Religions and spirituality
India is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, collectively known as Indian religions.[5] Indian religions, also known as Dharmic religions are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third- and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether,[6][7][8] and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers.[6][9] India is also the birthplace for the Lingayat and Ahmadiyya faiths.
Family structure and marriage
In India's history, and currently in certain regions, a joint family plays a significant role in the Indian culture. For generations, India has had a prevailing tradition of the joint family system. It is a system under which extended members of a family – parents, children, the children’s spouses and their offspring, etc. – live together. Usually, the oldest male member is the head in the joint Indian family system. He makes all important decisions and rules, and other family members abide by them. [25]
Namaste, namaskar or Namaskara or Namaskaram ([Telugu language|Telugu], [Malayalam language|Malayalam]), Vanakkam (Tamil), Nomoshkaar (Bengali), Nomoskar (Assamese) ) is a common spoken greeting or salutation in the Indian subcontinent. Namaskar is considered a slightly more formal version than Namaste but both express deep respect. It is commonly used in India and Nepal by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs, and many continue to use this outside the Indian subcontinent. In Indian and Nepali culture, the word is spoken at the beginning of written or verbal communication.
Festivals
With
India's cultural diversity, the country has more festivals than there
are days in a year. With little lamps and lot of care, Karthigai
festival celebrates the bond between sisters and brothers in south
India. In other parts of India, Bhaiya-Dhuj
and Raakhi
is celebrated. Sisters wish their brothers happiness and feed them
sweets, while brothers give gifts and promise to protect their
sisters.
Clothing & Food
Traditional clothing
in India
greatly varies across different parts of the country and is
influenced by local culture, geography, climate and rural/urban
settings. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as
sari
for women and dhoti
or lungi
for men. Stitched clothes are also popular such as churidar
or salwar-kameez
for women, with dupatta
(long scarf) thrown over shoulder completing the outfit. Salwar is
often loose fitting, while churidar is a tighter cut.[50]
For men, stitched versions include kurta-pyjama
and European-style trousers and shirts for men. In urban centers,
people can often be seen in jeans, trousers, shirts, suits, kurta and
variety of other fashions.
Perfoming Art
Indian
dance
includes eight classical dance forms, many in narrative forms with
mythological
elements. The eight classical forms accorded classical
dance status
by India's National
Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama
are: bharatanatyam
of the state of Tamil
Nadu,
kathak
of Uttar
Pradesh,
kathakali
and mohiniattam
of Kerala,
kuchipudi
of Andhra
Pradesh,
yakshagana
of Karnataka,
manipuri
of Manipur,
odissi
(orissi)
of the state of Orissa
and the sattriya
of Assam.[85][86]
