I. Introduction
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by Kings formed in September 1932. With a population of 27 million, its main religion is Islam as the culture and justice system is based on teachings of the Holy Koran. It is the largest Muslim country in Asia and second in the world after Algeria with the national language as Arabic and has 13 provinces (Cordesman, 2013). the country is famous for leading in production of oil worldwide and also as the second largest hydrocarbon dealer.
II. Racial & Ethnic Characteristics
The differences in ethnicity, national origin and race are of no significance in social functions, economic and political organization. All interested Saudi Arabians participate in Ummah (Community) as Muslims. The Muslim identity transcends the borders preceding all other identities.
In social occasions, however, the origin of some people such as in the Hijaz, who are recognized as Muhammad's descendants (the Ashraf) is evident. Apart from the Ashraf and a few ancient tribes that have no reliable connections, the rest of Saudi Arabians are not discriminative. Saudi citizenship policies accommodates other people with various historical backgrounds and origins outside Arabia (Tarik, 2012). Although a few people consider the origin of foreigners as important markers in determining interactions such as marriage ceremonies, the social considerations do not result into major economic differences nationally.
III. Family Structure
A. Patriarchal Family: Usually, men are the leaders in the family, but the choice always depends on who has strong and leader personality. The women can be the leader despite the widespread belief that a woman's place is insignificant and is not as a leader.
B. Matriarchal Family: Irrespective of the age, the women can be a leader depending on who has a strong and leader personality. However, in some families, Although the women are the eldest, the family passes the final authority to an available man who could be younger than the lady, but elder than the rest.
C. Two parent family: Most families have two parents and they may not be well educated. For example, my grandpa and grandma lived in marriage for about 50 years together and they had not finished meddle school. In addition, most young families have two parents. These young families involve mostly the literate parents with formal education to higher levels such as University.
D. Single Parent Family: Single parents face great obstacles especially when the single parent is a woman. With few literate women, employment and source of income is hard to come by. Many single parent families especially due to divorce suffer in their efforts to survive (Cordesman, 2013). While single female parents do suffer, the child’s father, and the ex husband has to pay for the child even when she works and has high income. E. Extended Family (grandparents, uncles and aunts and other relatives): The extended family and clan form the base of the Saudi family. By keeping these relatives close, Saudis maintain close contact and support from relatives in case of disasters.
F. Gay or Lesbian Family: Homosexuality is a serious offense in Saudi Arabia. The offenders are embarrassed in public alongside their entire families to discourage any more occurrences according the Sharia (Tarik, 2012). G. Cohabiting Family: Cohabiting is strictly prohibited in the country.IV. Culture
A. Family Traditions: The family and tribe are the basic foundation of Saudi Arabian social structure. They family recognizes their ancestors by renaming their children to preserve their heritage. They also keep close emphasis on clans and extended families making it a close affair between extended family members (Cordesman, 2013). Nepotism is, therefore, acceptable and considered a good thing as it connects people with the ones they trust the most.
Saudi traditions are rooted in Islamic teachings and Arab customs, which Saudis learn about at an early age from their families and in schools. The highlights of the year are the holy month of Ramadan and the Hajj (pilgrimage) season, and the national holidays that follow them. The holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, culminates with the Eid-Al-Fitr holiday, in which it is customary to buy presents and clothes for children and visit friends and relatives. The other highlight is the Hajj season, during which millions of Muslim pilgrims from around the world come to Makkah. The Hajj season concludes with the Eid Al-Adha holiday, in which it is traditional for families to slaughter a sheep in memory of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son.
Arab traditions also play an important role in Saudi life. These age-old traditions have evolved over the millennia and are highly regarded. They include generosity and hospitality, which every Saudi family offers to strangers, friends, and family. The simplest expression of hospitality is coffee – its preparation alone is an intricate cultural tradition, and it is often served in small cups along with dates and sweets. Another gesture of hospitality is the burning of incense (oud) to welcome guests.B. Values & Beliefs: The country focuses its beliefs on generosity, hospitality, honoring the elderly, chastity and high moral standards. These principals are based on and greatly influenced by the Islamic religion which all Saudis are faithfuls (Tarik, 2012).C. Food Habits: The famous traditional staple foods include milk (camel, goat and cow milk and various milk products), dates, ghee, cheese, wheat and wheat products, millet, beans, eggplant, onions, leeks, squash, okra, barley and occasionally mutton, camel meat, goat meat and fish.
Food customs at ceremonial occasions: It is a traditional practice to entertain a visitor with a special meal in their honor. Tradition requires either a sheep, goat or camel be slaughtered. Chicken can be a valid substitute instead of sheep, goat or camel. Major ritualistic and cultural rich events such as weddings, cultural feasts and family reunions require the slaughtering of sheep, goat or rarely, a young camel. The meat is then boiled and some of the soup supplied to the guests. The rest is used with rice onto which the meat is placed. As a cultural practice, the elderly men get the priority of eating first. The younger men and boys follow suit while the women and girls eat separately, all with their right hands (Cordesman, 2013).
D. Music & Dance: Saudi folk music varies with regions of origin and is influenced by normadic Bedouins and pilgirms of ancient years. The most famous dance is the men's sword dance (the Ardah) performed with men dancing in lines and poet narrating in their midst.
The country is home to rich poetry as it the people value poetry with passion since it conveys the meaning of wisdom, pride and is an important element in the Arab culture.E. Child rearing Practices: For ages, mothers, with the help of midwives, gave birth in their homes. Other women in the entire extended family then participate actively by helping the mother to rear the children with the help of domestic servants.(the men were not involved in child care) Early lessons included teaching the children the Arab culture. Young boys and girls then attend pre-primary education with a low turnout (Tarik, 2012). Very few girls join the education system as compared to their male counterparts even though the rates are rapidly rising.
Now a days, most give birth in the hospital. Also, the girls education almost the same as that of boys, the number of girls almost equals the boys in school.F. Dress & hairstyles: The dress code in Saudi Arabia is governed by Sharia law and is quite strict. Based on the Islam religion, men dress in long white robs or a suit as decency is highly valued. Women ensure that their collarbones and knees are covered and that the clothes are not form-fitting rather loose. It is also mandatory for women to wear a hijab to cover their heads and a buibui (a loosely fitting black flowing gown).
Saudi women can enjoy fashion clothing, but they should cover wear with opaque loose fitting. Jeddah is less conservative than Riyadh and implementation of Purdah varies by region.G. Home Remedies: Most streets are filled with vendors selling herbs, spices, salt twigs, roots, rocks or tree-barks mainy for cosmetics and medicine. Such include Anisun, for colds and Shabba, Shabb (Potassium Alum) for mouth wash and various diseases such as gonorrhea.H. Conflict Resolution: The Saudi Arabian Justice system is based on Sharia Law run by Qadhis that the government support. Citizens adhere to the Islamic values as religion and society unite in conflict resolution strategies. The Sharia defines crimes and specifies the consequences mostly physical punishment. Deviant behavior of one person embarrasses the entire family as they are put to shame and considered sinful. Minor cases such as theft are rare due to the strict laws. Other crimes such as alcohol, drugs and sexual misbehavior are all associated to and linked to the effects of rapid modernization spreading from the western world to the eastern world. Foreigners found guilty are charged and deported immediately (Cordesman, 2013). In pursuit for justice, the Sharia law is strict. For instance, it requires at least four witnesses to swear a religious oath before proceeding with a case to prove a convicted theft.I. Divorce rate: Basing on the teachings of Islam, it is easier for a man to divorce his wife than a wife to divorce a man. There are high divorce rates especially among men as is remarriage is common. However, the laws are changing and women can get a divorce. J. Religious Affiliation: Almost all Saudi Arabians are Muslims with only a handful of immigrants being non-Muslims. Half of all the foreigners are also Muslims. A small minority of the natives belong to the Shia. They are called the Sunni and they follow the madhab, which is the handbali of Islamic law. No other religion is allowed to practice in Saudi Arabia. Since Islam does not have ordained priests to lead the religious functions, the person who is most learned in the religion is qualified to lead the prayers. Prayers are conducted five times in a day facing Mecca (Tarik, 2012). The famous Hajj (pilgrimage) is one of the five main pillars of Islam that a faithful is required to perform in their lifetime.K. Educational Background: The education system has gradually transformed in the past century to accommodate more children and consequently more girls. Although Islam is at the core of the system, modern amendments provide quality and diverse knowledge in various fields to prepare the natives for employment in the countryL. Political Affiliation: The nation is a monarch and its overall is a King from a royal family. According to the national constitution, the King serves as both head of state and head of Government. He appoints senior government officers, cabinet ministers, governors and sanctions both royal and ministerial decrees to regulate and legislate (Cordesman, 2013). He is the chief commander of the armed forces and the final court of appeal having the power to pardon.N. Health & Medical Problems: Before the introduction and accommodation of western medicine. Saudi Arabians relied on traditional medicine such as herbs and roots to treat physical ailments. In case of mental problems, religious leaders would use special readings from the Koran. Today, modern medicine in private and public hospitals spread all over the entire country is the reliable source of health-care and medicine.O. Life Expectancy: In the past 50 years, the life expectancy had dramatically increased. By 2012, the World bank estimated the national life expectancy at an amazing 75.5 years.P. Conclusion: Saudi Arabia is a cultural rich country that has succeeded in preserving ancient traditional practices and functions without much interference from urbanization. It also maintains high moral standards by strictly observing the Sharia Law. The women are, like in ancient days, segregated and denied the equal opportunity that most women in the world enjoy.
Works cited
Cordesman, Anthony H. Saudi Arabia Enters the Twenty-First Century. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 2013. Print.
Sabry, Tarik. Arab Cultural Studies: Mapping the Field. London: I.B. Tauris, 2012. Print.
