Project: Cultural Diversity

Name of the culture: Punjabi

Country of Origin: India
Introduction
India is known as a land of unity in diversity. It has been influenced by various cultures, beliefs,
traditions, customs and practices. Hindi, punjabi and English are used officially, more than 1,500
languages and dialects are spoken. The Indian constitution recognises 15 regional languages
including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya,
Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

Community services: Punjabi groups for the wellbeing of punjabis and safeguarding the
interest of punjabis, Musical institutions
Religious Institutions: Sikh temples, hindu temples

Religious beliefs and religious festivals:

Dates

Festival

Description

Maghi

January 14

festival commemorates the Battle

of Muktsar (homage to Martyrs)

Holla Mohalla

March 17

Festival of colours

Vaisakhi

April 13

Festival of farmers, happiness,

And baptism ceremony

Diwali

November 9

Festival of lights

Other significant Celebrations or events: cultural and folk dance are Giddha and
Bhangra, folk songs which include introduction of the culture related to marriage events, birth
events, Birthdays of sikh Mentors.

Flags or significant symbols:

Clothes
The standard clothing for men in the rural Punjab is the kurta, tahmat, or pyjama, and turban. The
kurta is a long shirt or tunic that hangs down to the thighs. The tahmat is a long piece of cloth that
is wrapped around the waist and legs like a kilt. The pyjama , from which the English word
"pyjamas" is derived, is a pair of loose-fitting trousers. Turbans are worn in various styles in
different areas and by different groups. Among farmers, the turban is a relatively short piece of
cloth, about three feet (one meter) in length, and is wrapped loosely around the head. The formal
Punjabi turban, worn by men of social standing, is much longer, with one end starched and sticking
up like a fan. The Sikhs favour the peaked turban. Locally made leather shoes complete the outfit.
During the winter a sweater, woollen jacket, or blanket is added. Men wear rings, and sometimes,
earrings.
Women wear the salwar and kamiz (tunic), along with the dupatta (scarf). Sometimes a ghaghra, a
long skirt dating back to Mogul times, replaces the salwar . Ornaments decorate the hair, rings or
jewels are worn in the nose, and earrings, necklaces, and bangles are popular.

Food and Diety Specification

The basic diet of Punjabis consists of cereals, vegetables, legumes, and milk products. A typical
meal consists of flat bread (roti) made from wheat, a cup of lentils or other legumes (dal), and
buttermilk or hot tea. In winter, the bread is made of corn, and vegetables such as mustard greens
(saag) may be added.
Usually punjabis who are too much religious, are vegetarian. And they dont even eat eggs. They
survive on plants. However, some others are non vegetarian.

Gender Roles and family structures

Male is a dominant gender in the society. People prefer to live in joint families following the
conservative practices.

Languages
Punjabi is the language spoken in punjabi culture. And to greet someone a phrase is used Sat Sri
Akaal with folded hands. Words used for mother and father are Maa and Baapu in typical
punjabi language but nowadays everybody addresses their parents by calling mummy and papa.
There are few other common words used to denote home are Ghar, Outside Bahar, Inside
Andar.

Childrearing Practices
India is a predominantly Hindu nation with large minorities of Sikhs and Muslims. There are more
than 375 million children in India, the largest number for any country in the world.
Child rearing practices are differently done in different societies. And these different practices help
in building the every individual personality and it has a lot of effect on it. The relation of mother and
child is essential because it makes the personality of that child. It is now acknowledged that
infants produce elementary forms of planned or controlled actions almost from birth. Child rearing
in Punjabi societies is also different from other societies. There is some sort of themes behind
swaddling, cradling and other trainings. Baby is being cradled at time of afternoon when the mother
is busy in her work. Many of the mother make cradle with a piece of cloth and that cloth is tied with
bed side. That type of cradle makes baby feel that he is still in mother arms. And he will not scare.
At night baby is swaddled so that he can sleep comfortably and cannot feel alone. One of the main
reasons of swaddling is that baby growth should be perfect and legs of baby remain straight. Baby
is being swaddle till the age of 6 months after that infant baby is not swaddle because he starts
crawling. In Punjabis, breast feeding is considered as best and the bottle feed is taken as harmful
and unhealthy for smaller babies. The feeder nipple is made up of plastic and it contains germs
and make the baby throat sour. Another amazing answer was that teethes of baby will not grow
properly. So the breast feeding is the easiest way of babys food.