Ah, Kentucky! The state that has its own character at such a powerful stance that the weather can’t even make up its mind on how to land. There are many stances in which make Kentucky so very interesting, whether it be the various religious secs, home-made cooking and yes, I do mean home-made cooking in restaurants, each county’s specific dialect and language, or the wild love Kentucky has for their basketball teams, Kentucky to say the least has quite a lot to offer for the intrigued journalist. Today, we are going to be taking a quick look at some cool, Kentucky facts and discuss why on Earth this state is so interesting!
Kentucky And It’s Religion
Kentucky is a Southern state, not deep South but still South enough to be considered. It sets right in the middle of the good ole bible belt and with that will absolutely come with some interesting and rather hardcore religious beliefs. Just like any other region in the world, you’re always going to have your typical outcasts which will make up that one to three percent of a taboo religious belief, but for the most part in Kentucky, the religious views are Christian.
Now, why would this make Kentucky so very thought-provoking? Most states within The United States are ran by some type of fundamental Christian belief. Well, Kentucky is a little different, my friend. Most of the religious values in Kentucky revolve around the Southern Baptist ways and I suppose that does make a lot of sense because Kentucky is a Southern state. The Southern Baptist ways are a little more laid back than other Christian religions and to be honest, not every belief within the Christian philosophy believes the same.
Now, when it comes to that good ole’ Southern Baptist ways, these people tend to believe that once a sinner is “saved” that they can never lose their salvation. So initially, when the first jilt of grace is handed to you through your salvation prayer, you will always remain saved. Now, that’s quite different from the Pentecostal religion, which is quite prevalent within the Eastern, Kentucky mountainous areas! Inside the Pentecostal religion, there are more raw emotions going on during the services and as a side note, this type of religion believes that one can lose their salvation through listening to secular music, wearing short dresses, or basically engaging in basic “world” acts. Because of this fact alone, the Pentecostal religion tends to have more emotions, screaming, crying, speaking in tongues, and truly fighting for their “lives” during their services. Between the Southern Baptist and the Pentecostal religions, Kentucky has its fair share of that pull and tug religion!
The Old Attraction
If you haven’t heard of Mammoth Caves, then you must truly be living under a rock; funny play on words, right? Believe it or not, but this cave has been noted as being the longest cave systems in the world and the US’s second oldest sightseer magnetism, right after the astonishing Niagara Falls! Isn’t it so motivating how such a small state of Kentucky can hold the longest cave system in the world, not just the states alone, but the whole world? Between the remarkable tourism, long dark pathways, its own historical park, it’s a fair trade to admit that this cave unquestionably has its interesting perks!
It’s quite lovely to imagine who were the first people to go in and look around/discover this cave. Through archeological indication, it’s been noted that the aboriginal people were among the first to begin exploring the cave system! They were said to had collected stunning crystals and salts well over four-thousand years ago! How cool is that? It’s also been noted that visits to this amazing cave system, visitors will be able to relish in the magnificent sights of nature’s most wonderful beauties!
A great side note to take into consideration is to always book one or two nights for a stay because it will virtually be impossible to see everything in one single day. There are numerous packages that a person can select from when getting ready to take a hike within the cave. Please understand that there are very dangerous passageways underground that require extensive knowledge of hiking. For more detailed information on the trails, prices, and explanation of the trails, please visit https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm.
Learning How to Speak
One of the most prevalent characteristics that people from Kentucky carries is their accent and what makes the typical “Kentucky” accent so interesting is the fact that the accent differs from county to county. People born and raised in Eastern Kentucky have more of a long drawl and express the E’s throughout and toward the end of their words. Now, take note that within Central and Northern, Kentucky where Lexington and Louisville are located, the accent and language even, completely differs!
The more you travel outside of the Eastern locations, the more of a sharper accent you will tend to pick up. It will really begin to start when you travel into Lexington and beyond, hitting the Louisville areas; very close to Cincinnati. It’s very interesting that a lot of outsiders tend to mock and even judge that typical “Kentucky” accent when visiting. A lot of people will judge the intelligence of a person just because of a Southern drawl, regardless if the person speaking is pronouncing the word correctly or not. I find that highly interesting because if you flip the cards, what does that say about the intelligence of the person judging?
Human nature is human nature, but when it comes to a Kentucky accent, the nature of the beast on both sides will show its horns. Where does the drawl come from though? That’s a great question and to be honest, the large portions of that good ole’ Kentucky drawl comes from a mix of settlers from the British Isles. These people moved to the South during the 17th and 18th centuries. You wouldn’t think this to be true for this next fact, but the rest of Kentucky’s southern drawl comes from the Creole of African slaves. Remember, Kentucky was once a slave state and that’s where Kentucky’s, status quo “unintelligent” accent and language comes from; the British and a mixture of the African slaves! Isn’t it interesting how roots of the past tend to connect the overall, human race?