Located on the Hindustan Peninsula in South Asia, India ranks seventh in the world in terms of area (more than 3 million km2) and second in terms of population (1 billion 130 million). This huge colorful country accommodates in its vastness a variety of national interests and norms of behavior. The various peoples of India living in 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. These are Andamans, and Birhors, and Burishes, and Bhils, and Dogras, and Kachars, and Kulus, and Manipuris, and Santals, and Sherpas and others. The largest major ethnic groups in India are the Marathas, Tamils, Bengalis, Gujaratis, Hindustanis, Kannara, Telugu and Punjabis.
Eighty percent of India's population are Hindus, about fourteen percent are Muslims, two percent each are Christians and Sikhs, and 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, mainly Christians live. Punjab and adjacentthe territories are inhabited by Sikhs, and the Himalaya region, part of Jammu and Kashmir - by Buddhists.
Common languages
The multinational peoples inhabiting 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 spoken language in this country is Hindi, which is used by more than three hundred million people. And in the northern states of India, it has official status. Also, the peoples of India speak such Indo-Aryan languages as Bengali and Oriya, Assami and Kashmiri, Konkani and Nepali, Gujarati and Marathi, Punjabi. Muslims in North and South India speak Urdu. Due to the presence of many Pakistani immigrants in the state of Gujarat, which borders Pakistan, the Sindhi language is widely spoken here.
In the southern part of India, the population is mainly dominated by the Dravidian language group. The four languages included in it have the status of officially recognized. These include Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam.
Manipuri and other Tibetan languages are mostly spoken in the northeast of the state.
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 tolifestyle of the population.
Unlike the European population in India, handshakes are very rare, and hugs and kisses are not expected at all. When greeting each other, Hindus put their palms together and say the phrases "Ram" or "Namaste". It is generally not customary to shake hands with women. But parents in this country are greeted with bows to their feet.
All peoples inhabiting India sacredly revere and respect cows. They are considered sacred here. Eating beef is strictly prohibited, and for killing or harming cows in this country, even a life sentence is threatened. Monkeys are also highly revered in India.
Shoes must be removed in sacred places of worship and temples. At the entrance, it is left for storage, or foot covers similar to shoe covers are purchased. When sitting, do not point your feet at other people and the altar. In India, it is also not customary to flaunt various religious paraphernalia.
Clothes of the peoples of India
The people of India pay considerable attention to their clothes. Her style is determined by the originality of culture and life, the diversity of nationalities and religious denominations. Although these features affect the clothing of the population, some common features are still present.
As a rule, it is made of light fabrics with a predominance of white. Men's headdress is a colorful and varied part of the costume.
Women dressed in smart saris often prefervarious jewelry such as bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces.
However, the poor people of India are extremely simply dressed. Quite often, only a white cloth wraps their body, and there are no shoes at all.
