Culture of Caudonia

The culture of Caudonia refers to the cultural life and traditions of Caudonia. As a primarily North America micronation, Caudonia is heavily influenced by American culture, Canadian culture, and the other anglophone cultures.

Influences

Historical influences

Indigenous peoples

For thousands of years the areas surrounding Caudonia in the United States have been inhabited by indigenous peoples from a variety of different cultures and languages. The indigenous peoples in the areas surrounding Caudonia were members of Osage tribe and the Erie tribe. The Osage were pushed west out of the Ohio Valley in the 17th century as the result of Iroquois invasions, and the Erie were eventually absorbed by the Seneca tribe and Susquehannock tribe. The indigenous peoples of the area had little to no effect on the European culture of the settlers, and no significant impact can be seen on the modern culture of the area or the culture of Caudonia. It is popularly believed that the local English speakers picked up the word "Mahoning" meaning "salt lick" from an indigenous tribe in the area, but this is not true. The word is of Lenape origin and most likely came to the area through the westward migration of colonists following American independence.

European colonists

The first Europeans to visit the area were the French in the 18th century to claim it for New France. They established an elaborate systen of trading posts for the fur trade. Like the indigenous peoples of the area, the French had little to no significant impact on the modern culture.

Following the French and Indian War, the area of Caudonia was ceded to Great Britain under the Treaty of Paris and it became part of the Province of Quebec. The British did little with the land. Following the American Revolution, the area was ceded to the United States. The land had been claimed by Connecticut but Connecticut relinquished its claim following the revolution. Nevertheless, the area was and still is known as the Connecticut Western Reserve. After Connecticut relinquished its claim, the federal government incorporated the land into the newly formed Northwest Territory. The culture of the early American settlers has had the most visible and significant impact on the area.

Modern influences

The modern culture of Caudonia is dominated by the cultures of the Anglosphere. There are also very minor influences from different parts of the world, especially Europe. Caudonia is a multicultural nation made up of mostly different western cultures, and that is why the cultures mix in this way.

Political culture

Historical political culture

The political culture of Caudonia was mainly dominated by that of the Anglosphere countries. The residents of the area currently comprising New Rutland were typically centrist or left leaning, which is similar to the rest of Mahoning County.

Contemporary politics

Caudonian governments have a tradition of centrism and liberalism at the national level, and typically govern with a moderate centrist political ideology. Caudonia is strongly egalitarian, with all people being afforded equal rights and treatment under the law.

Caudonia has a multi-party system in which many of its legislative customs derive from the unwritten conventions of and precedents set by the Westminster parliament of the United Kingdom.

National identity and values

Due to the short existence of Caudonia, the nation has not been able to form a strong national identity. The only real sort of uniting force is support for the monarchy and the democratic way of life in the nation.

The nation has also not been able to form its own unique cultural values. Most of the cultural values in Caudonia coincide with those of other western and anglophone cultures.

Arts

Caudonian arts are typically dominated by the western arts. This is because of the shared cultural identity and traditions with Western Europe and the United States and Canada.

Symbols

Official symbols of Caudonia include the lilac, the national flower, the white-tailed deer, the national animal, and tea, the national drink.

Government approved symbols of Caudonia include the Flag, which was approved on 11 July 2019, the founding date of the nation and the Coat of Arms, in lesser and greater forms, both of which were approved on 16 November 2019.

Gallery of Caudonian national symbols

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  Flag of Caudonia

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  Coat of arms of Caudonia

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  White tailed deer

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  Tea

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  Cornbread

Religion

Christianity became the dominant religion in the 1940s. It was first established in Caudonia by its first permament European residents, a Swedish family who immigrated to the United States, who were followers of the Church of Sweden.

It was then reintroduced by its next residents, the princely family, who were Roman Catholic. In 2016, Prince William I formally left the Roman Catholic Church. He established the Pagan Church of Caudonia shortly after the foundation of the nation in July 2019, however it was dissolved in March 2020.

Despite this, Christianity remains the dominant religion in Caudonia with over 50% of the population following it according to the March 2020 census.

Language

Caudonia people traditionally speak the English language, a West Germanic language. There is no official form of English in Caudonia as citizens speak many different varieties, however British English is the de facto standard for government spelling. There is a significant minority of Western Pennsylvania English speakers in Caudonia, owing to the nation's location. Some terms from South African English have entered offical usage in Caudonia, more notably "robot" meaning traffic light.

In recent times, many foreign languages have become an integral part of the culture of Caudonia, most noteably the Slovak language and the Scots language.

Slang

Caudonian slang is made up of Afrikaans, British and American influences, with more vulgar words originating from British slang while more tame terms from American slang. 'Lekker', from Afrikaans, is sometimes used.

Aside from borrowings from other languages, sometimes names can be used in adjective form to distinguish a national/political origin, most notably 'Monty' to describe anything of a far-right nature and 'Joy' used to describe something of a Maltese origin, the English word 'joy' still holds it original meaning. For example, one may describe a Reichmark as "Monty money" or the Maltese language as "Joy speak" or "Joy talk". Names can also be used as common nouns. Most notably, "Zhang" can be used to mean idiot or idiotic.

Cuisine

Caudonian cuisine has developed from various influences from around the world, most noteably the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Popular dishes in Caudonia include fish and chips, Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, poutine, butter tarts, hamburgers and cornbread.

Also popular in Caudonia is the national drink, tea. Tea is a prominent feature of Caudonian culture and society much like in the United Kingdom. In Caudonia, like the United Kingdom, the drinking of tea is widely varied so it is quite hard to generalise. While the most common method of serving tea is with milk, it is not uncommon to drink it black or with lemon, with sugar being a popular addition to any of the above. Strong tea, served in a mug with milk and sugar, is a popular combination known as builder's tea. Tea is often accompanied with sandwiches, scones, cake and/or biscuits, with a popular British custom being dunking the biscuit into the tea.