Culture

Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and are
shared by a group of people. It includes customs, language, and material artifacts. These are
transmitted from generation to generation, rarely with explicit instructions.

Look at the following definitions of culture, and consider the characteristics of culture that they
each draw attention to:

‘Culture ... is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom,
and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. ’

Tyler (British anthropologist) 1870: 1; cited by Avruch 1998: 6

‘Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behaviour acquired and transmitted
by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their
embodiment in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e. historically
derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one
hand, be considered as products of action, on the other, as conditional elements of future action.’

Kroeber & Kluckhohn 1952: 181; cited by Adler 1997: 14

‘Culture consists of the derivatives of experience, more or less organized, learned or created by
the individuals of a population, including those images or encodements and their interpretations
(meanings) transmitted from past generations, from contemporaries, or formed by individuals
themselves T.Schwartz 1992; cited by Avruch 1998: 17.’

‘[Culture] is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one
group or category of people from another.’ Hofstede 1994: 5

The set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, but different for
each individual, communicated from one generation to the next.’ Matsumoto 1996: 16

‘Culture is a fuzzy set of basic assumptions and values, orientations to life, beliefs, policies,
procedures and behavioural conventions that are shared by a group of people, and that influence
(but do not determine) each member’s behaviour and his/her interpretations of the ‘meaning’ of
other people’s behaviour.’ Spencer-Oatey 2008: 3
 Culture of Punjab

Culture of Punjab is one of the oldest in world history, dating from ancient antiquity to the
modern era. The scope, history, sophistication and complexity of the culture are vast. Some of
the main areas include Punjabi Philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music,
cuisine, science, technology, military warfare, architecture, traditions, values and history

Music and Dance

Bhangra is one of the many Punjabi musical art forms that is increasingly being listened to in the
west and is becoming a mainstream favorite. Punjabi music is being used by western musicians,
in many ways, such as mixing it with other compositions to produce award-winning music. In
addition, Punjabi Classical music is increasingly becoming popular in the west
Owing to the long history of the Punjabi culture and of the Punjabi people there is a large
number of dances, normally performed at times of celebration, including harvests, festivals, and
weddings. The particular background of the dances can be non-religious and religious.

Cuisine
Punjabi cuisine has an immense range of dishes and has become world-leader in the field; so
much so that many entrepreneurs that have invested in the sector have built large personal
fortunes due to popularity of Punjabi Cuisine throughout the world. "Sarso ka saag" and "Maki ki
roti" are examples of well known dishes. Chole-bature are also famous dishes from Punjab
cuisine

Wedding Traditions
Punjabi wedding traditions and ceremonies are traditionally conducted in Punjabi and are a
strong reflection of Punjabi culture. While the actual religious marriage ceremony
among Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains may be conducted in Arabic, Punjabi, Sanskrit, by the
Qazi, Pundit, Granthi or Priest, there are commonalities in ritual, song, dance, food, dress. The
Punjabi wedding has many rituals and ceremonies that have evolved since traditional times.
 Culture of Sindh

The culture of Sindh has its roots in the Indus Valley Civilization. Sindh has been shaped by the
geography of the largely desert region, the natural resources it had available and the continuous
foreign influences. The Indus or Sindhu River that passes through the land and the Arabian
Sea (that defines its borders) also supported the seafaring traditions among the local people. The
local climate also reflects why the Sindhis have the language, folklore, traditions, customs and
lifestyle that are so different from the neighboring regions. Sindhi culture is also practiced by
the Sindhi Diaspora.

History
The roots of Sindhi culture and civilization go back to the distant past. Archaeological researches
during 19th and 20th centuries showed the roots of social life, religion and culture of the people
of the Sindh: their agricultural practices, traditional arts and crafts, customs and tradition and
other parts of social life, going back to a ripe and mature Indus valley civilization of the third
millennium BC. Recent researches have traced the Indus valley civilization to even earlier
ancestry

Archaeological discoveries
Archaeological discoveries sometimes help to unfold the certain latent aspects of a specific
culture. The excavations of Mohenjo-Daro have unfolded the city life of a civilization of people
with values, a distinct identity and culture. Therefore, the first definition of the Sindhi culture
emanates from that over the 7000-year-old Indus Valley Civilization. This is the pre-Aryan
period, about 3,000 years BC when the urban civilization in Sindh was at its peak.
In Sir Mortimer Wheeler's book, Civilization of the Indus Valley and Beyond, it is said that;
"Civilization, in a minimum sense of the term, is the art of living in towns, with all that the
condition implies in respect of social skills and disciplines." When people speak of Sindhi
civilization, they have to concern themselves, mainly with the material and concrete side of
human habitation of which Sindhi culture is the only essence called the superstructure. The
present day Sindh, along with the Northern part of the Indus Valley Civilization (around 3000 to
2500 BC) is located on its urban civilization
Ranikot Fort is also a landmark of the Indus valley civilization. It is the world's largest fort,
with walls extending to 20 km. It has been called a "second Wall of China", and it attracts many
visitors.

Islamic Influence
From the beginning of Muslim rule of the Sindh in 713, the Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats,
soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and Sufis travelled from the rest of
the Muslim world to the Islamic Sultanate in Sindh, and settled there permanently. The majority
of Sindhis converted to Islam by the Sufi mystics from Middle and Central Asia. The Sindh
became distinct in its identity and culture, and many contemporary writers in medieval age
referred to Sindh and Hind as two different countries. The Sindhi culture flourished with a new
stimulus from Islamic sources from Persia and Afghanistan. Many Baloch and Afghan tribes also
settled in Sindh, adopting Sindhi culture.

Language
Sindhi language is an ancient language spoken in Pakistan and many other parts of the world. It
is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 41 million people in Pakistan, and 12
million people in India; it is the second most spoken language of Pakistan, mostly spoken in the
Sindh province. It is a recognized official language in Pakistan, and also an official language in
India. Government of Pakistan issues National Identity Cards to its citizens only in two
languages; Sindhi and Urdu.

Poetry
Sindhi poetry is also prominent in Sindhi culture. Poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. Sachal
Sarmast is very famous amongst all of Pakistanis. Regional poets are Shaikh Ayaz, Ustaad
Bhukhari, Ahmed Khan MAdhoosh, Adal Soomro, Ayaz Gul, Abdul Ghaffar Tabasum,
G.N.Qureshi, Rukhsana Preet, Waseem Soomro. Many Sindhi poets are doing their poetry work
continuously.

Sindhi Cultural Day

Sindhis celebrate Sindh Cultural day world wide every year during the month of December by
wearing Ajrak &Sindhi Topi on that occasion. The musical programs and rallies are held in
many cities to mark the day with zeal. Major hallmarks of cities and towns are decorated with
Sindhi Ajrak to highlight the cultural values of Sindh. The people across Sindh exchange gifts of
Ajrak and Topi at various ceremonies. Even, the children and women are dressed up in Ajrak,
assembling at the grand gathering, where famous Sindhi singers sing Sindhi songs, which depicts
love and progress of Sindh. The musical performances of the artists compel the participants to
dance on Sindhi tunes and ‘Jeay Sindh Jeay-Sindh Wara Jean’.
 Culture of Balochistan

One of the major provinces of Pakistan is Balochistan and it covers the largest area in Pakistan.
In Balochistan cultural landscape shows different cultural groups. In Balochistan there are three
main families named as Pashtoon, Baloch and Brahvi and they have different languages. But still
in their literature, moral orders, beliefs and customs they have similarity, but religion is the major
bonding factor between them which gives the base for common social orders and unity.
People in Balochistan are popular as they consider guests are the blessings of God and famous
for their hospitability.

Dress
Dressing of the Pashtoon, Balochis and Brahvi is very much similar having very little
dissimilarities. Men’s dressing is consists of knee long shirt and loose shalwar and for women
the dress consists of a usual shirt having a large pocket in the front. Usually these shirts have
embroidery work and small round mirrors are fixed in it.
Big “Chaddar” or Dopatta and a long piece of cloth in rectangular shape are cascading down the
shoulders and are used to covers head these are used by women.

Festivals
Religious and social festivals are also celebrated in Balochistan, two major festivals Eid-ul-Adha
and Eid-ul-Fitr are celebrated with great zeal and zest. People wear new cloths, decorate their
houses, visit each other houses and cook special dishes. The other festival is Eid-ul-Meladul
nabi, it is celebrated as the birthday of Holy Prophet (PBUH). Various other social festivals are
also become a reason of joy. Sibi festival shows an archeological place of ancient human
civilization. These cultural festivals attract large number of people from all over the country. .
One of the most famous and strange festival of is Buzkashi this festival is celebrated on
horseback by two teams that make use of their skills to catch goat from each other.

Baloch Cultural Day

Baloch cultural day celebrated on 2nd March throughout the world mainly in Balochistan and
Sindh province. The Visionary Group of Gwadar, involved in developing, construction and
social services in Balochistan, has taken the initiative of highlighting and promoting Balochi
culture and language beyond the borders of Pakistan
 Culture of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Culture of KPK is very hospitable. Culture of KPK is religious as compare to the other provinces
.Traditionally peoples like to abide by the values and norms. Pathans are very familiar for their
hospitality and Hujra Culture is very common. A Hujra is place where guest are received and
served. Men sit at hujra. Qisa Khawani bazar in Peshawar is famous for cultural
activities.Khattak Dance is famous dance of KPK

Language

The dominant language of the Province, Pashto, belongs to the Irani branch of the Aryan family
of languages. It has two main dialects: Pakhto and Pashto. Pakhto is the hard or north-eastern
version spoken in Bajaur, Swat and Buner, by the Yusufzai, Bangash, Orakzai, Afridi and
Momand tribes. Pashto is the soft or south-western version spoken by the Khattaks, Wazirs,
Murwats and other tribes in the south.The earliest Pashto works were composed in the Yusufzai
dialect which is considered classical. It is the purest and the clearest form of the language.

Literature

Pashto Literature is illuminated by the works of Khushhal Khan Khattak (1613-89), a chief of the
powerful Khattak tribe. This "renaissance" man was known not only for his prowess as a warrior
but also for wielding the pen. He is reputed to have authored about 350 works of poetry and
prose on subjects as wide-ranging as ethics, philosophy, religion, jurisprudence, medicine, sports
and falconry.

Folk Music
Hindko and Pashto folk music are popular in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and has a rich tradition going
back hundreds of years. The main instruments are the rubab,mangey and harmonium. Khowar
folk music is popular in Chitral and northern Swat. The tunes of Khowar music are very different
from those of Pashto and the main instrument is the Chitrali sitar. A form of band music
composed of clarinets (surnai) and drums is popular in Chitral. It is played at polo matches and
dances. The same form of band music is played in the neighbouring Northern Areas