| July 23, 2001 |
Edition II |
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By: Sue Vang Brief Introduction India has an ancient and diverse culture stretching back more than 5000 years. Many settlers, leaving many people to wonder about the origin of the East Indian culture, have influenced the modern day Indian culture. The present theory is that Dravidians were the original settlers who were chased to the South by the Aryans during their migration from Central Asia. However, with time, traditions were mixed and now throughout India, traditions are quite similar. There are a variety of races in the East Indian Culture and also a variety of languages spoken by them. Some of the races would include Aryans, Muslims, Greeks, Buddhists, Sikhs, and many more. There are 15 major languages and 844 different dialects in the Indian culture. Hindi and English are the most spoken languages out of the 15 major ones. Indian culture not only has a variety of languages but also art, such as sculptures and paintings. Indian sculptures and paintings depict the diversity and color of India and are also representations of Indian culture. The Sikhs The word “Sikh” in the Punjabi language means disciple. Sikhs are the disciples of God who follows the writings and teachings of the ten Sikh Gurus. Sikhs are also the followers of Sikhism, which is an India religion that originated in the Punjab in Northwest India. In 1995, there was approximately 18.7 million Sikhs in India, about 1.9% of the population. Small communities of Sikhs are also found in the United Kingdom, Canada, East Africa, and the United States. A Sikh is anyone who believes in one God, believes in the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, and accepts the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal spiritual guide and source of knowledge. All Sikhs have to take a vow to not cut their hair as well as not to smoke or drink any alcoholic beverages. They are sworn to the 5 k’s: kesh, to wear long hair; kangha, a comb in the hair; Kara, a steel bracelet on the right wrist; kachha, wear soldier’s shorts; and kirpan, a sword. The tradition started from about 1699 and still is continuing on the present. There are numerous Sikh festivals and ceremonies. The most important festivals are observed by Sikhs wherever they are. During their occasions, the Granth is read constantly, hymns are sung, prayers are said, and sweet puddings are passed around everywhere and many more going on. Some festivals of the Sikhs are the Guru Nanak’s birthday, Guru Arjan’s Martyrdom Day, Baiskhi, Diwali, and Hola Mohalla. All Sikh ceremonies are simple, inexpensive and are very religious. Some ceremonies would include the naming ceremony, turban tying, death ceremonies, and marriages. The most important ceremony is the baptism ceremony called Amrit. In many races also including the Sikhs, boys are more wanted than girls. If a wife has had 5 children already and no boys then divorce will probably take place. The reason as to why boys are more valuable to the culture is because they can carry on the family name. Sons have more privileges than girls because what they really have to do as part of the family is get an education, farm and become very successful in it, and they can have from 2 to 3 wives. As for the girls, their role in the family is to keep a good reputation so that someone from a good family would want to come marry them. Also women’s roles are just to cook, clean, and have baby boys. Women do not ever drink at all and those who wear a Hindu dot on their forehead means that they are already married or taken by someone. However, nowadays they are being worn more as a fashion statement, like Gwen Stefani for example. In the East Indian culture, women are known to be inferior to men and still are. A family is very big because even the married sons still live with their parents and with their own children. However, everyone gets along and there are always chores are to keep them busy. Respect is always given to the elders and the head of the house would be the father.
A map of North-East India
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