Asturians

Not to be confused with Austrians.
Asturians
Asturianos
Regions with significant populations

Within Spain: Asturias; Galicia, Castile and León, Cantabria

Diaspora
 Argentina 25,105[1]
 Mexico 13,380[1]
 Cuba 9,917[1]
 Belgium 7,180[1]
 Venezuela 5,408[1]
 France 3,777[1]
 United States 3,274[1]
 Uruguay 2,763[1]
 Chile 2,724[1]
 Germany 2,645[1]
  Switzerland 2,595[1]
Other countries 11,475[1]
Languages
Spanish (majority), Asturian (minority, 10%), Eonavian (minority).
Religion
Roman Catholicism, nonreligious
Related ethnic groups
Galicians, Cantabrians, other Spaniards and Celtic peoples.[2]
Part of a series on
Spaniards
Regional groups

Other groups
Diaspora
Languages

Other languages
Religion
Spain portal

Asturians (Asturian: asturianos) include the native people of Asturias, Spain, as well as smaller communities in the Spanish provinces of León, Zamora and Cantabria.

Culture and society

Heritage

The Asturians are primarily of Visigothic cultural origin most notably found in the Asturian language. A 2008 study indicated that a large minority of the population seemed to show a haplogroup J ancestry as well, but the sample size was too small to be more definitive.[3]

Religion

Their religious affiliation is predominantly Roman Catholic.

Languages

Main article: Asturian language

The Asturian language, once widely spoken by Asturians, has been in decline since the early 20th century although around 40% of Asturians still speak the language (10% as a mother tongue). Whilst not recognised as an official language in Spain, it is protected under the Autonomous Statute legislation, and efforts to preserve the language continue to be made. In the western part of Asturias, Eonavian (which is a transition language between Galician-Portuguese and Asturian) is also spoken, and its promotion also falls under the responsibility of Law 1/1998.[4]

Cuisine

Main article: Asturian cuisine

The most famous regional dish is Fabada Asturiana, a rich stew made with large white beans (fabes), pork shoulder (llacón), morciella, chorizu, and saffron (azafrán). Apple groves foster the production of the traditional alcoholic drink, a natural cider (sidra). It is a very dry cider, and unlike French or English natural ciders, uses predominantly acidic apples, rather than sweet or bittersweet. Sidra is traditionally poured in by an expert server (or escanciador): the bottle is raised high above his or her head to oxygenate the brew as it moves into the glass below.

Emigration

Americas

Asturians were involved in the development of the New World and their descendants in present-day Latin America, esp. in Argentina and Uruguay; and other countries where Asturians moved to during the rule of the Spanish Empire. The Industrial Revolution came to Asturias after 1830 with the discovery and systematic exploitation of coal and iron resources. At the same time, there was significant migration to the Americas (i.e. Mexico, Cuba[5][6][7][8] and Puerto Rico); those who succeeded overseas often returned to their native land much wealthier. These entrepreneurs were known collectively as 'Indianos', for having visited and made their fortunes in the West Indies and beyond. The heritage of these wealthy families can still be seen in Asturias today: many large 'modernista' villas are dotted across the region, as well as cultural institutions such as free schools and public libraries. Asturian communities, social clubs, sporting teams, financial banks and amateur vocal groups are still found in Mexico and Argentina as well across South America.

Tens of thousands of Asturians moved to the United States[9] en masse, mainly to agricultural industries of Florida[10] and California and the zinc smelters of West Virginia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were also involved in working in industrial bases of Midwestern factory towns. (see Asturian-American). A characteristic of the Asturian wherever they go is their attachment to the land of their birth. This is reflected in the 82 Asturian Centers[11] in America.[12]

Europe

In the case of Europe, the largest Asturian community sits in Belgium, with 7.180 members. France, 3.777, Germany, 2.645, and Switzerland, 2.595, are also traditional countries of Asturian emigration.

Notable people of Asturian origin

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 /Elecciones a la Junta General del Principado de Asturias de 25 de marzo de 2012
  2. ↑ Alberro, Manuel (2005). "Celtic Legacy in Galicia". E-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies 6: 1005–1035.
  3. ↑ "[T]he value in Asturias is unlikely to be reliable, because of small sample size." Susan M. Adams, Elena Bosch, Patricia L. Balaresque, Stéphane J. Ballereau, Andrew C. Lee, Eduardo Arroyo, Ana M. López-Parra, Mercedes Aler, Marina S. Gisbert Grifo, Maria Brion, Angel Carracedo, João Lavinha, Begoña Martínez-Jarreta, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Antònia Picornell, Misericordia Ramon, Karl Skorecki, Doron M. Behar, Francesc Calafell, and Mark A. Jobling (December 12, 2008). "The Genetic Legacy of Religious Diversity and Intolerance: Paternal Lineages of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula". Am J Hum Genet. 83 (6): 725–736. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2008.11.007. PMC: 2668061. PMID 19061982.
  4. ↑ Bauske 1995
  5. ↑ "Asturian Center Building". Old Havana Web. The Asturian Center opened ... in 1927. ... Today it houses the Universal Art Collection belonging to the National Museum of Fine Arts.
  6. ↑ "Asturian Center, Old Havana, Cuba". cuba-museums-guide.com. Address: Calle O´Reilly e/ Zulueta y Monserrate. La Habana Vieja. Ciudad de La Habana.
  7. ↑ Cervantes-Rodriguez, Margarita. "International Migration in Cuba". ISBN 0271035390. Prominent among these clubs was the Centro Asturiano (Asturian Center), which was created in 1886 as an umbrella organization for immigrants from Asturias.
  8. ↑ "Havana: Centro Asturiano (Asturian Center), built in 1927, now part of Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana (Museum of Fine Arts)". Branson DeCou Digital Archive.
  9. ↑ "Introduction & Statement of Purpose". Asturian-American Migration Forum. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. These Asturian immigrants established an informal but lively network which connected Spain, Cuba, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, California, and other locations within the US.
  10. ↑ History of the Centro Asturiano de Tampa Building and Social Club
  11. ↑ FICA – Federación Internacional de Centros Asturianos
  12. ↑ Centro Asturiano de Nueva York
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.