COUNTRIES AND CULTURE

What is a culture?
                             Is it characterized by art or literature? Does it include actions, feelings, or thoughts? Is it ideas, objectives, or ways? What about beliefs or values, or customs or tradition? Is it something as simple as a field of activity or as complex as a never ending experiment? Culture is all of these. In everyday conversation, the word culture might refer to such fields as literature, art, or music; yet scientists who study culture see it as something more complex, a way of life as well as acting, feelings, and thinking. And even within these ‘definitions’ of culture there are different views on what exactly culture is. Western Culture began in Ancient Greece. There and in the Roman civilization it developed until the start of the Middle Ages when it largely vanished from Europe. During the Middle Ages, Western Culture resided, instead, in the Arab / Persian world to a modest degree.

                                         Today, Western Culture has at least some presence in nearly all nations of the world. It does not currently exist, however, anywhere in a perfect and complete form. Wherever Western culture exists, it is at least partially mixed-and often largely mixed-with non-Western Culture. Western Culture currently dominates in many Western and Central Europeans and their descendants. Western Culture also significantly exists in many Asian nations, such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, and it is increasingly influential in India and China. It has only a modest presence in most of the rest of Asia as well as Latin America and Eastern Europe. In much of both Africa and the Middle East, Western Culture currently has little meaningful presence.

                       The culture of Asia is the artificial aggregate of the cultural heritage of many nationalities, societies, religions, and ethnic groups in the region, traditionally called a continent from a western-centric perspective, of Asion. The region or  ‘continent’ is divided into more natural geographic and cultural sub regions, including the Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia [ the ‘Indian subcontinent’ ], North Asia, West Asia and Southeast Asia. Geographically, Asia is not a distinct continent; culturally, there has been little unity or common history for many of the cultures and peoples of Asia.

Asian art, music, and cuisine, as well as literature, are important parts of Asian culture.  Eastern philosophy and religion also plays a major role, with Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity all playing major roles. One of the most complex parts of Asian culture is the relationship between traditional cultures and the Western world. Western Culture is considered as humanity’s culture. Any individual or society on earth can adopt it and thereby become westernized.

Indeed, millions of people each year with no ancestral ties to Europe recognize the universal appeal of Western Culture. They do so by immigrating to and immersing themselves in nations where Western Culture has meaningful presence. Or they personally embrace and promote Western Culture in the nations where they live.

Sri Lankan Culture is fascinating. The Yaksha and Naga tribes civilized before 300 B.C. using agriculture and irrigation, nourished from the Buddhism in early 2^nd Century B.C. and also influenced by Indian invasions and going through Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. Sri Lankan Culture is diverse like its Natural Heritage. Known as the Smiling People through out the world, Sri Lankans enjoy a unique life style that’s humble, artistic, entertaining and touching someone’s heart with Sri Lankan hospitality known for centuries. The intimate  connection  between Society and Buddhism as well as traditional forms of Art, Dance and Music are the fusion of the Sri  Lankan Culture.

(characterize): රඟ පානවා, ලක්ෂණනය, විදහා දක්වනවා, විදහා පෙන්වනවා, විස්තර කරනවා