asia and the Antipodes. Ice Hockey, popular in Europe and North America may derive from this sport.
• Golf, one of the most popular sports in Europe, Asia and North America, has its origins in Scotland, with the oldest course being at Musselburgh.
• Tennis and related games such as Table Tennis derive from the game Real Tennis which is from France. It is popular throughout the world.
• Handball, which is popular in Europe and elsewhere, has its origins in antiquity. The modern game is from northern Europe with Germany having been involved in both the first women's and men's internationals.
• Cycling, which is immensely popular as a means of transport has most of its sporting adherents in Europe, particularly Western Europe. The Tour de France is the world's most watched live annual sporting event. The bicycle itself is probably from France (see History of the bicycle).
• Cricket has its origins in south east England. It is not so popular in Europe, being played only in northwest Europe, mainly England. It is however very popular worldwide, especially in Africa, the Antipodes and the Indian subcontinent. Sports such as Rounders and Baseball are thought to derive from this.

In addition, Europe has numerous national or regional sports which do not command a huge international following outside of emigrant groups. These include:

• Gaelic football in Ireland, which influenced Australian rules football.
• Basque Pelota in parts of Spain and France, and which has been brought to the Americas by emigrants.
• Pétanque, Boules, Irish Road Bowling, Skittles, Bocce, and Bowls and others are variations of bowling games which are popular throughout western Europe and have been spread around the world.
• Hurling in Ireland.
• Shinty in Scotland, which influenced Ice Hockey in Canada (see also Shinny).
• Gaelic Handball (Ireland) which was taken to the USA in the form of American Handball.
• Trotting in southern Europe.
• Alpine Wrestling in Switzerland.
• Korfbal in The Netherlands and Belgium

Some sporting organisations hold European Championships.

• UEFA
• Rugby League European Nations Cup
• FIRA - Association of European Rugby
• European SC Championships
• Sport in the European Union
• Mitropa Cup
• IIHF

[edit] Philosophy

European philosophy is the most dominant strand of philosophy globally, and is central to philosophical enquiry in America and South America and much of the rest of the world. The origins are Judeo-Hellenic: Christian thought is a huge influence on many fields of European philosophy, sometimes as a reaction; the Greek schools of philosophy in antiquity provide the basis of philosophical discourse that extends to today.

Perhaps the most important single philosophical period since the classical era was the Enlightenment. There are many disputes as to its value and even its timescale. What is indisputable is that the tenets of reason and rational discourse owe much to René Descartes and others working a the time.

Other important European philosophical strands include:

Humanism

Romanticism

Stoicism

Utilitarianism

Structuralism

Deconstructionism

Postmodernism

Existentialism

Communism and Marxism

[edit] Symbols

• European symbols

[edit] See also

• Category:European culture
• European Capital of Culture
• Europeanisation
• Westernization
• Battles of macrohistorical importance involving invasions of Europe

[edit] External links

• Eurolinguistix.com
• 12Star Culture - online European culture magazine