Introduction
Culture plays a big part in our social lives. Culture is what binds humans in a social unit. Culture is defined by our selection of food, religion, language, music, social behavior and arts. Culture constitutes the foundation of our values, morale, beliefs and principles of life. Culture forms societies and influences the pattern of our living. Each culture has some unique attributes that make it different from others. In this essay I would like to explore the differences and similarity of American, Chinese and Indian cultures in terms of religion, language, food and festivals.
- Religion
America being a country of immigrants is often referred as the melting pot of different cultures. Since a variety of cultures exist in the US, the religions are also widely varied though the maximum number of the US population follows Christianity as a religion and next in line is Judaism. On the other hand, China being a communist country, a large number of Chinese populations doesn’t have any religion and declare themselves as atheists. There is a small section of people following Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam and Christianity. India is one of the oldest countries in the world with the largest part of its population following Hinduism as their religion and 13% following Islam. There are a small section of Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs and Christians in the country.
- Language
Though English is prevalently spoken as the mode of communication in the US, but other non-English languages such as Spanish, Chinese, German and French are also quite popularly spoken within the country. On the other hand, in China different dialects of Chinese are used as their means of expression. In India each state has its own language. Though Hindi and English are used chiefly as the language for communication, 22 other official languages are there in the country.
- Food
American cuisines are less spicy relying heavily on butter and cheese. Typical American dishes include fried chicken, salads, burgers, macaroni and cheese, potato chips and so on. Indian cuisines, on the other hand, are too spicy with an assortment of spices including cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chillies, cloves and a lot others dominating the flavor of the dishes. Rice and flours are considered staple Indian foods with different sort of curries as accompaniments. Chinese cuisine is generally sauce based. The main styles of cooking used in Chinese food are Cantonese and Szechuan. Chinese people like Indians also eat rice and lots of vegetables along with it, but rice is not a food for Americans.
- Festivals
Apart from the Christmas celebration, most of the American festivals last for one day like Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Independence Day. The biggest Chinese festival is the Spring Festival of 15 days duration, marked by fireworks and dragon dances. During the festival children wear new clothes and get money wrapped up in red envelopes. Just as the Americans do in the Christmas, Chinese spring clean and decorate their homes. They also get together with their friends and relatives. Other notable Chinese festivals include the birthday of Mazu and the moon festival which again is celebrated with paper lanterns, fireworks and gazing at moon. India is a country which celebrates festivals round the year. Some of the big Indian festivals include Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja, and regional New Year. Just as Americans and Chinese, Indians too partake in the celebration of festivals with friends and families. The whole country gets decorated with lights and colors; people wear new clothes, exchange gifts and burst firecrackers.
Conclusion
The diversity of culture is defined by the differences in food, religion, festivals, language and social habits. Though the American, Chinese and Indians are extensively variegated in essence of their religion, language, food and festivals, they share some similarities in terms of English being spoken by all of them. An American loves Indian and Chinese cuisines the same way as Indians and Chinese relish American cuisines. They all celebrate their festivals amidst boisterous merrymaking with family and friends. In spite of the cultures varying considerably, the similarities bind them into a harmonious semblance.
