INDIAN CULTURE

GREETING STYLE
NAMASTE
Indians greet each other by joining their palms and
saying the word Namaste or Namaskar.

It is derived from Sanskrit word "namah + te =
namaste".

Namah means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential
salutation' or 'adoration' and te means 'to you.

It means - I bow to you - my greetings or salutations
to you.

Namaha can also be literally interpreted as 'na
ma' (not mine). It has a spiritual significance of
negating or reducing one's ego in the presence of
another.
RELIGIONS
Hinduism:
80.5%
Catholicism:
2.3%
Sikhism:
1.9%
Islam:
13.4%
Jainism:
0.4%
Buddhism:
0.8%
HINDUISM
Indias major religion is Hinduism and the practitioners are
called Hindus.

The Hindu belief is that gods or divinities can take many forms,
but all form one universal spirit called Brahman.

The three most important representations of Brahman are
Brahma, the creator of the universe, Vishnu, the preserver of the
universe, and Shiva, the destroyer of the universe.

The belief involves elements like rebirth after death and karma.
Karma is accumulated good or bad behaviour in past lives which
affects ones present.
To improve ones karma, it is believed that one must do good
deeds . This will lead to the soul achieving salvation which will
result in stopping the cycle of rebirths and becoming an
absolute soul.

Their holy book is the Bhagwad Gita which literally translates
into the Song of God.

Their festivals that are famous world over are Diwali, the Hindu
New Year and Holi, the festival of colours.
CASTE SYSTEM
It is said that the Caste System was constructed during the
British Colonial Regime in India, granting administration and
government positions only to people of higher castes.

But in the 1920s due to unrest a certain percentage of jobs were
reserved for those belonging to the lower castes. This continued
even after Indias independence.

The Indian constitution has various Articles that prohibit any
discrimination against caste. However, in many villages it still
exists, sadly.

Inter-caste marriages are legal by law, but many Indians still
have a hard time accepting someone from a lower class.

The caste system exists not only in the Hindu religion, but exists
also in Islam and Christianity too.
The Indian caste system is divided into five varnas (classes) which is
based originally on personality, profession, and birth.

The classes are:
Brahmins: They are individuals belonging to the Hindu priest,
artists, teachers, technicians class. This is the highest class in the
system. They are people who are engaged in scriptural education
and teaching.
Kshatriya: They are individuals who constitute the ruling and
military elite. They were in charge of the protection of the society
by fighting in wartime and governing in peacetime.
Vaishya: Vaishyas included those who were associated with
agriculture and cattle-rearing. However, over time they came to be
money lenders and landowners too.
Shudra: This caste consist of those people who were meant to
serve the remaining three classes. They worked as slaves or
unskilled labourers.
Dalit: The untouchables are Dalits. They perform duties like
sweeping roads, scavenging, cleaning toilets, picking up garbage,
etc.


FESTIVALS
Rangoli with a Diya in between
DIWALI
Traditional Indian sweets distributed during Diwali
called Mithai
A house decorated with Diyas and
Rangoli
Burning fire crackers on Diwali
Diwali is a festival of lights, also known as Deepavli .

It spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over
evil, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair.

Before Diwali, women put Rangoli, coloured patterns on floors
outside the house which is said to bring good luck as it is
considered to be sacred welcoming areas for deities.

On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best
outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their
home.

Prayers called Pooja are conducted and families pray together to
the Goddess of wealth and prosperity named Lakshmi.

Once prayers come to an end, family members greet each other
and eat traditional sweets called Mithai and burn fire crackers.



HOLI
Colour Powder
Colour Water
Burning of the Holika
A typical market scene
before Holi
Bhang The Cannabis
Drink
Holi is the festival of colors. This marks the end of the year
according to the Hindu calendar.

The celebrations start with the Holika Dahan which is the
urning of a community bonfire called the Holika. It symbolises
giving the messenger of Gods, i.e. Agni, the God of fire, their
offerings like new food grains and sweetmeats.

The next day is the day where everyone throws color powder
and color water on each other. It is a day of colour, music and a
sweet milk drink called Bhang.

The twist to this simple sounding drink is that it is made from
the leaves and flowers (buds) of the female cannabis plant.
FOOD
Indian food varies with region. The north of India sees a lot of
vegetarian dishes and Mughal influenced food while the south,
being a coastal area, sees a lot of rice, tamarind and fish
dominated food.

The west being a coastal region again sees food influenced a lot
by coconut, rice and chilli. While the east being a bit more
influenced by the Chinese, Jews and British, see food influenced
by mustard, dairy, meat and lentils.
CLOTHING
Sari
Salwaar
Kameez
Ghagra
Choli
Dhoti
Sherwani
Clothing in India varies from state to state, just like food.
However, some of the most popular and common clothing for
women are:

Sari: It is a strip of unstitched cloth which is draped over a woman who
wears a matching mid torso blouse. The styles of draping varies from state
to state.

Salwaar Kameez: It is a loose trouser called a salwaar which is matched
with a knee length tunic top called a Kameez and a veil called a dupatta.

Ghagra Choli: A ghagra is a long skirt which is paired with a blouse called
choli of a low neck and mid waist length and then teamed with a veil.

For men:

Dhoti: Is a form of 4-6 feet long strip of cloth which is draped over men to
form a pant.

Sherwani: Long embroidered coat with tight fitting trousers usually worn
on festive occassions.
MISCELANEOUS
Family in india plays a crucial part.
Even after marriage, men stay
together in joint families, carry on
the family business, etc.

Everyone older than you by 5-10
years or more, is aunty and/or
uncle.

Most Indian weddings are arranged
marriages. The parents of sons or
daughters look for prospective
brides or grooms.
India has a unique tea culture.
People drink tea every time,
everywhere, any season. Indian tea
is prepared with tea leaves boiled
in water and sugar and then milk is
added. Indians also make a Masala
Chai, i.e. Spiced Tea. To the tea,
cardamom and ginger are added.

One thing Indians are crazy about,
is Cricket. We are cricket maniacs,
even though it is not our national
sport. Go figure!

We always call our professors by
the word maam or sir. Using their
name is considered disrespectful.


Every Indian, Christian or
Hindu, will always call a priest
to bless a new house before
going to stay in it. It is said that
by doing so, we ward off all evil.