Culture

Honduras has a generally uniform culture. The second largest country in Central America (after Nicaragua), it has four distinct geographical areas, the highlands in the interior, the Caribbean coast, the sparsely inhabited Mosquito Coast, and the lowlands near the Gulf of Fonseca, on Honduras' Pacific coast.

Along with these, there is an archipelago lying off Honduras called the Bay Islands (Islas de la Bahía), with a culture distinct from that of the rest of the country.

Religion

Hondurans are traditionally Roman-Catholic, though there is increasing growth from Evangelism in line with its 20th century rise in the other portions of Latin America. There are Jewish, Rastafarian and Muslim minorities.

Honduran Catholics often believe that saints have special powers. The patron saint of Honduras is the Virgin of Suyapa. Many Catholic homes have a picture or statue of a particular saint to whom people pray to help them solve their problems and overcome their hardship. Towns and villages hold feasts for their patron saints, the most famous of which is the Carnival celebrated in La Ceiba on the third Saturday in May in commemoration of San Isidro. At least a substantial minority believe in the efficacy of witchcraft.

Religious freedom is guaranteed by the Honduran constitution.

Art and Literature

Many great writers, such as Ramón Amaya Amador, José Trinidad Reyes and José Cecilio del Valle, have emerged in Honduras. However many people either cannot afford books or have no interest in reading anything other than the daily newspaper, so the market for authors is limited. However, many authors publish their work in newspapers, and there is a tradition, as throughout Latin America, for writers to have started out as journalists.

Lucila Gamero de Medina (1873-1964) wrote the first Honduran novel to be published on an international scale.

Numerous well-known painters are Honduran. López Rodezno is a Honduran painter who founded the National School of Fine Arts in Comayagüela, which maintains a permanent contemporary art exhibit, featuring many murals by various artists. A traditional Amerindian theme, the 'rain of fish' (a tornado that travels over the ocean, sucks up fish and then drops them over villages), frequently occurs in Honduran art.

Folklore

Honduras is a country full of folklore, its famous Lluvia de Peces (Fish Rain) being a good example. The legend of El Cadejo and La Ciguanaba(La Sucia) are also popular. Giovanni 'Giovanello Von Bismarck' Bardales has played a fundamental role in the spread and development of folkloric dances in Honduras. During the 1960s-70s and through mid 80s Honduras Radio Noticias (HRN), a local Honduran radio, was the only one which transmitted these folklore stories. The program was called 'Cuentos y Leyandas de Honduras'. This show was responsible for the diffusion of the folk stories in the country.

Cuisine

Tortillas are extremely popular in Honduras, though Hondurans also eat a lot of rice. Tortillas filled with beans and Honduran cream cheese are called baleadas. Plantains, beans, rice and tortillas are popular staple foods, and are an integral part of a vast majority of diets. Deep fried chicken with chopped cabbage is a staple takeaway dish. Dishes on the coast and in the Bay Islands tend to use more coconut and seafood, such as lobster or fish.

Tamales are a popular Christmas dish (called nacatamales) made of baked corn flour wrapped in plantain leaves with meat or fish in a sauce on the inside.

Football

Hondurans love football (soccer). The Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras runs the popular football league while the Honduras national football team represents the country internationally. Outstanding players are treated like heroes. Local teams include Club Deportivo Marathón, CD Motagua, Club Olimpia Deportivo, C.D. Platense and Real C.D. España.

Soccer has sometimes turned violent, with the outcome of the second qualifying round of the 1970 Soccer World Cup sparking a war between Honduras and El Salvador (the Soccer War), which left more than 2,000 people dead after El Salvador invaded Honduras.