Top 3 Cultures of Top 3 Continents
Our Earth is divided into 7 continents namely Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. In every continent, separate culture flourishes. Different cultures identify uniqueness but they do not represent separation because as a whole we belong to one group and i.e. Humans.
In this article, I will discuss the cultures of the three most important continents i.e ASIA, AFRICA, and EUROPE.
In terms of total landmass Africa constitute 20.4%, Asia-29.5%, and Europe-6.8%
In terms of total population Africa constitute 16.9%, Asia-59.5%, and Europe-9.7%
Components of Cultures:
Cultures are basically divided into 5 major components that include Values, Customs, Food, Language, and Religion.
Now let’s talk about the cultures of the top 3 Continents turn by turn with respect to the above five components.
- Africa’s Culture:
Values:
When it comes to values, Africans have numerous moral and societal values which they practice to regulate interpersonal relationship and to perpetuate the entire community. They have certain standards or norms to be observed. These standards or norms are meant for social cohesion and the smooth running of the community. They are to prevent members of the community from becoming rebellious and thereby endanger the welfare of society. The values they practice more are hospitality, chastity before marriage, truth, and respect for old age, covenant-keeping, hard work, and good character
Religion:
There has always been a sense of belonging to God in Africa, as well as the basic belief that this world is God’s world. In Africa, the belief is that God created the world and the whole affairs of the world are under his unitary control. African belief is that society is thus an ordinance of God, and every institution within society is therefore basically religious.
Food:
A typical West African meal is made with starchy items and can contain meat, fish as well as various spices and herbs. A wide array of staples are eaten across the region, which is served alongside soups and stews.
Language:
About 17% speak an Arabic dialect. About 10% speak Swahili, the lingua franca of Southeastern Africa, about 5% speak a Berber dialect, and about 5% speak Hausa, a West African lingua franca. Other important West African languages are Yoruba, Igbo, and Fula. Major Northeast African languages are Oromo and Somali. Important South African languages are Zulu and Afrikaans (related to Dutch). English, French, and Portuguese are also important languages as 130, 115 and 20 million respectively speak them as secondary in general.
Customs:
African traditions include The courtship dance of the Wodaabe, The lip plates of the Mursi, The bull-jumping of the Hamar, The red ochre of the Himba, The spitting of the Maasai, and The healing dance of the San, etc.
2. Asia’s Culture:
Values:
Among Asian values that were frequently cited were discipline, hard work, frugality, educational achievement, balancing individual and societal needs, and deference to authority.
The other values they practice more are Preference for social harmony; Concern with socio-economic prosperity and the collective well-being of the community; Loyalty and respect towards figures of authority; Preference for collectivism and communitarianism.
Religion:
Asia is the largest and most populous continent and the birthplace of many religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism. All major religious traditions are practiced in the region and new forms are constantly emerging.
Language:
In Asia, the language spectrum is much wider and includes Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, Dravidian, and Altaic. However, a majority of Asians speak the common languages associated with the continent; Chinese, Hindi, English, Russian, Indonesian, Bengali, and Japanese.
Custom:
In the Asian tradition, there is much more to celebrate. It includes the celebration of Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival (China), Thaipusam (Malaysia), Chinese New Year (Singapore), Holi (India), Taiwan Lantern Festival (Taiwan), Songkran (Thailand), Rainforest World Music Festival (Borneo/Malaysia), Dragon Boat Festival (China) and Eid (Muslim countries).
Food:
Ingredients common to make food in Asian countries include rice, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, chilies, dried onions, soy, and tofu. Stir-frying, steaming, and deep frying are common cooking methods. While rice is common to most Asian cuisines, Curry is also a common dish.
3. Europe’s Culture:
Values:
European values include personal freedom, human dignity, solidarity, active civil society, a market economy, democracy, and rule of law.
Humanistic thinking, Rationality, Secularity, Rule of law, Democracy, and Human rights are the main pillars on which European culture stands.
Religion:
There are many religions flourishing in EU that includes Catholic (44.5%), Orthodox (10.2%), Protestant (9.9%), Other Christian (5.0%), No religion/Agnostic (17.0%), Atheist (9.3), Muslim (2.1%), Buddhist (0.6%), Jewish (0.2%), Other religion (1.2%)
Customs:
Europeans have different traditions like The Tomatina Festival: Spain, The Danube Cross Swimming: Romania, Whipping Monday: Czech Republic, Wife-carrying Championship: Finland, Blackening of the bride: Scotland, Caga Tió: Catalonia, and Thorrablot.
Languages:
The five most spoken languages in the EU are English (44%), German (36%), French (29%), Italian (18%), and Spanish (17%).
Food:
European food is wide-ranging from rich stews and dumplings in the Balkans to seafood in the Mediterranean and savory cheeses throughout the continent.
“Cultures should be used to identify the people of a specific region not as a parameter of discrimination.”
