Cultural view from the World Around Us

Culture
Well in this page you will see different Cultures and Traditions followed by extra ordinary people all around the World.


















Pakistan ثقافت پاکستان
Pakistan shares influences that have shaped the cultures of South Asia. There are thus wider regional similarities extending beyond the national boundaries. On the other hand, the specific regional cultures of Pakistan present a picture of rich diversity. It is difficult, therefore, to speak of a single Pakistani culture. Family organization is strongly patriarchal, as in most agrarian societies, and most people live in large extended families.

Pakistani food is similar to that of northern India, with a dollop of Middle Eastern influence thrown in for good measure. This means menus peppered with baked and deep-fried breads (roti, chapattis, puri, halwa and nan), meat curries, lentil mush (dhal), spicy spinach, cabbage, peas and rice, and of course that staple of hippies, the sturdy Hunza pie. Street snacks - samosas and tikkas (spiced and barbecued beef, mutton or chicken) - are delicious, while a range of desserts will satisfy any sweet tooth.




India भारत गणराज्य



With nearly 1 billion citizens, India is the second most populous nation in the world. It is impossible to speak of any one Indian culture, although there are deep cultural continuities that tie its people together. English is the major language of trade and politics, but there are fourteen official languages in all. There are twenty-four languages that are spoken by a million people or more, and countless other dialects. India has seven major religions and many minor ones, six main ethnic groups, and countless holidays.
Religion is central to Indian culture, and its practice can be seen in virtually every aspect of life in the country. Hinduism is the dominant faith of India, serving about 80 percent of the population. Ten percent worship Islam, and 5 perscent are Sikhs and Christians; the rest (a good 45 million) are Buddhists, Jains, Bahai, and more






Sri Lanka    இலங்கை



Sri Lanka is a land of great cultural diversity. Religion pervades many aspects of life and constitutes a basic element of this diversity. Buddhist and Hindu temples, as well as mosques and churches, with their own colourful rituals, are the most readily visible features of the cultural landscape. Varying degrees of colonial impact, modernizing influences, and wealth and income add other shades to the cultural mosaic.
Religion plays an important role in Sri Lanka; a revival of Buddhism was associated with the rise of Sinhalese nationalism. Most public holidays are based on religious festivals. The annual torchlight temple procession, or Perahara, in which ornamentally covered elephants and hundreds of dancers participate, draws thousands of devotees. Pilgrimages also play an important role here. The most important pilgrimage is to the top of Adams Peak. Muslims believe that Adam and Eve lived here after they left the Garden of Eden. Buddhists visit a rock on the peak that they believe contains one of Buddha’s footprints. Another important pilgrimage is to the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, where it is believed that one of Buddha’s teeth is enshrined.
In architecture, sculpture, and painting, Sri Lanka's traditions extend far back into antiquity. The remnants of ancient works restored and preserved at archaeological sites, while reflecting Indian influences, also bear testimony to the inspiration derived from Buddhism. Classical literature, too, presents a blend of stylistic influences from India with Buddhist themes. Since the beginning of the 20th century, with the literati being exposed to European literature, local creative writing has acquired greater diversity in style and has become more secular in content. 


Egypt 

Ancient Egypt is perhaps the most facinating of the ancient civilizations. Even the Ancient Greeks thought themselves to be a young and inexperienced society compared to the Egyptians. Indeed, the Ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the longest in the west, beginning in approximately 3000 B.C., and lasting until nearly 300 B.C. What is amazing about the Egyptian's culture is not their rapid growth and development, but their ability to 
preserve the past and prevail with relatively little change. For example, today in the United States we drastically change the style of our clothing each decade, while Egypitan dress did not vary over the thousands of years. Theirs was a civilization where the past lived in the present.
Ancient Egypt is a starting point in the history of western art. Pyramids and sphinxes have become symbols of Egypt, but a closer look reveals artistic genius in many forms.  


Spain

The most important differences stem from the fact that Arabic-speaking Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa invaded Spain in AD 711 and dominated much of the country during almost 800 years. The Muslim cultural influence was very strong, especially in the area of language; the Spanish language has taken more words from Arabic than from any other source except Latin. Through contact with the Muslims, Christian Europe was able to recover much of the cultural and intellectual heritage of classical antiquity. It also gained access to many scientific advances made by the Muslims. Spain's cultural mix became even richer during the Middle Ages because of the presence of a large and influential Jewish population. Medieval Spain witnessed one of the periods of greatest cultural achievement in Jewish history.
Spanish culture must stress the tremendous importance of religion in the history of the country and in the life of the individual. An index of the influence of Roman Catholicism is provided by the fervent mystical element in the art and literature of Spain, the impressive list of its saints, and the large number of religious congregations and orders. The Catholic marriage is the basis of the family, which in turn is the foundation of Spanish society. Fiestas (festivals) are an outstanding feature of Spanish life. They usually begin with a high mass followed by a solemn procession in which venerated images are carried on the shoulders of the participants. Music, dancing, poetry, and singing often enliven these colorful occasions. The fiesta at Valencia, the April fair in Seville, and the San Fermín fiesta at Pamplona are several of the more important ones. In contrast, the feast of Corpus Christi in Toledo and Granada and the Holy Week observances in Valladolid, Zamora, and Cuenca are solemn affairs. The bullfight, so important a part of Spanish .






modern periods Spain's culture was fairly homogeneous. The one significant exception was the presence and persistence of languages other than Spanish in some parts of the country. Two of these, Catalan and Gallego, have been vehicles of significant literary traditions during the Middle Ages. From the 16th century on they lost ground to Castilian and increasingly became limited to everyday use, especially among the peasantry. This had always been the case with the third language, Euskera, which never had a literary tradition. Beginning in the 19th century, all three languages enjoyed a revival. In the 20th century the Franco regime prohibited the public use of languages other than Spanish; but this did not lead to their disappearance. Indeed, the use of these languages, both in daily life and in high culture, increased greatly when they became the official languages in the autonomous regions established under the Constitution of 1978. As noted above, they are now taught in the schools as well as used in the press and on television and radio.