culture of South Africa

The culture of South Africa is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. The South African majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. It is among these people, however, that cultural traditions survive most strongly; as Africans have become increasingly urbanized and Westernised, aspects of traditional culture have declined. Urban Africans usually speak English or Afrikaans in addition to their native tongue. There are smaller but still significant groups of speakers of Khoisan languages, not included in the eleven official languages, but are one of the eight other officially recognised languages. There are small groups of speakers of endangered languages, most of which are from the Khoisan family, that receive no official status; however, some groups within South Africa are attempting to promote their use and revival.

Members of middle class, who are predominantly white but whose ranks include growing numbers of people of colour, have lifestyles similar in many respects to that of people found in Western Europe, North America and Australia. Members of the middle class often study and work abroad for greater exposure to the markets of the world.

Indian South Africans preserve their cultural heritage, languages and religious beliefs, being either Christian, Hindu or Muslim and speaking English, with Indian languages like Hindi, Telugu, Tamil or Gujarati being spoken less frequently as second languages. The first Indians arrived on the Truro ship as indentured labourers in Natal to work the Sugar Cane Fields, while the rest arrived as traders. A post-apartheid wave of South Asian (including Pakistani) immigration has also influenced South African Indian culture. There is a much smaller Chinese South African community, made up of early immigrants, apartheid-era immigrants from Taiwan, and post-apartheid immigrants from mainland China.

British Culture

The typical Briton is introspective, patriotic, insular, xenophobic, brave, small-minded, polite, insecure, arrogant, a compulsive gambler, humorous, reserved, conservative, reticent, hypocritical, a racist, boring, a royalist, condescending, depressed, a keen gardener, semi-literate, hard-working, unambitious, ironic, passionless, cosmopolitan, a whinger, hard-headed, liberal, a traditionalist, a couch potato, obsequious, a masochist, complacent, homely, pragmatic, cynical, decent, melancholic, unhealthy, a poor cook, pompous, eccentric, inebriated, proud, self-deprecating, tolerant, inhibited, a shopaholic, conceited, courageous, idiosyncratic, mean (a bad tipper), courteous, jingoistic, stuffy, overweight, well-mannered, pessimistic, disciplined, a habitual queuer, stoic, modest, gloomy, shy, serious, apathetic, honest, wimpish, fair, snobbish, friendly, quaint, decadent, civilised, dogmatic, scruffy, prejudiced, class conscious and a soccer hooligan. Class Systems One of the things which initially confuses foreigners living in the UK is its class system, which is a curious British affectation. Entry to the upper class echelons is rooted in birthright and ill-bred upstarts with pots of ‘new’ money (particularly foreigners with unpronounceable names), find they’re unable to buy entry to the most exclusive clubs and homes of England (even when they’re seriously rich). Many Britons are obsessed with class and for some, maintaining or improving their position on the social ladder is a full-time occupation (the ultimate aim being to acquire a knighthood or peerage). The rest of us pretend we’re a ‘better’ class than we actually are, with the exception of a few politicians who are busy trying to live down their privileged past in order to court popularity with the underprivileged masses. British Food One thing that would probably cause a strike in any country is British food, particularly in most company canteens and restaurants, where everything is served with chips or ice-cream. Of course, British food isn’t always as bad as it’s painted by foreigners. (What can people who eat anything that crawls, jumps, swims or flies, possibly know about real food?). While it’s true that British food is often bland, may look terrible and can make you sick, for most people it’s just a matter of getting used to it. (What’s wrong with a diet of brown sauce, chips, biscuits and tea, anyway?). After all, it’s usually necessary to become acclimatised to the food in most foreign countries. However, it’s difficult not to have some sympathy with foreigners who think that many British ‘restaurants’ should post health warnings and be equipped with an emergency medical centre. (There’s nothing wrong with British food that a good stomach pump cannot cure). It may come as a surprise to many foreigners to learn that British bookshops are bursting with cookery books and they aren’t all written by foreigners. The UK also has many popular television cookery programmes that usually feature eccentric (and excellent) chefs and scrumptious looking food. The British can console themselves with the knowledge that they (or some of them) at least know how to behave at the table, even if they don’t have much idea what to serve on it.

Sydney: Culture

Most people would agree that Sydney has a vibrant energy, perhaps a brashness and self-confidence. Sydneysiders are generally very proud of  the city and its beautiful harbour and beaches.  Some say that many Sydney people just don’t care what other people think. Do and wear what you like, so long as you don’t interfere with other people's right to enjoy themselves too, but perhaps this isn’t too different from elsewhere in Australia.

The beach culture is well entrenched in coastal suburbs, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that the centre of Sydney, both geographically and in terms of population, is in the west. So, not all Sydneysiders are obsessed with lying on the beach all day. There’s plenty of culture to enjoy as well, with world class galleries, theatre, opera, dance companies.  Arts lovers can discover the best of Australia's colonial and 20th century art alongside significant Aboriginal art at Sydney's leading art museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Also worth exploring are the the art precincts around Paddington. Music fans will find ample to enjoy from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra or the Brandenburg Orchestra for example. 

Sydneysiders also enjoy brilliant food and you will find a wide range of cuisine options and price points, from world class restaurants like Tetsuyas to the more basic budget Vietnamese outlets or international food chains.

And of course like most Australians, most Sydneysiders love sport even if it's just a once a year splash out on the Melbourne Cup or watching the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day.  The main football game in town is Rugby League, but Rugby Union and Aussie Rulesare both popular too.   Soccer also has a growing legion of followers. 

Apart from English, the 31 most widely spoken languages in Sydney are: (2004)

1. Arabic
2. Cantonese
3. Greek
4. Italian
5. Vietnamese
6. Mandarin
7. Spanish
8. Tagalogt
9. Korean
10. Hindi
11. Bosnian
12. Croatian
13. Macedonian
14. Serbian
15. Turkish
16. Indonesian
17. Maltese
18. German                                              
19. Polish
20. Assyrian
21. Russian
22. French
23. Persian
24. Tamil
25. Portuguese
26. Samoan
27. Thai
28. Japanese
29. Khmer
30. Hungarian
31. Armenian
32. Bengali

All languages above have over 5000 speakers in the city; Arabic and Cantonese both have over 150,000 speakers.

South Indian culture

South India 

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Puducherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area (635,780 km2 or 245,480 sq mi). South India includes the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau and is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse with two mountain ranges the Western and Eastern Ghats bordering the plateau heartland. Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water. Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kochi are the largest urban areas in the region.

Culture and heritage

The dance, clothing, and sculptures of South Indian exemplify the celebration of the beauty of the body and motherhood.

Clothing

South Indian women traditionally wear Sari, a garment that consists of a drape varying from 5 yards (4.6 m) to 9 yards (8.2 m) in length and 2 feet (0.61 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m) in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff. Ancient Tamil poetry such as the Silappadhikaram describes women in exquisite drapery or sari. There are more than 80 recorded ways to wear a sari. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the midriff.

Cuisine

Rice is the staple diet, while fish is an integral component of coastal South Indian meals.oconut and spices are used extensively in South Indian cuisine. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes using of rice, legumes andlentils. Its distinct aroma and flavour is achieved by the blending of flavourings and spices including curry leaves, mustard seeds, coriander,ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut and rosewater. The traditional way of eating a meal involves being seated on the floor, having the food served on a banana leaf and using clean fingers of the right hand to transfer the food to the mouth. After the meal, the fingers are washed and the banana leaf is easily degradable or becomes fodder for cows.Eating on banana leaves is a custom that dates back thousands of years, imparts a unique flavor to the food and is considered healthy.Idli, Dosa, Uthappam, Appam, Pongal and Paniyaram are popular dishes for breakfast. Rice is served with Sambar, Rasam andPoriyal for lunch. Andhra cuisine is characterized by pickles and spicy curries. Chettinad cuisine is famous for non vegetarian andHyderabadi cuisine is popular for its Biryani.

CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF MY BALOCHISTAN....

Balochistan is a biggest province of Pakistan; Balochistan is the largest of the five provinces of Pakistan. It has a wide range of area, it has Rocky Mountains, it has rivers and beaches and it has wide plain grounds for agriculture. As the ALLAH gave every kind of beauty to this area, same as this area have a broad variety of culture and customs of its natives. Balochistan is a place where two big nations Pashtoon and Balochs are living from centuries. They have different languages, they have diverse culture and customs and they live on their respective areas where their forefathers were living from decades. Pashtoons of Balochistan have great tradition and customs for years. They are brave, daring, and courageous people. They respect their customs and still they are living with these rules which their elders marked. If there is any problem or difficulty arises, they gather their elders and resolve it adequately, it is called Jirga system. A gathering of famous and respected elderly people of different casts of pashtoons on the occasion of happiness, the young pashtoons like to dance on their own style which is called (Attan). 

Another very pretty custom is that, on the engagement, the bride’s side ladies collected the several beautiful handkerchiefs in a pretty way and put it on the shoulder of brother or cousin of groom. It means that now our daughter is yours forever. Then the groom’s relatives start firing in the air expressing happiness of the occasion. As the pashtoon young’s like Attan, similarly they love to play a game like a wrestling which is called (Ghaysha). On the events or occasions of Eid’s, they play this game in order to express their joy and happiness. The pashtoons of Balochistan survives in the cold areas so in the winter season they slaughter their sheep’s and hang out their meats in the air. The meat becomes dry and then they use it whole winter for the purpose to warm their selves. As the pashtoons have rich culture, similarly the Balochs of Balochistan have attractive traditions and conventions of their own. When the two tribes have any clash then the elders of the Balochs also get together and take decision about disputes they called it (Merrh). 

As the balochs young’s respect their elders similarly on the occasions of joy, they gathered with their elders and sang a songs of joy in their own languages. They have their own style of dancing which is called “Chapp”. Another unique way of the customs of Balochs is that they made a kind cloth and send it to the bride’s house before starting marriage. They called it Chilla and then the bride sit at the specific room and they put this cloth for the protection of bride. These all customs and traditions make them different and unique from other nations. They love their culture, like to stay with it and feel pride for their customs. - See more at: http://www.sleekarticles.com/culture-and-customs-of-my-balochistan/#sthash.Oykyf4eq.dpuf

50 Shades of Green? Environmental Attitudes Vary Widely in US

You don't have to be a nature lover to be "green." A new survey suggests that Americans' attitudes about protecting the environment aren't just linked to their love of the great outdoors. Turns out, religion and politics might be strongly tied to how people perceive environmental issues, according to the survey of 1,500 Americans who answered questions about their interactions with the natural world, their religious and political beliefs and their stance on environmental issues, such as global warming. Based on the answers, the researchers created nine distinct profiles, or "shades" of green: Only 10 percent of Americans fall into the group that the researchers labeled "outdoor greens." This group consists of staunch environmentalists who also spend a lot of time enjoying nature. For these folks, a strong appreciation for the natural world seems to be the motivating factor behind their support of environmentalist ideas (like decreasing the burning of fossil fuels)

French Culture: Customs & Traditions

Most people associate French culture with Paris, which is a center of fashion, cuisine, art and architecture, but life outside of the City of Lights is very different and varies by region. France doesn't just have different cultures; the word "culture" actually comes from France. "'Culture' derives from the same French term, which in turn derives from the Latin colere, meaning to tend to the earth and grow, cultivation and nurture," Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live Science. Historically, French culture was influenced by Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures as well as the Franks, a Germanic tribe. France was initially defined as the western area of Germany known as Rhineland but it later came to refer to a territory that was known as Gaul during the Iron Age and Roman era.

Why Do So Many Cultures Have a Version of Bigfoot?

More than a quarter of Americans believe in Bigfoot, a recent poll found. They claim this legendary bipedal ape, a "long lost relative" of humans, evades detection in remote woodland areas. Although it may seem strange to think a 7-foot-tall land mammal could go unnoticed for so long, the notion is actually widespread. Along with that sizeable minority of Americans, an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found that 21 percent of Canadians also believe in an undiscovered hairy humanoid, which they prefer to call Sasquatch. In Russia, belief in a similar creature, called the Yeti, is so common that local branches of the Russian government have funded Yeti expeditions, and the country has even considered founding an entire institute devoted to the study of Yetis. The Yeti is also said to roam the Himalayas, sometimes going by the name of Meh-Teh, or the "Abominable Snowman." Not to be outdone, Australia has the Yowie, and South America, a mythical beast called Mapinguari. Malaysians, meanwhile, fear the orang minyak, or "oily man" monster.

Chinese Culture: Customs & Traditions of China

China is an extremely large country, and the customs and traditions of its people vary by geography and ethnicity. More than 1 billion people live in China, according to the Asia Society, representing 56 ethnic minority groups. The largest group is the Han Chinese, with about 900 million people. Other groups include the Tibetans, the Mongols, the Manchus, the Naxi, and the Hezhen, which is smallest group, with fewer than 2,000 people. "Significantly, individuals within communities create their own culture," said Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London. Culture includes religion, food, style, language, marriage, music, morals and many other things that make up how a group acts and interacts. Here is a brief overview of some elements of the Chinese culture.

American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States

American culture encompasses the customs and traditions of the United States. "Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things," said Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London. The United States is the third largest country in the word with a population of more than 320 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Because of this, the United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Nearly every region of the world has influenced American culture, as it is a country of immigrants, most notably the English who colonized the country beginning in the early 1600s. U.S. culture has also been shaped by the cultures of Native Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians. The United States is sometimes described as a "melting pot" in which different cultures have contributed their own distinct "flavors" to American culture. Just as cultures from around the world have influenced American culture, today American culture influences the world. The term Western culture often refers broadly to the cultures of the United States and Europe.