Cultural Aspects

Languages

780 languages are spoken in India!

The top 5 most spoken languages in India are …

• 43.63% speak Hindi
• 8.03% speak Bengali
• 6.86% speak Marathi
• 6.7% speak Telugu
• 6.7% speak Tamil
• 30% of India speak English to a certain extent, mainly as a second language

 

Religions

• India is the birthplace of 4 religions; Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
• India assimilated two other religions; Islam and Christianity

The 4 most popular religions practiced are…

• Hinduism is practiced by 79.80%
• Islam is second, practiced by 14.23%
• Christianity is third, practiced by 2.30%
• Sikhism is fourth, practiced by 1.72%

 

Holidays

The most popular holiday in India is Diwali (aka The Festival of Lights)

• Diwali is a festival of lights
• The lights symbolize the triumph of light over dark, or good over evil
• Diwali marks the day the Lord Rama and his wife Sita, along with Rama’s younger brother, Lakshman, return to Ayodhya after being exiled for 14 years
• The peace that was brought highlights the connection of light over dark

Here is a video about the holiday

 

Dance

The oldest form of Indian Dance is Bharatanatyam

• Bharatanatyam is thought to first appear in Tamil Nadu, India
• The dance is a well-choreographed dance with many different facial expressions, hand gestures, dance steps, and eye movements
• This dance is about storytelling, spiritual connection and significance

Attire

There are different kinds of clothing for both women and men

Women: Saree, Lehenga Choli, and Salwar Kameez

               

 

Men: Dhoti, Kurta, and Sherwani