Pakistani culture

Pakistan is famous for it`s rich culture

Here “Culture” can be defined in many different ways. Culture may be defined as behavior peculiar to human beings, together with material objects used. Culture consists of language, ideas, values, attributes, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, tools, works and arts, religion , law, morality, ceremonies and festivals.

According to Muller-Layer, Culture can be defined as “Culture is an aggregate means of achievement and of progress”.

Salient Features of Pakistan Culture:

Pakistan is a Muslim country and Islam is the official religion. Islam is the religion which is professed and practiced by the people of Pakistan.

Pakistani culture can be called as “Mixed Culture”. Although the majority of people in Pakistan are Muslims by birth and faith, there is a strong influence of Hindu culture on the present Pakistani culture. The shadows of this influence are quite visible on the marriage ceremonies and festivals like “Basant”.

Dowry Systems and heavy expenditures on the marriage of girls is done, which is inherited from Hindu society because in Hindu society there is no share of women in the inheritance of their parents. Although women are given a share in the inheritance of their parents in Pakistani society, there are huge expenditures on the marriages of daughters.

English is the official language in Pakistan, but the national language is Urdu, which is widely spoken and understood throughout the country. Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi, Baluchi and Kashmiri are the regional languages.

Pakistani society is a “Male Oriented Society”, where they are given full protection and great respect. The family is headed by a male member, usually the oldest male member of the group. He guides the other members. Old people are given positions of prestige, honor and respect in Pakistani culture.

Social life is simple. Social customs and traditions reflect Islamic touch: people are very much conscious about their social traditions and feel pride in following them.

Dress in a Muslim society like Pakistan is designed and intended to cover human body, as nudity is prohibited in Islam. So, people of Pakistan prefer to wear simple dresses according to their climate.

Pakistani handicrafts are gaining popularity in the world market day by day, as Pakistani craftsman are considered as the best in their craftsmanship. Pakistan is famous for its high standard items of glass, silver, wooden furniture, pottery, marble goods and things made of camel skin.

Despite tense relations with India, Indian movies are popular in Pakistan. Ironically, Indian films are officially illegal, but they can easily be found across Pakistan. An indigenous movie industry exists in Pakistan, and is known as Lollywood, producing over forty feature-length films a year. Music is also very popular in Pakistan, and ranges from traditional styles (such as Qawwali ) to more modern groups that try to fuse traditional Pakistani music with western music.

Increasing globalization has increased the influence of Western culture in Pakistan, especially among the affluent, who have easy access to Western products, television, media, and food. Many Western food chains have established themselves in Pakistan, and are found in the major cities. At the same time, there is also a reactionary movement within Pakistan that wants to turn away from Western influences, and this has manifested itself in a return to more traditional roots, often conflated with Islam.
A large Pakistani diaspora exists, especially in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia as well as in the Scandinavian nations. A large number of Pakistanis are also living in the Middle east. These emigrants and their children influence Pakistan culturally and economically, by travelling to Pakistan, and especially by returning or investing there.

Cricket, Hockey, Football, Kabbadi, squash, badminton, and wrestling are the major sports in Pakistan.

Perhaps the most popular sport in Pakistan is cricket, and large amounts of Pakistanis gather around TV sets to watch the Pakistani team play in World competitions, especially against Pakistan's rival India. Pakistan has one of the top teams in international cricket, one that won the World Cup in 1992. Field Hockey is also an important sport in Pakistan, Pakistan having won the gold medal at the Olympics a number of times in the sport. Football or Soccer is played in Pakistan as well, but is not as popular as cricket or field hockey. Polo is believed to have originated in the Northern parts of Pakistan, and continues to be an important sport there with large competitions throughout the year.

Ulema, Mushaikh and Sufi poets occupy highly honored places in Pakistani culture.

Pakistan Food

Basic Subsistence:

At its simplest, Pakistani cooking today consists of staple foods which are cheap and abundant. Wheat and other flour products are the mainstay of the diet, one familiar form being CHAPATI, an unleavened bread akin to a Mexican tortilla. This is made with dough prepared from whole wheat flour.

Another basic food is LASSI, milk from which curds and butterfat have been removed. Vegetables, usually seasonal, lentils are commonly used. Families with larger incomes eat more meat, eggs and fruits. And the more affluent cook with GHEE, which is clarified butter, instead of with vegetable oil.

From the earliest times, the imaginative - and sometimes heavy - use of spices, herbs, seeds, and flavorings and seasonings have helped cooks transform rather ordinary staple foods into an exotic cuisine.

Consider some of the most common of these in wide use in Pakistan today: chilli powder, turmeric, garlic, paprika, black pepper, red pepper, cumin seed, bay leaf, coriander, cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, mace, nutmeg, poppyseeds, aniseed, almonds, pistachios, and yogurt.

Their use in a wide range of pickles, chutneys, preserves, and sauces, together with curries of all descriptions and special treatment for meats, sea, food, vegetables and lentils, gives Pakistani cooking much of its distinctive character.

Cultural influences, whether religious precepts, practices, and ceremonies or local traditions, or even esthetic preferences, have made their contribution toward the evolution of Pakistani cuisine.

The Influence Of Islam:
The spread of Islam to what is now Pakistan, starting in the Eighth Century, has given a basic character to the food of the people. The Quranic injunctions against eating pork or drinking alcoholic beverages has channeled tastes and appetites in other directions. Lamb, beef, chicken and fish are basic foods, although their consumption by persons of low income is modest and often ceremonial.

Some of the Muslim feasts involve special dishes. Eid-ul-Adha, which commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's readiness to obey God even tothe point of being willing to sacrifice his son, is observed by the sacrifice of a goat, a lamb, or a cow from which special dishes are made.

On Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of RAMZAN, the month of fasting in the Islamic Calender, the serving of a special dessert of vermicelli cooked in milk is a must. Almond and pistachios are added as decorations as is the silver foil. The latter is so thin that it will disintegrate unless it is immediately transferred from the protective layers of paper onto the dish.

Food And The Moghul Emperors:
Another major influence in the development of Pakistani cookery was the establishment of the Moghul Empire starting in 1526. The opulent tastes exhibited by such Emperors as Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb in art, architecture, music, dance, and jewelry was also extended to food.

A style of cookery called Moghlai' evolved at the Moghul court and even today it remains centered in Lahore. Some latter-day and widely known survivors of court cookery are, for example, chicken tandoori, a dish in which chicken is cooked at low temperatures in special ovens called TANDOORS, and murgh musallum' in which the whole chickens are roasted with special spices and ingredients. SHAHI TUKRA, a dessert of sliced bread, milk, cream, sugar and saffron, is another left-over from the days of the Moghuls.

Perhaps the ultimate Moghul cuisine was reached when the imperial chefs perfected the recipes for desserts made from ginger and garlic. Ginger and garlic puddings are still made in some homes for truly special occasions.

Fruit drinks, squeezed from pomegranates, apples, melons, and mangoes, and called SHARBAT, are an important part of the Moghlai cuisine and, indeed, the inspiration for American "sherberts."

Other Influences:
Cookery in Pakistan has always had a regional character, with each of the four provinces offering special dishes. In the Punjab, for example, the Moghlai' cuisine using tandoor ovens and elaborate preparations is important. In Baluchistan, cooks use the SAJJI method of barbecuing whole lambs and stick bread in a deep pit.

BUNDA PALA (fish) is a well known delicacy of Sind. The fish is cleaned and stuffed with a paste made from a variety of spices and herbs, including red pepper, garlic, ginger, and dried pomegranate seeds. It is then wrapped in cloth and is buried three feet deep in hot sand under the sun. There it stays baking for four to five hours from late morning to early afternoon. THANDAL, made from milk and a paste of fresh almonds, is a popular drink. Cooking in the Northwest Frontier Province is a great deal plainer and involves the heavy use of lamb.

Ceremonial occasions such as weddings have inspired a number of fancy dishes. A traditional dish at marriage feasts, for example, is chicken curry with either PILAU or BIRYANI. FIRINI, made from cream of rice and milk, is an equally traditional wedding dessert. It is served in clay saucers topped by silver foil. At Zoroastrian (Parsi) weddings, which are not frequent because so few followers of this ancient Iranian religion live in Pakistan, a special fish dish is served. This is PATRANI MACHCHI, consisting of sole, plaice, or a local fish called pomfret, wrapped in banana leaves, steamed or fried, and then baked slowly for half an hour.

Tourism in Pakistan

Welcome To Pakistan - The Land of Adventure and Nature

From the mighty stretches of the Karakorams in the North to the vast alluvial delta of the Indus River in the South, Pakistan remains a land of high adventure and nature. Trekking, mountaineering, white water rafting, wild boar hunting, mountain and desert jeep safaris, camel and yak safaris, trout fishing and bird watching, are a few activities, which entice the adventure and nature lovers to Pakistan.

Pakistan is endowed with a rich and varied flora and fauna. High Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindukush ranges with their alpine meadows and permanent snow line, coniferous forests down the sub-mountain scrub, the vast Indus plain merging into the great desert, the coast line and wetlands, all offer a remarkably rich variety of vegetation and associated wildlife including avifauna, both endemic and migratory. Ten of 18 mammalian orders are represented in Pakistan with species ranging from the world's smallest surviving mammals, the Mediterranean Pigmy Shrew, to the largest mammal ever known; the blue whale.

History of Pakistan : - Pakistan has its emergence out of the partition of India in 1947. When British rule divided powers between India and Pakistan, the two independent countries. The word PAKISTAN was derived by a Punjabi student which also means 'Land of Pure'. On 23rd March 1940, a resolution was passed that called for the partition of India which was presented by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, elected president of Muslim League, as Lahore resolution which also became to known as the 'Pakistan resolution'. The 23rd of March is celebrated as 'Pakistan Day'.

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Government & Politics :- There are two houses of parliament , The Senate occupying a largely advisory role and the National Assembly which is responsible for the day to day business of the government in Pakistan. It has a federal democratic structure with President as the supreme power.

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Foreign Exchange / Currency :- Pakistani currency is the Rupee ( Rs ) divided into 100 paisa. Notes come in denominations of Rs 1000,500,100,50,10,2 and 1. US Dollar is the most widely accepted currency, followed by sterling. It is advisable to carry small notes as its difficult to get change and some hard currency or Travelers Cheques instead of cash.

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Population of Pakistan :- Pakistan's population is now estimated at 130.580 million which makes it the ninth most populous country in the world. The average annual growth rate in Pakistan is 2.61% per annum which makes it much closer to the South Asian average of 2.4 percent.

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Religion of Pakistan :- Pakistan is the land with rich history of religions but today it's an Islamic country where 97 percent of the population are Muslim. Muslims again divided into two Sunni and Shi'ia. A number of other religions are also represented in Pakistan, as small minorities; Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Parsee communities are all to be found in different parts of the country.

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Pakistani Language :- Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. All the official work, instructions, signboards, menus and books are in Urdu. But Punjabi is oftenly spoken by 48 percent of the households and at national level.

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Visa :- A valid visa with a valid passport is required by all foreign nationals to visit Pakistan. The validity of tourist visa is up till 90 days, and is available in three forms Single, Double, and Multiple with different validity periods.

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Time :- Pakistan is 5 hrs a head of Greenwich Mean Time and Half an hour behind India.

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Climate :- There are four main climatic regions in Pakistan. Hot summer and mild winter; Hottest temperature 32 degree C, Winter temperature 10-21 degree C. Warm summer and mild winter : Temperature 21- 32 degree C, Winter temperature 10-21 degree C. Warm summer and cool winter : Temperature 21- 32 degree C, Coolest month 0-10 degree C. Mild summer and cold winter : Temperature 10-21 degree C and coolest month below 0degree C to 10 degree C.

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Cities of Pakistan :- The best way to travel Pakistan is slowly and extensively as each city of Pakistan has something different to offer. Some of its highlights are Peshawar, Karachi, Mirpur, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Baluchistan,Faisalabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Muzaffarabad, Thar Desert, The Salt Range, Harappa, Bahawalpur, poonch and Bagh district, Jhelum Valley, kashgar.

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Restrictions :- Photography of military installations, airports, railway stations, bridges and dams are not allowed . Do not take photos of women without permission. Visit to sensitive or unstable areas in Pakistan are allowed only after a special permit by the relevant authority.