Culture

The story I am about to tell is about the culture followed by different nations. As it is about the ideas, customs and social behavior of a particular people or society.

A culture is a way of life of a group of people-the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.

As I am currently living in Pakistan, I will tell u about the culture of Pakistan.

Pakistani Culture is very unique in terms of its social values revolving around the religion of Islam. The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural complex of South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia with an integration of elements from various invading cultures from the earliest of times. There are differences in culture among the different ethnic groups in matters such as dress, food, and religion, especially where pre-Islamic customs differ from Islamic practices. There is no caste system in Pakistan, but some of the Hindu caste practices are part of Pakistani daily life, particularly amongst the Punjabis and Sindhis. Tribal cultural practices are prevalent in the rural regions of the country.

Because at least 95 percent of the Pakistani population is Muslim, there are two food customs that are followed almost universally. First, Muslims do not eat pork (therefore beef, chicken, lamb, and fish are the basic foods), and second, alcohol is forbidden. The Mughal and Persian styles of cooking, which is rich and extremely spicy heavily, influences Pakistani cuisine. The most prevalent spices include chili powder, turmeric, garlic, paprika, black and red pepper, cumin seed, bay leaf, coriander, cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg, and poppy seeds. The diet is heavily meat based. Both Wheat and rice are the main stays of the daily diet. Green and black tea is the typical drink served at all meals.

Although Urdu is the official language of Pakistan, it is spoken as a first language by only 8% of the population; 48% speak Punjabi, 12% Sindhi, 10% Saraiki, 8% Pushtu, 3% Baloch, and 11% other. English is the lingua franca of the Pakistani elite and most of the government ministries. Urdu is closely related to Hindi but is written in an extended Arabic alphabet. Combining the languages of early invaders and settlers, including, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish with native Sanskrit created Urdu.

Black tea with milk and sugar is popular throughout Pakistan and is consumed daily by most of the population. The consumption of tea in Pakistan, called chai (چائے), in Urdu, is of central significance to Pakistani culture. It is one of the most consumed beverages in Pakistani cuisine. Pakistan does produce its own limited tea in Shinkiari farms, however it ranks as the third largest importer of tea in the world. In 2003, as much as 109,000 tonnes of tea were consumed in Pakistan, ranking it at seven on the list of tea-consuming countries in the world.

The national dress of Pakistan is the shalwar qameez, a unisex garment widely-worn, and national dress, of Pakistan. When women wear the shalwar-kameez in some regions, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck. The dupatta is also employed as a form of modesty—although it is made of delicate material, it obscures the upper body's contours by passing over the shoulders. For Muslim women, the dupatta is a less stringent alternative to the chador or burqa (see hijab and purdah). Besides the national dress, domestically tailored suits and neckties are often worn by men, and are customary in offices, schools, and social gatherings.

So this is about the culture of Pakistan.