Asian Culture

Culture of Indonesia

2009-03-07T00:58:00.000-08:00

Indonesian culture has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, all strong in the major trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures.

Cuisine of Indonesia

Indonesian cuisine reflects the vast variety of people that live on the 6,000 populated islands that make up Indonesia. Indonesian cuisine is as diverse as Indonesian culture, and has taken on culinary influences from many sources. Popular Indonesian dishes such as satay, beef rendang, and sambals also favored in Malaysia and Singapore. Soy-based dishes, such as variations of tofu and tempeh, are also very popular.

Clothing

The typical Bahraini woman dresses conservatively, usually the daffah, a long loose-fitting black gown, is worn. However, there is no formal dress code in Bahrain, and foreigners as well as local women are seen wearing modern outfits as well. Bahraini men usually wear the Thobe and the traditional headdress which includes the Keffiyeh, Ghutra and Agal.

Art

Indonesia is not generally known for paintings, aside from the intricate and expressive Balinese paintings, which often express natural scenes and themes from the traditional dances.Other exceptions include indigenous Kenyah paint designs based on, as commonly found among Austronesian cultures, endemic natural motifs such as ferns, trees, dogs, hornbills and human figures. These are still to be found decorating the walls of Kenyah Dayak longhouses in East Kalimantan's Apo Kayan region.

2009-03-06T04:03:00.000-08:00

Culture of Pakistan

The society of Pakistan comprises numerous diverse cultures from the Punjabis and Sindhis in the east to the tribal cultures. Pakistan in ancient times was a major cultural hub, the home of ancient civilizations, including the Indus Valley Civilization, the foundation of Indian culture. Pakistan has a wealthy cultural and ethnic background going back to Indus Valley Civilization, 2800 BC – 1800 BC. Ancient sites in Pakistan include Buddhist monuments, Hindu/Buddhist temples, Palaces and Monuments built by Emperors, tombs

Pakistani society is largely multilingual and multicultural. Though cultures within the country differ to some extent, more similarities than differences can be found as most Pakistanis are of mainly Aryan heritage.

Cuisine of Pakistan

The culinary art in Pakistan comprises a mix of Middle Eastern, Indian, Iranian, Afghan, and Turkish cuisine that reflects the country's history as well as the variation of cooking practices from across the surrounding regions. Urban centres of the country offer an amalgamation of recipes from all parts of the country whereas food with specific local ingredients and tastes is available in rural areas and villages.
Festivals
Pakistanis celebrate so many festivals such as Ramadan, Chand Raat, Eid celebrations, Milaad un Nabi, Jashn-e-Baharan, Independence Day.

Clothing

The national dress of Pakistan is Shalwar Qameez for both men and women. It consists of a large, loose fitting tunic with very baggy trousers. Men's version consists of solid, masculine colours and is almost always accompanied by collar and buttons.

Cultural taboos

Public displays of affection, even by married couples. This however varies from place to place. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is illegal in Pakistan. Only non-Muslim Pakistanis and non-Muslim foreigners are allowed to consume alcoholic beverages.

Languages

English is the official language of Pakistan while Urdu is the national language despite not being a native language or being the mother tongue of any native group in the country. Many other languages are spoken within the country including Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Siraiki, Balochi and Brahui. Most of the languages of Pakistan are part of Indo-Aryan languages family with Iranian languages most significant in west as well as Dardic languages in north & northwest.

Cuisine of Pakistan

The Cuisine of Pakistan can be described as a fusion of cuisine from three Asian regions - South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Pakistani cuisine is often spicy and is known for its richness.
Within Pakistan, cuisine varies greatly from region to region, reflecting the country's ethnic, cultural and culinary diversity. The cuisine in Sindh and the Punjab can be very hot and spicy characterizing the South Asian flavor. Food in the North-West Frontier Province, Baluchistan and Northern Areas involves the use of mild aromatic spices

Culture of Asia

2009-03-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people; it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population. The culture of Asia is the non-natural aggregate of the cultural heritage of many nationalities, societies, religions, and ethnic groups in the region, traditionally called a continent from a Western-centric perspective, of Asia. The region or "continent" is more commonly divided into more natural geographic and cultural sub regions, including the Caucasus, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, North Asia, Southwest Asia and Southeast Asia. Geographically, Asia is not a distinct continent; culturally, there has been little unity or common history for many of the cultures and peoples of Asia.

Asian art, music, and cuisine, as well as literature, are important parts of Asian culture. Eastern philosophy and religion also plays a major role, with Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity all playing major roles. One of the most complex parts of Asian culture is the relationship between traditional cultures and the Western world.
Asia we can divide into three main areas they are south Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia. East Asia consists of China, Japan, and Korea. The main influence historically has been China, though in modern times. Major characteristics of this region include shared Chinese-derived language characteristics, as well as shared religion like Buddhism and Taoism. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common heritage from the Indus Valley Civilization and the Maurya, Kushan, Gupta and Mughal empires. South Indian states and Sri Lanka share a Dravidian culture, due to the prominence of Dravidian languages there. Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal share a common heritage and culture based on the Bengali language. Nepal, Bhutan, the states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal have a great cultural similarity to Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism being the main religion there. Southeast Asia has lot of Western influence due to the lasting legacy of colonialism.

Religions of Asia

 Buddhism  Hinduism  Shamanism
 Jainism  Confucianism  Animism
 Sikhism  Roman Catholicism  Vajrayana Buddhism
 Taoism  Muslims  Theravada Buddhism
 Zen Buddhism  Shinto  Mahayana Buddhism

Asia is one of the world's most populous and largest continents, with millions of different peoples following a wide variety of different religions. There are so many religions are used by Asian people. Some are I mentioned in below.

Asian Clothing

Because of the many different cultures which came into contact with each other in West Asia, clothing became very important as a way to tell to which group of people a stranger belonged. So there was no one West Asian way to dress. Instead, there we re many different ways, and all of the differences were very important to people, because they helped people know who you were.

Asian Languages

Asia is home to several language families and many language isolates. Most Asian countries have more than one language that is natively spoken. For instance, according to Ethnologue, more than 600 languages are spoken in Indonesia, more than 415 languages spoken in India, and more than 100 are spoken in the Philippines. The People's Republic of China has many languages and dialects in different provinces. Asian people use different type of languages. Asia is a continent with great linguistic diversity, and is home to various language families and many language isolates. The main languages are

 Austro-Asiatic: Khasi, Khmer, Mundari, Vietnamese
 Austronesian: Atayal, Cebuano, Cham, Ilokano, Indonesian, Javanese, Malay, Paiwan, Sundanese, Tagalog, Tetum
 Dravidian: Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
 Indo-European: Armenian, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Kurdish, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Tajik, Urdu
 Japonic: Japanese, Okinawan
 Sino-Tibetan: Burmese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tibetan
 Tai-Kadai: Lao, Thai
 Turkic: Azeri, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Uzbek

Asian Cuisine

Asian cuisine is a term used in the West as an umbrella term for the various cuisines of South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia and for fusion dishes based on combining them. It does not usually include Polynesian, Central Asian or Middle Eastern cuisine.

Asian’s Habits

In many parts of Asia, rice is a staple food. China is the world largest producer and consumer of rice. In India, people often eat food with their hands, and many spices are used in every dish. Most spices originated around India or neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka.

Culture of China

The Culture of China is home to one of the world's oldest and most complex civilizations covering a history of over 5,000 years. Many ethnic groups have existed in China. In terms of the numbers, however, the top ethnic group is the Han Chinese. Throughout history, many groups have been assimilated into neighboring ethnicities or disappeared without a trace. Traditional Chinese Culture covers a large geographical territories, each region is usually divided into distinct sub-cultures. Different periods of history have different names for the various positions within society. Conceptually each imperial or feudal period are similar, with the government and military officials ranking high in the hierarchy, and the rest of the population under regular Chinese law?
Spoken Chinese has consisted of a number of Chinese dialects and languages throughout history. Chinese language is very difficult to study. Different forms of art have swayed under the influence of great philosophers, teachers, religious figures and even political figures. Chinese art encompasses all facets of fine art, folk art and performance art.
Chinese culinary art, with a long history and many different sources, is world famous. With different regions, produce, climate, historical condition and food and drink customs, Chinese cuisine has gradually built up a wide range of unique local and specialized dishes and local flavor refreshments to endless charm. The overwhelmingly large variety mainly comes from the emperors hosting a banquet of 100 dishes each meal.

Family Life

The traditional vision of family life in China is one of a strong family unit led be the father and husband, who largely has absolute rule and control of the family. Religion plays a major part in defining the roles and responsibilities of family members. Confucianism taught social order and behavior. This control also extended to selection of marriage partners, which was often arranged for the children.

Chinese Eating Etiquette

1. Cannot randomly go pick the best seat, right next to a friend of your host. There is a specific order to where you can sit.
2. The host sits nearest to the door.
3. The guest of honor sits opposite.
. Other honorary guests sit to the left of the guest of honor.
5. Don’t eat a whole meal; just sample everything on your plate. There will be a lot of courses.
6. Don’t eat everything on your plate, or your host will see to it that you get more food to eat. Instead leave a little bit of food on your plate.
7. Never pour your own drink first. Instead make a toast, about business or friendship. Pour everyone a drink, leave no one out or it will seem as if you forgot them. Even if the people’s cup is filled, pour a few drops in, or give the cup a long stare, before moving on.
8. Don’t take the last piece of food on the platter, as it will seem as you’re greedy.
9. Don’t take your chopstick and turn them into forks by poking into the food. You must use the chopstick to pick up the piece.
10. If you pick up a piece with a chopstick and drop it, don’t attempt to pick up another piece instead, keep on trying.
11. Don’t start playing the drums with your chopsticks.
12. Don’t use the chopsticks as tooth picks, or suck on them.
Greeting Etiquette
1. When you first meet a Chinese person, they might seem unfriendly, but that is because they are taught to not show emotions in public, because it is thought to be unacceptable.
2. Chinese like being formally introduced to a person by another person. When being introduced to a person, shake their hands. A smile, a wave, a nod, or a bow is good. At the same time kissing and hugging are bad. You can only do this I you know the person really well.
3. Now you know this person, so give them a compliment. Never, insult a person, do anything to shame them, yell at a person, or try to prove them wrong in front of other people. Instead just pull them over and talk to them privately.
4. Chinese never refuse or say no to anything, but that doesn’t mean they will say yes. That is because they will lose “face” or get shamed, if someone downright says “no”. If you disagree with someone, or have no as an answer say “maybe” or “we’ll see”.

Culture of Japan

The Japanese people are the main ethnic group of Japan. The Japanese language is a Japonic language that is usually treated as a language isolate, although it is also related to the Okinawan language. Japanese religion has traditionally been synergetic in nature, combining elements of Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto, a polytheistic religion.

Arts

Painting has been an art in Japan for a very long time: the brush is a traditional writing tool, and the extension of that to its use as an artist's tool was probably natural.

Japanese language

The Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. Japanese is written with a combination of three scripts: hiragana which was derived from the Chinese cursive script, katakana, which was derived as shorthand from Chinese Character, and kanji, imported from China.

Clothing

The Japanese word kimono means "something one wears" and they are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally, the word kimono was used for all types of clothing, but eventually, it came to refer specifically to the full-length garment also known as the naga-gi, meaning "long-wear", that is still worn today on special occasions by women, men, and children. Kimono comes in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes.

Cuisine of Japan

Through a long culinary past, the Japanese have developed a sophisticated and refined cuisine. In recent years, Japanese food has become fashionable in the U.S. and Europe. Dishes such as sushi, tempura, and teriyaki chicken are some of the foods that are commonly known. The Japanese diet is believed to be related to the longevity of Japanese people

Japanese Eating Etiquette

1. In Japan if you leave your plate empty it means you want more food. If you’re finished then leave some food on your plate.
2. There is no American way like “help yourself.” Do not eat until the host offers food.
3. There isn’t tipping in Japanese restaurants.
4. Eating and drinking while walking down the street is considered impolite to others.
5. Do not leave a mess when you’re done eating. Put your chopsticks down, fold your napkins and fix your area.
6. Do not pick up food on the same end that you used to eat your with. Try to use the ends of the chopsticks for picking up, and the front (smaller end) to eat with.
7. It is normal to make slurping noises when drinking or eating noodles. It shows that you enjoy the food and keeps it from burning your mouth.
When leaving a restaurant or somewhere do not steal or take some napkins or little souvenirs. It is considered very rude.
9. Before you start eating you say “Itadakimasu” and “Gochisosama deshita” when finished. “Kampai” means cheers and is used for drinking.
10. Don’t pour your own drink; if the glass is empty usually the host will pour it.

Culture of India

The term culture refers to a state of intellectual development or manners. The social and political forces that influence the growth of a human being are defined as culture. Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique in its very own way.
The culture of India has been shaped by the long history of India, its unique geography and the absorption of customs, traditions and ideas from some of its neighbors as well as by preserving its ancient heritages, Indian culture treats guests as god and serves them and takes care of them as if they are a part and parcel of the family itself. Even though we don’t have anything to eat, the guests are never left hungry and are always looked after by the members of the family. Elders and the respect for elders is a major component in Indian culture. Elders are the driving force for any family and hence the love and respect for elders comes from within and is not artificial. An individual takes blessings from his elders by touching their feet. Elders drill and pass on the Indian culture within us as we grow.
The great number of languages in India has added to the diverse cultures and traditions at both regional and national levels. 216 languages are spoken by a group of more than 10,000 people; however there are many others which are spoken by fewer than 10,000 people.

Indian Tradition

A four thousand years of continuous culture has meant that a number of Indian customs and traditions have come down to the present generation almost without a change for thousands of years. These customs invariably invoke curiosity in the minds of visiting foreigners tempting them to wonder what they mean.

Namaskar

Namaskar or Namaste is the most popular form of greeting in India. It is a general salutation that is used to greet or welcome somebody and also for bidding farewell

Tilak

Tilak is a ritual mark on the forehead. It can be put in many forms as a sign of blessing, greeting or auspiciousness. The Tilak is usually made out of a red vermilion paste which is a mixture of turmeric, alum, iodine, camphor etc. It can also be made of a sandalwood paste blended with musk.

Arts

Cave paintings from Ajanta, Bagh, Ellora and Sittanavasal and temple paintings testify to a love of naturalism. The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, some of which go back to the Stone Age

Clothing

Traditional Indian clothes for women are the sari or the salwar kameezand also Ghaghra Cholis. For men, it is the Dhoti, Lungi or Kurta. Bombay, or also known as Mumbai is one of India's fashion capitals. In some village parts of India, tradit ional clothing will be most worn. Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, is all places for ongoing shoppers. People in India wore mostly cotton clothing. India was the first place where cotton was grown, even as early as 2500 BC in the Harappan period. By the Aryan period, women wore one very long piece of cloth called a sari that they wrapped around themselves in different ways. The word “sari” comes from a Sanskrit word that just means cloth.Saris is first mentioned in the Vedas, about 600 BC. Wealthy women wore saris made of silk, but most women wore cotton ones.

Cuisine of India

Food is an important part of Indian culture, playing a role in everyday life as well as in festivals. The multiple families of Indian cuisine are characterized by their sophisticated and subtle use of many spices and herbs. In many families, everyday meals are sit-down affairs consisting of two to three main course dishes, varied accompaniments such as chutneys and pickles, carbohydrate staples such as rice and roti (bread), as well as desserts. Food is not just important for an Indian family by ways of eating, but it is also taken as a sort of socializing, getting together with a family of many.

Religion

Indian religions, a major form of world religions next to the Abrahamic ones, include Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third- and fourth-largest religions respectively, with around 1.4 billion.
India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of most of its people.
The religion of more than 80.4% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practiced by around 13.4% of all Indians. Sikhism, Jainism and especially Buddhism are influential not only in India but across the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism. Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics also have visible influence.

Namaste or Pranam --How Indian people greet each other in India.

To greet a friend or another Indian, We join our hands (palms together), bow down in front of the other person, and say Namaste, Namaskar, or Pranam.

Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and others 3%

Languages: Hindi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu Kannada, Assamese, Sindhi, and 1,652 dialects

Culture of Sri Lanka

The culture of Sri Lanka has been influenced by many things in the past. Mostly it has been influenced by religion and colonialization by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British.
The Sinhalese new year (Sinhala and Tamil new year) is a very important cultural practise in the island, the festival which falls in April (the month of Bak) when the sun moves from the Meena Rashiya (House of Pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries) Sri Lankans begin celebrating their National New Year Aluth Avurudhu in Sinhala and Puththandu in Tamil.

Sri Lanka's culture also revolves around religion. The Buddhist community of Sri Lanka observes Poya Days, which are also important days of prayers to the Hindus, once per month according to the lunar calendar. The Hindus and Muslims also observe their own holidays. Sri Lankans are very religious because the history of the island has been involved with religion numerous times. There are many Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka and many mosques, Hindu temples and churches all across the island.

Customs & Traditions

The social etiquette of the Kandyans (According to an early English compilation of Kandyan law, namely John Armour"s "Grammar of Kandyan Law", the consent of both parents is necessary for a valid marriage. Sri Lankan Marriage Laws (In Sri Lanka, several legal systems govern the law of family relations. The General Law (a combination of Roman Dutch and English law) is the main system applicable to everyone except if they are governed by the personal laws. There are three other parallel systems of personal laws in Sri Lanka, i.e., Kandyan Law, The Thesavalamai and the Muslim Law. These laws are grounded in ancient customary practices and/or religion.

Cuisine of Sri Lanka

The cuisine of Sri Lanka draws influence from that of India, as well as colonists and foreign traders. Rice, which is usually consumed daily, can be found at any special occasion, while spicy curries are favourite dishes for dinner and lunch. A very popular alcoholic drink is toddy, made from palm tree sap. Rice and curry refers to a range of Sri Lankan dishes.
Sri Lankans also eat Hoppers which can be found anywhere in Sri Lanka. Many Sri Lankans eat short eats as a snack which is a variety of hamburgers, hot dogs, Chinese rolls, patties and pastries.

Clothing

It's a mix of Eastern and Western fashions. Young people invariably wear jeans and the author wouldn’t be seen dead without his. Even older people sometimes choose to wear jeans. Teenagers and wear shorts and T-shirst as well.
To be really comfortable you should choose clothes made of cotton. Shirts should be light as possible. Bright sunshine during the day makes dark colored clothing too warm. Sri Lankan's however are not particular about the color of their clothes unless it's for a formal gathering.
For office wear ladies choose Sarees, dresses or skirt and blouses. Men where shirt and trousers and National dress. Business suits are hardly ever worn. Everyone will wear a tie though. For the evenings and functions, gents don a suit or national dress for formal occasions. Ladies wear dresses, or sarees. At the beach nudism is taboo. The smallest of bikini is acceptable.

Ayubowan!!

This is the customary greetings of the Sri Lankans and means 'May You Live Long' With palms of the two hands held close together against the chest this is a greeting that denotes welcome, goodbye, respect, devotion or loyalty to suit the occasion. It is our fervent wish to bring to you the warmth of Sri Lankan hospitality in this Resplendent Island which was Tambapanni to Emperor Asoka of India before the written era, Taprobane to the Greeks and Romans, Serendib to the Arab seafarers, Hsi-lan-ch'ih to the Chinese, Ceilao to the Portuguese, Ceylaan to the Dutch, Ceylan to the French and Ceylon to the British. Now it is Sri Lanka - the Resplendent Island. Sri Lanka, the Isle of Serendipity is a tourist paradise with an abundance of attractions.

Art of Sri Lanka

Arts of Sri Lanka have achieved great heights during the course of history. All art forms like dance, music, sculpture, paintings and architecture have enjoyed development. Influence of Buddhism on the arts of Sri Lanka is obvious as is the impact of India. Originated religious beliefs of the people are the base of Sri Lanka arts. Every phase in the history of Sri Lanka has added some characteristic elements to Sri Lankan arts.

Dances of Sri Lanka

People of ancient Sri Lanka regarded dance the best way to pleasure the nature gods. They danced to save themselves from natural disasters. Tradition of dance started in Sri Lanka during the 4th century B.C. South Indian influence became obvious in Sri Lanka in 15th century AD. It was particularly evident in the folk dances. Regopma; amd local traditions made dances of a particular area different from other areas. Three main dancing forms in Sri Lanka are Kandian dance, low country dance and sabaragamu dance

Religions

Sri Lanka has a multi ethnic and multi religious population. Buddhism constitutes the religious faith of about 70% of the population of the island, most of whom follow the Theravada school of Buddhism. Religion is something that dominates Sri Lanka. Not just because of the recent ethnic conflict but also architecturally. Everywhere are reminders of the ethnic mix. Huge Buddhist monuments like the one below are dotted about the landscape, but also the many churches are a reminder of Portuguese control in the 15th century. Negombo just north of Colombo is known as 'little Rome' because it has so many - including St. Mary's.
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Languages: Sinhala (official/ national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, others 8%; English used in government and by about 10% of the population