India: Fascinating Facts About Her Culture

India is known as home to a vast number of languages, religions, cuisine, and arts that each has sub-genres of its own. The Indian culture is so rich that exploring the country can be overwhelming at first for those who are unknown to it.

There is a breakdown of regions into cultures which include the Culture of North India, Culture of South India, Culture of West India, Culture of East India, Culture of Central India and then the Himalayan Culture.

For the sake of this post, we are focusing on the Culture of North India.

Kathak comes from the Sanskrit word “katha,” which means story, and is a classical Indian expressive dance arising out of north India. Both facial expressions and intricate footwork are crucial aspects of this dance form.
Holi is one of the best-known holidays in India, It is the Hindu festival of colour also known as “the festival of love. It is celebrated with people “playing” Holi which involves throwing coloured powder at one another, either by hand or in water guns. The last celebration was on March 21, 2019.
Tandoori chicken is a famous dish known for its hot red colour. It originated in Peshawar and stands out because it is traditionally cooked in a tandoor which is a cylindrical oven, with heat coming from wood or coal. The dish is popular throughout north India, especially in major areas like the city of Mumbai.
The national holiday is celebrated throughout India as the Republic Day and there is an annual parade held in the capital city of New Delhi. Celebrated every year on January 26, the parade is the centrepiece of a three-day-long celebration, showcasing the various branches of India’s armed forces along with floats or tableaus depicting each of the nation’s states.
Sikhism is one of the many religions in India and it originated in Punjab in the 1500s. The wearing of the dastar (or pagri), the distinctive turban is worn by many Sikhs and it fully covers their hair. The dastar represents many important values in the Sikh religion, such as courage and spirituality, and the dastar itself is an easy way to identify a Sikh person.
Dosas are like pancakes made from fermented grain. It is not sure where the dosas originated from but it is generally accepted to be a south Indian creation that has spread to other regions over time. It can be eaten in many ways with different additions.
Bollywood which is a thriving Bollywood film industry is based in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Bollywood originally achieving notoriety in the 1970s has grossed billions of dollars over the years and it is known for its dramatic acting and well-executed group dance numbers.