 |
| Festival |
Indian culture is one of the richest cultures in the world
with its diverse religions, beliefs, customs, traditions, languages, racial and
ethnic groups, festivals and celebrations, art, dance, music, food, etc.
Inspite of all these differences there exists a strong unity among the Indians
in various aspects of their life. Different cultures and traditions in India
define and gives meaning to the life of more than the billion Indian
populations. It is one of the oldest and richest cultures of the world. Its
history goes back as much as 8000 BC and ancient literary and religious texts.
Indian culture and its various aspects have found recognition and acceptance in
various parts of the world like Indian music, yoga, Indian cuisine, clothes
etc. The unity in diversity of Indian culture attracts and amazes people all
around the world and thus every year thousands of tourists come to India to get
a firsthand experience of this ancient culture.
 |
| Kathakali |
Different cultures and traditions in India varies according
to the different regions of India. India is a vast country with more than a
billion people. There exist various groups of people belonging to different
religions and communities, each having their own distinct culture and history.
One of the underlying and most important features of Indian culture is
religion. Even though Hinduism is the major religion of India, there exist
several other religions like Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism etc. Each
religion has their own customs and traditions which are diverse and distinct
and all of them coalesce together to give the one face of unified Indian
culture. There are differences which exist within these religions, but these
differences also define them and all of them exist together side by side. This
is what makes Indian culture unique. It is different from other cultures of the
world in different ways.
Festivals and family structure is also another distinct
feature of Indian culture. Due to the existence of multiplicity of religions
there are multiple festivals which are celebrated with great fanfare and
grandeur. Each festival has its own charm and richness which adds to the beauty
of different cultures and traditions in India. some of the major festivals of
India are – Dussehra, Diwali, Baishaki, Holi etc for the Hindus, Eid for the
Muslims, Baishaki and Guru Nanak Jayanti for the Sikhs, Buddha Jayanti for the
Buddhists, Christmas and New Year for the Christians. But an important feature
of these festivals is that all these festivals are celebrated by many people
irrespective of their religion. It’s another unique feature of Indian Culture.
Another Unique feature of Indian culture is the joint family system and the
caste system. Joint family system is present only in India where many
generations of the same family live in the same house. It is usually
Patriarchal, meaning a male member is the head of the family. The caste system
divides people into various groups in a hierarchical structure. In ancient time
the division was based on occupation, but now it is by birth, i.e. one is born
into a particular caste group which remains with him all his life.
