India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism and pluralism. It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants.

Multicultural concerns have long informed India's history and traditions, constitution and political arrangements.

Indian architecture is one area that represents the diversity of Indian culture. Much of it, including notable monuments such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Mughal architecture and South Indian architecture, comprises a blend of ancient and varied local traditions from several parts of the country and abroad. Vernacular architecture also displays notable regional variation.

Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of regional styles and sophisticated use fo herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east) and wheat (predominantly in the north). Spices originally native to the Indian subcontinent that are now consumed worldwide include black pepper; in contrast, hot chili peppers, popular across India, were introduced by the Portuguese.

Traditional Indian dress varies across the region in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men. In addition, stitched clothes such as salwar Kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular.

Many Indian festival are religious in origin, although several are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Some popular festivals are Diwali, Holi, Onam, Vijayadashami, Durga puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti and Vaisakhi. India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve are officially observed in individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair.

Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, although urban families now prefer the nuclear family structure due to the socio-economic constraints imposed by traditional joint family system.

印度文化以高度的融合性和多元性而著称。它在吸收侵略者和移民者带来的新习俗、传统和思想的同时，也在设法保留已有的传统习惯。

多元文化的因素长久以来已经渗透到了印度的历史和传统以及宪法和政治的决策中。

印度的建筑是充分体现印度文化多元性的一个方面。大多数建筑，包括著名的纪念性建筑，如泰姬陵和莫卧尔王朝以及南印度的其他建筑，都融合了古老元素与国内外许多地方的传统。另外，印度的地方性建筑也表现出显著的地区差异。

印度菜以多变的地域风格和香草香料的复杂使用方法为特点。印度的主食是大米（特别是在南部和东部）和小麦（主要是在北部）。原产于印度次大陆而现在为全世界所共享的香料包括黑胡椒在内。相反，风靡印度的辣椒粉却是由葡萄牙人引进的。

传统的印度服饰在地区差异、气候条件等多种因素的影响下，在颜色和样式上各地都有所不同。最流行的服装样式包括了无缝服装，如妇女穿的莎丽和男人穿的缠腰布。除此之外，有缝服装，如妇女穿着的旁蔗普服和无领长袖服装以及男人穿的欧洲风格的长裤和衬衣，也很流行。

尽管现在有不少节日忽视了等级制度和宗教信条，印度的很多节日最初都还是起源于宗教。流行的节日包括了排灯节（光明节）、色彩节、欧南节、十胜节 、杜尔加女神节、开斋节、圣诞节、佛陀诞辰日和锡克教丰收节等。印度有3个国家法定假日。不同的邦对其他的假期有着不同的规定，天数从9天到12天不等。宗教活动是印度人日常生活中必不可少的一部分，而且是一个群众性的活动。

尽管现在有很多城市家庭迫于传统数世同堂的大家庭带来的社会经济上的压力而更倾向于组建核心家庭（小家庭），但是传统的印度家庭价值观还是受到高度尊重。

syncretism n. 合一，类并

monument n. 纪念碑

sophisticated adj. 复杂的

integral adj. 构成整体所需的

pluralism n. [哲]多元论

variation n. 变化，变动

predominantly adv. 主要地

Benjamin 和 Shirley 两人想重温以前的甜美时光，于是他们去印度度蜜月。这天早上，Benjamin掏出一个精心准备的礼物送给Shirley。

B = Benjamin 本= 本杰明 S = Shirley 雪 = 雪莉

B: Honey, this is for you.

S: What's this, Benjamin? Oh, how beautiful!

B: It is a sari, the traditional clothes of Hindu women. I also got a loincloth for myself. Dhoti, Indians call so, is traditional clothes for Hindu men.

S: How sweet you are! But how should I wear? It is only a piece of cloth.

B: Don't worry. I got some lessons from the seller; later I will help you. After wearing traditional Hindu clothes, we will go and see the grand architecture -- the Taj Mahal. It is an amazing witness of Shah Jahan's deep love to his queen Mumtaz Mahal.

S: The love story is so moving. I think the Taj Mahal will be more splendid than what we saw on the book.

B: It must be. After the visit of the Taj Mahal, we can have a taste of Indian cuisine. Indian cuisine uses a lot of herbs and spices; maybe you will like it.

S: Fine! Now let me try this sari on!

本：亲爱的，这个给你。

雪：这是什么，本杰明？噢，好漂亮！

本：这是莎丽，印度女人的传统服装。我自己也买了一块缠腰布，印度人叫它“dhoti”，是印度男人的传统服装。

雪：你真体贴！可是要怎么穿呢？只有一块布而已。

本：不要担心。我从店主那学了几招，等会儿我来帮你。等我们都穿上了传统的服装，我们就去看那伟大的建筑——泰姬陵。它见证了沙.贾汗对他的王后墨姆塔兹.马哈尔的深情。

雪：这个爱情故事实在是很感人。我想泰姬陵会比我们在书上看到的更加辉煌。

本：一定会的。参观完泰姬陵后，我们可以去尝尝印度菜。印度菜用了很多的香草香料，我想你会爱吃的。

雪：好！那我现在就试试这件莎丽吧！

loincloth n. 缠腰布

splendid adj. 极好的

witness n. 见证

cuisine n. 烹饪

假设你正在学习印度文化，有个外教找你问一些问题。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外教：What is one of the most famous architecture in India?

你：___________________________________________

2. 外教：What are the characteristics of India cuisine?

你：___________________________________________

3. 外教：Do religious practices matter much in Indian?

你：___________________________________________

1. Taj Mahal. It's a grand architecture built by Shah Jahan for his queen Mumtaz Mahal.

2. Indians use a lot of herbs and spices when cooking and their staple foods are rice and wheat.

3. Yes, they do. They are an essential part of everyday life.

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