In·di·ans

/ˈindēən/

The earliest Indians were hunter-gatherers from Africa. They

arrived on the subcontinent 50,000 years ago. More settlers
arrived from what is now Iran between 10,000 and 20,000 years
ago, shortly after the end of the last ice age.
Indians are well known for their cuisine, dress and many other
aspects which we will speak about in this presentation.
 Customs
• In India it’s traditional to greet people using ‘Namaste’ to greet each other. To do
this place both hands together bow slightly and say “Namaste” which means
“Hello”.
• Men should not attempt to shake hands with women
• A bride traditionally moves to her husband’s house
• Shoes are not allowed to be worn in person’s houses because feet are unclean, and
shoes are considered even more unclean. Once shoeless and seated, be aware of
where your feet are. They shouldn’t be pointing at any other people, any religious
artifacts or images on the walls, or any alters. If you inadvertently point your feet
toward someone, step on someone’s belongings, or touch someone’s feet, apologize
sincerely and immediately.
 Religion
India is called a land of diversity, i.e., people belonging to
almost every faith can be found in India.
The major religions of India are Hinduism (majority
religion), Islam (largest minority religion), Sikhism,
Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism.
The 2011 Indian census indicated that 79.8% of Indians
identified as Hindu, 14.2% identified as Muslim and 2.3%
identified as Christian. A further 1.7% of the population
identified as Sikh, 0.7% identified as Buddhist and 0.37%
identified as Jain.
 Place of worship
Indians, primarily hindus which make up 78% of the population worship a
'Mandir' (Temple). Hindus do not have to go to the Mandir to pray or hold
religious ceremonies. At this temple, they usually worship Brahman and other
deities by making personal offerings.

Image of Brahman Image of a Mandir

 Ceremonies
● The naming ceremony in India is the first ceremony held for the
new-born baby. It can be held on any of the day after the tenth day
of the childbirth or before the 1st birthday because the first 10 days
are being impure days for both child and its mother. This function is
a way to name and bless the child.
● In funeral ceremony the body remains at the home until it is
cremated, which is usually within 24 hours after death. The ashes
are typically scattered at a sacred body of water or at some other
place of importance to the deceased. At the service, referred to as a
wake, mourners may dress casually
 Festivals
A festival is a day or period of celebration, typically a religious
commemoration. Festivals are an expressive way to celebrate
glorious heritage, culture and traditions. They are meant to rejoice
special moments and emotions in our lives with our loved ones. They
play an important role to add structure to our social lives and
connect us with our families and backgrounds.
● Some of these Indian festivals that are celebrated are:

● Diwali - October 24th

● Holi - March 18th
● Dussehra - October 5th
● Navaratri - September 26 th - October 5th
● Bhai Dooj - October 20th
● Vesak - May 6th
 Festivals cont’d
Why are these festivals celebrated?
● Diwali is celebrated as the day Goddess Lakshmi was born from Samudra Manthan, the churning of the cosmic
ocean of milk by the gods and demons. Lakshmi chose Vishnu as her husband on the night of Diwali, and the
two were bonded in holy matrimony.
● Holi celebrates the arrival of spring, the end of winter, the blossoming of love and for many, it is a festive day to
meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships.
● Dussehra is celebrated as the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil demon Mahishasura. It begins on the first
day of Navratri and continues for nine days.
● Navratri is a time when Hindus celebrate the goddess Durga for killing the demon, Mahishasura. A more
powerful God, Lord Brahma, had blessed Mahishasura with the gift of immortality because of his dedication to
him, which meant he could never die.
● Bhai Dooj marks the end of the five-day festivities of Diwali. It is celebrated to mark the bond and love between
a sister-brother relationship. Bhai Dooj is similar to the Indian festival of Raksha Bandhan as it is
commemorated to celebrate the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.
● Vesak is one of the most important Buddhist festivals.It is a celebration of Buddha's birthday and, for some
Buddhists, marks his enlightenment (when he discovered life's meaning). It is also a time to reflect on his
teachings and what it means to be Buddhist.
 How are these festivals celebrated?
● Diwali- It is celebrated twenty days after Dussehra. People, in general, wear their finest clothes, worship the
Goddess Lakshmi, illuminate their homes with diyas and beautiful rangolis, buy new gadgets or jewelry,
exchange gifts such as sweets and dried fruits and get together for family feasts and celebrations.
● People celebrate Holi by splashing water and smearing each other with colours, which is also known as
'Gulal'. Children enjoy the day by playing with water balloons and water guns. Parties are hosted by people
where they dance on popular Holi songs. Holi celebrations in Vrindavan and Mathura are very famous.
● Dussehra is celebrated through special prayer meetings and food offerings to the gods at home or in temples
throughout India.
● Navaratri- For many people it is a time of religious reflection and fasting, while for others it is a time for
dancing and feasting. Among fasting customs are observing a strict vegetarian diet and abstaining from
alcohol and certain spices.
● Bhai Dooj- On this day that celebrates the bond between the siblings, sisters pray for their brothers' long
lives by performing Tika ceremony and brothers give gifts to their sisters.
● Vesak- Many Buddhists visit temples on Vesak to listen to monks give talks and recite ancient verses.
Devout Buddhists may spend all day in one or more temples. Some temples display a small statue of Buddha
as a baby. The statue is placed in a basin filled with water and decorated with flowers.
 Music
Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in
multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk, rock, and pop. Music in India
began as an integral part of socio-religious life. The two main traditions of Indian classical
music are Carnatic music, which is practiced predominantly in the peninsular (southern)
regions, and Hindustani music, which is found in the northern, eastern and central regions. In
the major classical Indian music traditions, the beats are hierarchically arranged based on how
the music piece is to be performed. The most widely used tala in the South Indian system is
Adi tala. In the North Indian system, the most common tala is teental. The origins of Indian
classical music can be found in the oldest Hindu scriptures, the Vedas. The Samaveda is said
to have laid the foundation for Indian music, and consists mainly of hymns of Rigveda, set to
melodies that would be sung using three to seven musical notes during Vedic sacrifices.
An example of Indian music
 Indian Dance
Indian dance-India has lots of different types of dance that originated from
Bharatnatyam; it is a major genre of Indian classical dance that originated in the
Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and neighboring regions.
What is the history of Indian dance?
Dances performed in India are said to have their origins in dances and rituals of
the period of the Vedas, which date back to around 1000 B.C. The earliest Indian
religious texts describe creation in terms of dance. In Hindu mythology, a dance
by Shiva creates and destroys the universe. Some types of dances in Indian-
Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (North, West and Central India), Kathakali
(Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra), Odissi (Odisha), Manipuri (Manipur), Mohiniyattam
(Kerala), and Sattriya (Assam).
Women performing Bharatanatyam
 Food
India has several thousand castes and tribes, sixteen official languages and several
hundred dialects, six major world religions, and many ethnic and linguistic groups.
Food in India is an identity marker of caste, class, family, kin- ship, tribe affiliation,
lineage, religiosity, ethnicity, and increasingly, of secular group identification. Indian
foods will vary in every part of the country whether it's just the names or are not
eaten at all however they are some similarities. The Indian meal, Typical meals often
include a main starch such as rice, sorghum, or wheat; vegetable or meat curries that
are dry roasted or shallow wok fried; cured and dried vegetable dishes in sauces; and
thick lentil soups, with different ingredients. Some commonly used ingredients are
Basmati rice, wheat Sorghum, Chickpea, Chapati Flour, Jaggery, Kidney Beans,
Mung Bean, Coconuts Milk and sesame oil.
●
Examples of Indian cuisine
 Dress
Traditional Indian clothing for women in the north and east are saris worn with
choli tops; a long skirt called a lehenga worn with choli and a dupatta scarf to
create an ensemble called a gagra choli; or salwar kameez suits, while many south
Indian women traditionally wear sari and children wear pattu langa. The Sari is
the most representative and popuar traditional clothing of the Indian
subcontinent. It consists of a drape that can be from 4.5 meters to 8 meters long,
and about 1 meter wide. It is usually wrapped around the waist, with one end
covering one shoulder and baring the midriff. The male Indian wear usually
consists of a Dhoti (pants) and Kurta (shirt) or a sherwani. The male tribe leaders
also wear feathered head pieces called ‘warbonnets’. All of the above forms of
clothing are usually worn on special occasions.
 Aspects of Indian dress

Male wear Female wear

Choli

Traditional
Kurta Dhoti Tribe lehenga Sari Pattu langa, worn
sherwani warbonnets
by children
 Art
Indian art consists of a variety of art forms, including
painting, sculpture, pottery, cave drawings and textile
arts such as woven silk. Traditional Indian art usually
had a religious character and Buddhism, Hinduism, and
later Islam, have been a common theme throughout the
centuries. The pieces often feature mythological, human,
and animal forms and had elaborate ornaments. The
most renown form of Indian art is henna. This is a form
of body art associated with a distinctive deep orange-red
color and intricate patterns using a paste, created from
the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant. In India, it
is called ‘Mehndi’ and is often used in weddings.
Examples of Indian art
 Folktale
The rich culture and vast landscape of India come alive in their ancient folk tales and
folklore. Indian folklore and fairy tales have entertained and enlightened generations, since
the dawn of language to modern time.
Famous Indian folktales include:
• The Foolish lion and the clever rabbit from The Loss of Friends.
• The Monkey and the crocodile from Loss of Gains.
• The Elephant and the sparrow. from the Loss of Friends.
• The Blue jackal. from The Loss of Friends.
• The heron and the crab.
• The bird with two necks.
• The crows and the serpent.
• The swan and the owl.
 Folktale cont’d

A common folktale also told is the one of a mythical creature. Makara is a sea-creature in
Hindu mythology. Makara is the vahana (vehicle) of Ganga - the goddess of the river
Ganges and the sea god Varuna. It is also the insignia of the love god Kamadeva.
 Language of different ethnic groups in the region

● For years, classifying the languages spoken in India has been a very
complicated task since experts have to differentiate between dialects and
mother tongues that share many similarities.
● Main languages spoken in India include:
Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam,
Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu,
Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri
 Trinidad

This country was chosen because of its prominent Indian culture and
strong Indian descent. It is located is located in the southern Caribbean,
northeast of Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. The
Indians brought different festivals such as Diwali, Euid-ul- Fitr, Holi or
Phagwa and Hoosay. Indians make up more than 40% of the Trinidadian
population. The first Indians came to the Caribbean in 4000BC. Trinidad’s
capital, Port of Spain, hosts a boisterous carnival featuring calypso and
soca music.
Trinidad’s national dish

The national dish of Trinidad is Crab

and Callaloo. It is usually eaten on
Sundays and is prepared using callaloo
leaves, coconut milk, ochra, hot peppers,
cloves, garlic, pumpkin and seasoned
crab. It accompanies stew chicken, stew
peas, macaroni pie and sometimes coo
coo..
 Trinidad's national wear

Trinidad has no defined national wear but, the two

main ethnic groups wear the following for special
events.
Afro-Trinidadians - Shirt jacket or Dashiki,

Indi-Trinidadian - Kurta, Dhoti, Sherwani (male),

Sari, Choli, Lehenga (female)
Examples of clothes worn in Trinidad

Dashiki worn by
Dhoti and Kurta Image of the Image of the Image of the
Afro- Trinidadians
worn by male Indo- Choli male Sherwani Sari
Trinidadians
 Cultural festivals in Trinidad

Trinidad celebrates the festivals of Diwali as well ad Phagwa or Holi. Phagwa

or Holi, also called the festival of colors, was introduced to Trinidad by
indentured East Indian laborers around 1845. This is a spring festival that
takes place during the months of March and April. It is primarily a Hindu
festival, but as with all observances in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious
country, the wider community always gets involved - even if it is to just watch
and admire. The root of Holi is derived from the Sanskrit word Holika,
meaning, "parched grains." This festival has deep religious significance as a
rite of purification to promote good health. In this festival Children and young
people form groups armed with dry colours, coloured solution and water guns
(pichkaris), water balloons filled with coloured water, and other creative means
to colour their targets.
●
The following shows people celebrating Holi
We’ll now have a jingle to promote
diversity in the Caribbean region
 Resources

❖Learning these 10 cultural norms in India will make your trip even
better (discovercorps.com)

❖ Indian religions overview | Faculty of Divinity (cam.ac.uk)

❖Upholding Indian tradition: Naming ceremony | by Showmyhall |
Medium

❖ The Indian Culture: Traditions, Religions, Festivals, Music, Dance,

Clothing, Food, Movies - TREBEKI Combining Efforts

❖ India - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette (commisceo-

global.com)

❖ Nationsonline.org, Klaus Kästle -. “___ Trinidad and Tobago.”

Trinidad and Tobago - Twin Isles Country Profile - Nations Online Project,
https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/trinidad_and_tobago.htm.
Thank you for listening!
We hope you are now fully
educated on Indian culture.