Religion
The religious beliefs of El Salvador is split between Christians, those who don't associate with any religion, and other various religions. 78.3% of the people are Christians. 16.8% of the people don't associate with any religion. 4.9% of the citizens of El Salvador have other religions. To break it down further, 57.2% are Roman Catholic, 21,2% are Protestant, 0.7% are Mormon, 1.9% are Jehovah's Witnesses, 2.3% are other, miscellaneous religions, and 16.8% are not anything.
Roman Catholics have large numbers, five million, actually. Its dominance over the others can be seen in how many Catholic festivals and holidays fill the calendar, along with the churches, shrines, and symbols that are found all over the country. Every town and ever church that's Catholic has a patron saint, who is celebrated every year with a lively festival in August. Several holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, center on religious events. A lot of importance is put on religious rites of passage. Babies are christened and baptized in the church early on. Godparents or "padrinos" are chosen for the child. The godparents are given the responsibility of guiding the child's development, spiritual and material. The godparents attend the baptism and the marriage of the child. They also give money to help the family out. It is considered an honor to be chosen as a godparent for the child. Children also go through most religious rites of passage, such as first communion and confirmation. These are regarded as very significant in a child's life. Afterwards, the event is celebrated with a lunch or a dinner with invited family and/or friends, usually at the house. Other Catholic customs are having a special church ceremony for a girl's 15th birthday and having weddings be formal events, usually performed in a church. A girl's fifteenth birthday ceremony and party is called a "quinceanera" . This is considered the entrance into adulthood for the child. Weddings are sacred and special, so most people want to have it in a church. Catholicism has a lot of influence on the peoples' lives and the country, itself.
Roman Catholics have large numbers, five million, actually. Its dominance over the others can be seen in how many Catholic festivals and holidays fill the calendar, along with the churches, shrines, and symbols that are found all over the country. Every town and ever church that's Catholic has a patron saint, who is celebrated every year with a lively festival in August. Several holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, center on religious events. A lot of importance is put on religious rites of passage. Babies are christened and baptized in the church early on. Godparents or "padrinos" are chosen for the child. The godparents are given the responsibility of guiding the child's development, spiritual and material. The godparents attend the baptism and the marriage of the child. They also give money to help the family out. It is considered an honor to be chosen as a godparent for the child. Children also go through most religious rites of passage, such as first communion and confirmation. These are regarded as very significant in a child's life. Afterwards, the event is celebrated with a lunch or a dinner with invited family and/or friends, usually at the house. Other Catholic customs are having a special church ceremony for a girl's 15th birthday and having weddings be formal events, usually performed in a church. A girl's fifteenth birthday ceremony and party is called a "quinceanera" . This is considered the entrance into adulthood for the child. Weddings are sacred and special, so most people want to have it in a church. Catholicism has a lot of influence on the peoples' lives and the country, itself.