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 The Culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures of Europe. Whether it be a question of West as opposed to East; Catholicism and Protestantism as opposed to Eastern Orthodoxy; Christianity as opposed to Islam; many have claimed to identify cultural faultlines across the continent.
Europe has been a cradle for many cultural innovations and movements, often at odds with each other such as Christian proselytism and Humanism, that have consequently been spread across the globe. The Renaissance of classical ideas influenced the development of art and literature far beyond the confines of the continent.
Faultlines
One of the major problems in defining the European culture, is where does Europe start and where does it end? Most countries share common historical experiences, but several important faultlines appear. The first one is the dividing lands that were occupied at some point by the Roman Empire, thus dividing Europe along a line that goes through Hadrian's Wall in the British Isles, along the Rhine and finally along the Danube. Another faultline is the Catholic-Orthodox divide caused by the Great Schism, which isolates Russia, Belarus, half of Ukraine (whether Uniate Ukraine is considered Orthodox or Catholic is a matter of debate) and Serbia. Yet another faultline is the one that separates the lands once occupied by the Ottoman Empire and the ones that weren't, which created the current Christian-Islam faultline, that separates Albania, Bosnia and Turkey. Another faultline was caused by Napoleon's conquests and the legacies of the Continental System and the spread of the French Revolution inspiring civil law. Also notable is the faultline that separates the parts of Europe that went through industrialization in the 19th century, including Northern Italy and Bohemia. And finally, the most recent faultline is the infamous Iron Curtain. These faultlines are key to understanding the cultural similarities and differences in Europe. They are also important for identifying what countries should be admitted into the European Union (such as in the case of Turkey or the 2004 separatist menace in Ukraine). Thus the question of "common culture" or "common values" is far more complex than it seems.
Global influence
European culture also has a broad influence beyond the continent of Europe due to the legacy of colonialism. In this broader sense it is sometimes referred to as Western Civilization. Nearly all of the Americas were ruled by European powers at one time or another, and some parts of the New World, such as French Guiana, still are. The vast majority of the population of the Americas speak European languages, specifically Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French. Additionally the cultures of the European colonial powers (Spain, Britain, Portugal, Russia and France) exert a strong influence.
The legacy of colonialism has spread European culture elsewhere in the world. Europe profoundly influenced on the cultures of Africa, India, Israel, Australia, and other places colonised or settled by Europeans.
Values
In recent decades the European Union has been seeking to identify and support common European values, however this has turned out to be a highly controversial issue. Some commentators wish to classify social cohesion and solidarity as European values and contrast them with more individualist values in the United States. The distinction is not a simple one, but is perhaps most fundamentally reflected in differing attitudes to government, notably in terms of trust in the government.
Arts
Eurovision Song Contest
Language
Language is a very important part of culture, and Europe has a widespread variety of languages, with most countries having at least one official language. Russian is the largest language in Europe, followed by German. Many regional languages are also spoken, some enjoying a level of official status or recognition. Other minority languages are also spoken. The diversity on such a small territory is proverbial. The European Union alone uses 21 official languages, which all have the same status. The cost of translation is so high that the official language of the Union is an ongoing debate, since many MEPs are bilingual and most languages have a great level of prestige.
Sport
Europe's influence on sport is enormous. Indeed, it is difficult to think of a modern sport, apart from basketball and related sports, that does not have its origins in Europe. European sports include:
- Association Football (soccer), which has contested origins between England and Italy. What is uncontestable is that the oldest association is The Football Association of England (1863) and the first international match was between Scotland and England (1872). It is now the world's most popular sport and is played throughout Europe.
- Rugby Union and Rugby League, which have similar origins to football, and whose rules in Union's case today date from 1845 are popular in western Europe, Romania, and Georgia, in Union's case, and in England only in League's case. The influence has been carried abroad by colonisation, with many former British colonies playing Union along with Argentina, Japan, the USA and others. Rugby League is mainly confined to New Zealand and Australia. Many other sports, such as American Football are derived from Rugby.
- Athletics cannot be claimed for any continent, as its origins lie in antiquity. However the Discus, Javelin and Shot Put have their origins in ancient Greece. The Olympics, both ancient and modern, have their origins too in Europe, and have a massive influence globally.
- Field Hockey as a modern game began in 18th Century England with Ireland having the oldest federation. It is popular in Western Europe, the Indian subcontinent, East Asia and the Antipodes. Ice Hockey, popular in Europe and North America derives from this sport.
- Golf one of Europe, Asia's and North America's most popular sports, has its origins in Scotland, with the oldest course being at Musselburgh.
- Tennis and related games such as Table Tennis derive from the game Real Tennis which is from France. It is popular throughout the world.
- Handball, which is popular in Europe and elsewhere, has its origins in antiquity. The modern game is from northern Europe with Germany having been involved in both the first women's and men's internationals.
- Cycling, which is immensly popular as a means of transport has most of its sporting adherents in Europe, particularly Western Europe. The Tour de France is the world's most watched live annual sporting event. The bicycle itself is probably from France.
- Cricket, which is not so popular in Europe, being played only in northwest Europe, mainly England. It is however very popular worldwide, especially in Africa, the Antipodes and the Indian subcontinent. Sports such as Rounders and Baseball are thought to derive from this.
In addition, Europe has numerous national or regional sports which do not command a huge international following outside of emmigrant groups. These include:
- Gaelic Football in Ireland, from which Australian Rules derives.
- Basque Pelota in parts of Spain and France, and which has been brought to the Americas by emigrants.
- Pétanque, Boules, Irish Road Bowling, Bocce, Skittles and Bowls and others are variations of bowling games which are popular throughout western Europe and have been spread around the world.
- Hurling in Ireland.
- Shinty in Scotland.
- Gaelic Handball (Ireland) which was taken to the USA in the form of American Handball.
- Trotting in southern Europe.
- Alpine Wrestling in Switzerland.
Some sporting organisations hold European Championships.
- UEFA
- Rugby League European Nations Cup
- FIRA - Association of European Rugby
- European SC Championships
- Sport in the European Union
- Mitropa Cup
- IIHF
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