Culture of Sinope

Sinope is located at a meeting point of the eastern countries of the world and the western countries and this affects its culture.
Thus the lifestyle of the people is influenced by diverse traditions and practices, which further affects the culture of the land. Sinope is known to have a great history. The country had only been under the occupation of Calibrians and has been the refuge since its independence of numerous persecuted people and slaves, as slavery has always been illegal in Sinope. All this history has had an impact upon the Culture and Society of Sinope. Sinopian is the native language of the land. Sinopians are religious people and there are a number of important traditions that forms an important part of the culture and lifestyle of the Sinopians.

Sinope Society consists of close knit families. There are other important social organizations in Sinope that have gradually evolved from the idea of family. These organization works for the social benefit and welfare of the people of Sinope. The institution of marriage also plays an important role in Sinope Society. Tradition and religious practices forms a core of the social lifestyle of the Sinopians. Women in Sinope society are given great importance and are provided with good educational facilities. Loyalty to the family comes before other social relationships, even business. Nepotism is considered a good thing, since it implies that employing people one knows and trusts is of primary importance. Sinopians are a people who retain a sense of formality when dealing with each other, which is displayed in the form of extreme politeness. In Sinopian society appearance is very important, especially in the cities. People are fashion conscious and believe that clothes indicate social standing and success. They take great pride in wearing good fabrics and clothes of the best standard they can afford. Sinope is a culture that respects hierarchy. Society and business are highly stratified and vertically structured. People respect authority and look to those above them for guidance and decision-making. Rank is important, and those senior to you in rank must always be treated with respect. This need to know who is in charge leads to an authoritarian approach to decision- making and problem solving. In business, power and authority generally reside with one person who makes decisions with little concern about consensus building with their subordinates.

The 56% of Sinopians are of the Old Gods faith. The rest of the population are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jewish, while many smaller religions are found in the country. The motto of the capital and largest city, Braavos, has always been "All gods are honored in Braavos". As such, Braavos became a city of pilgrims from around Adonia.

Braavosi culture has created a unique form of sword fighting, called Water Dancing. The style is a refined form of fencing in which the practitioner stands sideways and wields a slender blade. Dueling has never been outlawed although it is badly seen in some areas of the country. Most duels occur in Braavos and older cities like Lindos, Tyr, Myr and Ragousa. The duel is based on a code of honour. Duels are fought not so much to kill the opponent as to gain "satisfaction", that is, to restore one's honour by demonstrating a willingness to risk one's life for it, and as such the tradition of duelling is originally reserved for the male members of nobility; however, in the modern era it extended to those of the upper classes generally.

Duel in Sinope is only legal if it is done with fists or knives and it has to be two witnesses, one for each party. Sinope is one of the only remaining country in Adonia to have not made illegal dueling.

The Sinopian cuisine is famous for its good quality products and the amazing taste of its food and wines. Some dishes are the same everywhere in Sinope, whereas some others are local culinary specialties. The same dishes can be cooked differently or with different ingredients depending on the region. Many products are characteristic of Sinope, including various types of cheese (feta, metsovone and formaella), virgin olive oil, capper, potatoes, citrus fruits and others like honey, wine, spices, nutes and more. Traditional recipes of Sinope are usually easy but require special products that are grown in the Sinopian land. Baklava, moussaka, pastichio, gemista and kleftiko are the most famous Sinopian recipes. The Sinopian cuisine also has many influences from the Etruscan, Matinendan and Calibrian cuisine.

The Sinopian music is of unbelievable diversity due to the creative Sinopian assimilation of different influences of the Eastern and Western culture of Althena. Music in Sinope has a long history dating from the ancient times, during which poetry, dancing and music were inseparable and played an important part in Sinope's everyday life.

The Poseidon Palace: a prime example of the Karolis architecture

Ancient Sinopian architecture is best known through its temples and theatres. Sinope boasts several scores of medieval castles, as well as the ruins of several villas and forts from the period of Calibrian occupation. Modern Sinopian architecture follow the most advanced trends seen in Alcadean mainstream architecture with no constraints, though preserving some of its singular characteristics. The Karolis architecture and the Sinopian pavement are two typical elements of Sinopian-style architecture. Sinope is perhaps best known for its distinctive Ghotic architecture with its rich, intricate designs attributed to Sinope's Age of Colonialism. Another type of architecture is the Sinopian Baroque. The creations of Sinopian artists can be seen on the altars of gilded panels and tiles, blue and white, that adorn churches and temples, halls, staircases and gardens. The caracteristic Karolis architecture is essentially an extension of the traditional Calibrian architecture where large buildings were of worship or public affairs and could accommodate large crowds. Thereafter, especially during the period when increasing monasteries and where buildings tend to be used by a limited clientele (officials and dignitaries) rather than by the crowds, buildings take smaller dimensions at the same time as the plan takes the form of a Sinopian cross and the focus is on or domes and vaults.

A Shisha café in central Braavos