Located on the Hindustan Peninsula in South Asia, India is the seventh largest in the world in terms of area (more than 3 million km2) and the second most populous (1 billion 130 million). This huge colorful country accommodates in its open spaces a variety of national interests and norms of behavior. The various peoples of India, living on the same common territory, are sometimes very different in their beliefs, traditions and culture.
Population of india
The population of this Asian country is extremely diverse. This Andaman, and Birchors, and Burish, and Bhilas, and Dogra, and Kachari, and Kullu, and Manipuri, and Santals, and Sherpa and others. The largest major peoples of India are the Marathi, Tamils, Bengalis, Gujaratis, Hindustanis, Kannara, Telugu and Punjabis.
Eighty percent of the
population of India are Hindus, about fourteen percent are Muslims, two percent are Christians and Sikhs, less than one percent are Buddhists.
West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and the states of Kashmir, Jammu are predominantly populated by Muslim communities. In the south and northeast of the country, as well as in the city of Bombay, mostly Christians live. Punjab and its surrounding territories are inhabited by Sikhs, and the Himalayas, part of Jammu and Kashmir - by Buddhists.
Common languages
The multinational peoples living in India are covered by two national languages - Hindi and English. Today, the total number of recognized official languages is eighteen. Of these, thirteen belong to the Indo-Aryan, one to the Tibetan and four to the Dravian language groups.
The most common language in this country is Hindi, it is used by more than three hundred million people. And in the northern states of India, he has official status. Also, the peoples of India speak Indo-Aryan languages such as Bengali and Orya, Assy and Kashmiri, Konkani and Nepali, Gujarati and Marathi, Punjabi. Muslims in the North and South of India speak Urdu. Due to the presence of many Pakistani emigrants in the state of Gujarat, bordering Pakistan, the Sindhi language is widely spoken.
In the southern part of India, the Dravidian language group predominates among the population. The four languages included in its composition have the status of officially recognized. These include Teluju, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam.
In the northeast, the states mostly speak Manipuri and other Tibetan languages.
Indian traditions
It should be noted that the customs and traditions of the peoples of India are quite different from European ones. A feature of the country is the presence of several religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, which bring their own characteristics to the lifestyle of the population.
Unlike the European population, India very rarely shakes hands, and hugs and kisses do not lean at all. Greeting each other, the Indians put their palms together and pronounce the phrases “Ram” or “Namaste”. Shaking hands with women is generally not accepted. But parents in this country are greeted with bows at the feet.
All peoples inhabiting India sacredly honor and respect cows. They are considered
sacred animals here. Eating beef is strictly prohibited, and for killing or harming cows in this country, even life imprisonment is threatened. Also in India, monkeys are very revered.
In sacred places of worship and temples, shoes are always removed. At the entrance, it is left in storage, or leg covers similar to shoe covers are acquired. In the sitting position, feet should not be directed at other people and the altar. In India, it is also not customary to flaunt various religious paraphernalia.
Clothing of the peoples of India
The peoples of India attach great importance to their clothing. Her style is due to the peculiarity of culture and life, a variety of nationalities and religious denominations. Although these features affect the clothes of the population, some common features are still present.
As a rule, it is made from light fabrics with a predominance of white. Men's headgear is a motley and diverse part of the costume.
Women dressed in elegant sarees often prefer various jewelry, such as bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces.
However, the poor people of India are extremely simply dressed. Quite often, their body is enveloped only by a white cloth, and their shoes are completely absent.