Colors Of Cultures On The Planet

There are about 6.5 Billion people on this planet, so just imagine the number of different cultures and traditions would that they follow, the different languages they speak.
Some of the cultures of this world are pretty much like the Chinese culture, which is more than 5000 years old. Its culture, like any other culture mainly includes its religion, philosophy and politics. The Ancient Chinese Civilization was very skilled in arts, science, language and literature.
Other cultures include the Japanese culture. The Japanese culture nurtures sports such as karate, judo and Sumo, the last being its national sport. Although the Japanese and Chinese cultures are very much alike, both still have their own beautiful colours.
Another ancient and very fascinating culture is the Egyptian culture. With an origin that is about 6 thousand years old, the Ancient Egyptian Civilization in the Pharaonic era was highly involved in arts and architecture. They used to make wall paintings containing rigid codes. Alongside, they wrote beautiful poetry and their music was a mixture of native, Mediterranean, African and Western elements. These are examples of just some of the cultures in the world, that accommodates innumerable other ones.
Let’s talk about Pakistan’s culture, the culture of colours, of happiness, of peace and of love. It showcases its national sports, its amazing traditional music, its eye-catching clothes, its traditional handicrafts and most of all its mouth-watering foods. The national sport of Pakistan is Hockey while the traditional music style is Qawwali and Ghazal, which are part of the Sufi Culture. The men and women both, wear Shalwar Kameez. The most relished of foods for Pakistanis are Karahi, Biryani, Paaye and maghaz. Pakistan has four provinces which include Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa all of which have their own cultures. In Balochistan, men usually wear Kurta Salwar with a turban. A turban is basically a long cloth tied around the head (almost like a cap). The traditional dress for the women is Pashk, a long dress which covers the whole body including the head. In Balochistan, people are very fond of eating Sajji, which is cooked sheep, sprinkled with some seasoning on it. Their favourite sports are Chauk and Jee. On the contrary the traditional dress of the Punjabi woman is a Punjabi Ghagra, which is a skirt that is worn with a knee long shirt and a Dupatta on the head. For men it is a Kurta and a tehmat. A tehmat is a lungi that has folds in the front. Punjabis really enjoy Sarson Da Saag, Makkhi di Roti with a glass of Lassi. They enthusiastically play Kabaddi and Kushti. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both, men and women wear Khalqa, which is a gown. Only in addition, the men wear a kullah, a peshawari cap. Pathan’s are very fond of Chapli Kebab. This is seasoned and grilled mutton. The games they play and enjoy are Mirghati and Tanga Race.
Now, let me tell you about my mother land, Sindh. Sindh is a province, full of different languages, religions, cultures and traditions. But the majority of people in Sindh follow the Sindhi culture. Our culture is influenced by the Indus Valley Civilization. This civilization is about 8000 years old. The Indus Valley Civilization was settled near the Indus River. They used to farm and grow crops, which is still done in Sindh. We have very fertile land, which we use for farming.
Our traditional dress is Gaj Paro, a heavily embroidered shirt that is decorated with tiny mirrors on it, with a long skirt having a matching lace at the bottom. And for men it is white Shalwar Kamiz with Sindhi Topi and Ajrak, which, as a matter of fact, we are really proud of. We are a food loving people, so we have a lot of favourite foods. For instance, fish with spices, roots of Lotus cooked with spices and many other dishes. The commonly played games are Kodi Kodi, Malakhrro and the game that motly only girls play and is my personal favourite, Pitthu (Thikhario).
We have amazing festivals celebrated at our Sufi Shrines such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s Shrine, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s Shrine and all the other beautiful shrines in Sindh.
Sindh is a very blessed province, because if you see Sindh’s geography, you would see that we have deserts, mountainous areas, coastal regions and riverine forests. Every region, again, having its own different culture. Yesterday was Sindhi Cultural Day, which is celebrated on December 2nd annually. I wish a very Happy Sindh Cultural Day to all my brothers and sister living in Sindh.

Natasha Mustafa

Grade VII, Future World Schools, Bahria Town Karachi