Indian Culture

Indian Culture

It is easy to tell whether a person is raised in India or in North America by his or her knowledge of their Indian culture. Those who have been raised in India have a lot of moral values, because everyone around them shares the same culture. Those who have been raised in North America may lack certain moral values because not everyone shares the same culture. Some people think that those who have never been to India may not know the Indian culture, but that is definitely incorrect. Knowing the Indian culture depends on the parents and how well they teach their children about their culture. For me, my mom was the one who taught me the differences between the Indian culture here in the U.S. and the Indian culture in India. When my mom told me about the culture in India, I thought it was way better than here. However, the Indian culture here in North America is much more open-minded because it is not only one culture, but one or more cultures mixed together.

In India, the society is full of people that know everything about a family's history, and also their life. While here in North America, the society does not have that many Indian families which know each other on personal levels. The good thing about having a society full of people that are in the same culture is that they can celebrate major holidays as one and have many other enjoyable times together. I think the bad thing about having too many people of the same culture is that, at times, it can cause a lot of drama and gossip. Drama and gossip are one of the easiest things a person can start. These people spread false rumors, and try to get people to fight over little things. This causes many people to stay away from big extravagant events where everyone joins together to celebrate.

Clothing is a very big part of culture. Indian culture is full of different styles of clothing, maybe a different style for every occasion. A "Sari" is a strip of clothing which runs from five to six feet long. The sari can be wrapped around in any style, but the most popular way is wrapped around the waist, and one end hanging on the shoulder. It is considered well-mannered if it is worn during weddings, and also elsewhere. However, in India they wear traditional clothing everyday, whereas here in North America, they only wear it on certain occasions. Weddings, holidays, Festival of Lights, and Festival of Colors are a few of the many occasions that the traditional clothing is worn. Today, the Indian style is not only popular for Indians in India but also in North America. Almost all of the clothing sold in stores here in the United States is related to some type of Indian embroidery and design. It is something that everyone wants to wear because it looks "cool." However, many Indians will avoid buying any of those types of clothes because it is something that they already have in a different form or it is just too common nowadays.

Like clothing, food is also another big part of the culture. Eating two servings of rice is a mandatory part of a meal in certain Indian families. In India, all they eat is Indian food, when Indian families here, in the U.S. have the opportunity to eat different types of food everyday. Who likes to eat the same type of food every day of their lives? Honestly, I wouldn't like eating Indian food everyday, and therefore it is better to have that chance of choosing from various types of food.

Using the hands as utensils can sound gross to those who use spoons, forks, knives. In North America it is kind to use utensils, but in India, it is a shame if one has to use a spoon, fork, or a knife to eat. They believe that eating with the five fingers of the right hand is well-mannered and also is part of the Indian culture. Although, eating with spoons, forks, and