India
India is a country that is characterized by diversity. This is a fact which is evidently prominent in the people of India, their culture as well as climate. The value system in India is considered traditional. This is because it has been established and set in place for many years, and does not suffer much influence from other cultures. Community is greatly valued in India, and whether the occasion is happy or sad, all members of the community are involved during celebration or in time of grief (The National Portal of India, 2005). All people in India participate in occasions wholeheartedly and thus there is no occasion that can be constrained in a particular home. This then shows that occasions in India are usually lively.
In India, spirituality is prominent and strong. Hindu ideology plays a vital role and has great influence on the beliefs of India. Being an accumulation of various religious groups which come from India, Hinduism is the common religion in India. Hinduism is the western name for the religious beliefs and customs of the substantial majority of Indians. As a religion, it is the world’s largest and also one of the most ancient. Since Hinduism is made up of many religious groups, it also incorporates a wide range of practices and beliefs (World of Sociology, Gale, 2001). In Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology (2002), it states, “One such concept is that of the soul’s rebirth after death. Associated with rebirth is the concept of karma, the idea that one’s destiny in this and future lives is influenced by their actions” (pp.3). Though there is the believe that Hindus have many gods for worship, most claim that they believe in Brahman as the only eternal god and the rest gods as various aspects of the eternal god, Brahman.
Hindus do not believe that they acquire the one true way. As human beings, behaviors, feelings, and thoughts are the internal drive to an individual’s success in life. Aspects of one culture can be very drastically different from another culture and each culture has various traditions standards, rituals, and customs that make it quite unique from another culture. It is the importance and the influence that religion brings that makes the behavior of Indians. In addition, cultural traditions also play a significant role in this. Indians are widely known to be compassionate and calm people. They also do not express any kind of insensitivity in their main beliefs and ideal morals. In most cases, Indians are non violent and spiritual.
Religion is very important to the Indians. Other than Hinduism, there are three other main religions in India and these are Christianity, Sikhs and Islam. Due to the calm nature of Indians, they do not go against the religious beliefs of one other and thus have a lot of religious respect. This is shown by the way they act in times of celebration. The Indians will come together and share their thoughts regardless of their religious differences. Privacy is one thing that is very common among the Indians. For instance, they do not publicly display their affection to members of the opposite sex. Displaying of homosexual behavior is also prohibited (Indian Mirror, 2010). India has a cultural ideology which links ones identity in sexuality strongly to their ability to marry and thus result to procreation.
References
Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology, (2002). Hinduism. Retrieved on February 7, 2011, from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/routencsca/hinduism.
Indian mirror, (2010). Culture, rituals and beliefs. Retrieved on February 7, 2011 from http://www.indianmirror.com/.
The National Portal of India. (2005). Know India: Lifestyle, Values, and Beliefs. Retrieved on February 7, 2011 from http://india.gov.in/knowindia/lifestyle.php.
World of Sociology, Gale, (2001). Hinduism. Retrieved on February 7, 2011 from, http://www.credoreference.com/entry/worldsocs/hinduism.
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