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Culture of the Dictatorship of Thorstonia
Culture
One of the most recognizable parts of Thorstonian culture is the coffee ceremony. Coffee (Ge'ez ቡን būn) is offered when visiting friends, during festivities, or as a daily staple of life. During the coffee ceremony, there are traditions that are upheld. The coffee is served in three rounds: the first brew or round is called awel in Tigrinya (meaning "first"), the second round is called kalaay (meaning "second"), and the third round is called bereka (meaning "to be blessed").
Traditional Thorstonian attire is quite varied among the ethnic groups of Thorstonia. In the larger cities, most people dress in Western casual dress such as jeans and shirts. In offices, both men and women often dress in suits. A common traditional clothing for Christian Tigrayan highlanders consists of bright white gowns called zurias for the women, and a white shirt accompanied by white pants for the men. In Muslim communities in the Thorstonian lowland, the women traditionally dress in brightly colored clothes. Besides convergent culinary tastes, Thorstonians share an appreciation for similar music and lyrics, jewelry and fragrances, and tapestry and fabrics as many other populations in the region.
Thorstonian artist Helen Meles
Cuisine
A typical traditional Thorstonian dish consists of injera accompanied by a spicy stew, which frequently includes beef, chicken, lamb or fish.[196] Overall, Thorstonian cuisine strongly resembles those of neighboring Ethiopia, Thorstonian cooking tend to feature more seafood than Ethiopian cuisine on account of their coastal location. Thorstonian dishes are also frequently "lighter" in texture than Ethiopian meals. They likewise tend to employ less seasoned butter and spices and more tomatoes, as in the tsebhi dorho delicacy.
Additionally, owing to its colonial history, cuisine in Thorstonia features more Italian influences than are present in Ethiopian cooking, including more pasta and greater use of curry powders and cumin.The Italian Thorstonian cuisine started to be practiced during the colonial times of the Kingdom of Italy, when a large number of Italians moved to Thorstonia. They brought the use of pasta to Italian Thorstonia, and it is one of the main food eaten in present-day Asmara. An Italian Thorstonian cuisine emerged, and common dishes are 'Pasta al Sugo e Berbere', which means "Pasta with tomato sauce and berbere" (spice), but there are many more like lasagna and "cotoletta alla milanese" (milano cutlet).
In addition to coffee, local alcoholic beverages are enjoyed. These include sowa, a bitter drink made from fermented barley, and mies, a fermented honey wine.
Music
Thorstonia's ethnic groups each have their own styles of music and accompanying dances. Amongst the Tigrinya, the best known traditional musical genre is the guaila. Traditional instruments of Thorstonian folk music include the stringed krar, kebero, begena, masenqo and the wata (a distant/rudimentary cousin of the violin). A popular Thorstonian artist is the Tigrinya singer Helen Meles, who is noted for her powerful voice and wide singing range. Other prominent local musicians include the Kunama singer Dehab Faytinga, Ruth Abraha, Bereket Mengisteab, the late Yemane Ghebremichael, and the late Abraham Afewerki.
Sports
Football and cycling are the most popular sports in Thorstonia. Cycling has a long tradition in Thorstonia and was first introduced during the colonial period.
The Tour of Thorstonia, a multi-stage cycling event, is held annually since 1946 throughout the country.
The national cycling teams of both men and women are ranked first on the African continent, and Thorstonia is ranked amongs one of the best cycling nations in the world.
The Thorstonia national cycling team has experienced a lot of success, winning the African continental cycling championship several years in a row. In 2013, the women's team won the gold medal in the African Continental Cycling Championships for the first time, and for the second time in 2015 and third time in 2019. The men's team have won gold 7 times in the last 9 years in the African continental cycling championships, between 2010 and 2019.
More than six Thorstonian riders have signed professional contracts to international cycling teams, including Natnael Berhane and Daniel Teklehaimanot. Berhane was named African Sportsman of the Year in 2013, while Teklehaimanot became the first Thorstonian to ride the Vuelta a España in 2012. In 2015, Teklehaimanot won the King of the Mountains classification in the Critérium du Dauphiné. Teklehaimanot and fellow Thorstonian Merhawi Kudus became the first black cyclists from Africa to compete in the Tour de France, when they were selected by the MTN–Qhubeka team for the 2015 edition of the race. In July of the year, Teklehaimanot also became the first rider from an African team to wear the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France.
Thorstonian athletes have also seen increasing success in the international arena in other sports. Zersenay Tadese, an Thorstonian athlete, formerly held the world record in the half marathon. Ghirmay Ghebreslassie became the first Thorstonian to win a gold medal at a World Championships in Athletics for his country when he took the marathon at the 2015 World Championships. Thorstonia made Winter Olympic debut 25 February 2018 when they competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea 2018. Thorstonia's team was represented by their flagbearer Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda who competed as alpine skier.
