Different Cultures in Sri Lanka comparing to cultures in some

other countries

A Report
By
M.U.V De Silva
(SAB/BSc/2017/B/EX25)

Course: MGT 20425 Marketing

Mr.Uditha Bandara

Year II, Semester II

School of Accounting and Business

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka

05th January 2019

Acknowledgement

The successful accomplishment of this report is the outcome of the contribution of number of
people, especially those who have given the time and effort to share their thoughts and
suggestions to improve the report.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Lecturer Mr.Uditha Bandara of School of

Accounting and Business, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka for providing
us all the guidance and support that we needed mostly. This was really a good way of
learning and we really appreciate his efforts towards giving us proper line directions.

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Table of content
Content Page No.

1.0 Sri Lankan Culture 1

1.1 Religion in Sri Lanka 1
1.2 Ethnic groups in Sri Lanka 3
1.3 Regional differences in Sri Lanka 7

2.0 Products and services demanded by different cultures in Sri Lanka 10

3.0 Different Culture in different countries 12

4.0 Comparison between Countries 19

Reference

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1.0 Sri Lankan Culture

Culture in Sri Lanka is made up of various influencing factors. Religion and colonialization
by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British have been the primary influencers, while its
close connections with neighbouring India have also played a key role.

During the last century, Sri Lanka has changed remarkably. Historically, Sri Lankans were
largely influenced by their own traditional food and Buddhism. However, with global
developments, economical growth and intense competition in developed countries, Sri
Lankans have ventured overseas and received global exposure. Consequently, this resulted in
the integration of the western culture into the Sri Lankan community.

1.1 Religion in Sri Lanka

There is four main religions in Sri Lanka; Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.

 Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism is the majority religion in Sri Lanka, with about 70% of the country’s
population as followers. Around 200 BC, Buddhism became the official religion of Sri
Lanka. However, later on, Hindu and European colonial influences contributed to the decline
of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. By the mid 19th century, a Buddhist monk started a revival
movement in Sri Lanka. This movement eventually helped to return Buddhist dominance in
Sri Lanka.

Buddhism is a religion based on the teaching by Siddharta Gautama (Buddha). There are
three different schools in Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. In Sri Lanka they
practise Theravada.

Buddhism in Sri Lanka is predominantly practised by the Sinhalese, however the 2012 Sri
Lanka Census revealed a Buddhist population of 22,254 including eleven monks, amongst the
Sri Lankan Tamil population, accounting to roughly 1% of all Sri Lankan Tamils in Sri
Lanka.[33] In 1988 almost 93% of the Sinhalese speaking population in Sri Lanka were
Buddhist.

 Hinduism

Hindus make up 16% of Sri Lanka’s population. As Buddhism, it experienced some decline
during the European colonization. In modern times the religion is still dominant in the

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Northern and Eastern provinces. The most important Hindu religious figure in Sri Lankan
modern history is, Satguru Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna. One of the greatest and most profound
mystics of the twentieth century, Yogaswami was the official satguru and counseling sage of
Sri Lanka’s several million Tamil Hindu population. Satguru is a true guru, a master. Hindu
practices generally involve seeking awareness of God. At home, Hindus often create a shrine
with icons dedicated to their chosen form of God. Temples are usually dedicated to a primary
deity along with associated subordinate deities. Visiting temples is not obligatory, and many
visit temples only during religious festivals.

 Islam

About 8% of Sri Lankans handset to Islam. By the 15th century, Arab traders had controlled
much of the trade on the Indian Ocean, including that of Sri Lanka’s. Many of these traders
settled down in Sri Lanka, encouraging the spread of Islam. However, when the Portuguese
arrived at Sri Lanka during the 16th century, many of their Muslim descendants were
persecuted, thus forcing them to migrate to the Central Highlands and to the east coast. In
modern times, Muslims in Sri Lanka are handled by the Muslim Religious and Cultural
Affairs Department, which was established in the 1980s to prevent the continual isolation of
the Muslim community from the rest of Sri Lanka.

There are two major denominations of Islam, the Sunni and Shia. The schism developed in
the late 7th century following disagreements over the religious and political leadership of the
Muslim community. Roughly 85 % of Muslims are Sunni and 15 % are Shia. Muslims
believe that God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad, God’s final prophet, and regard the
Qur’an and the Sunnah (words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of
Islam.

 Christianity

Christianity make up 8% of Sri Lanka’s population, most are Catholics. Christianity first
came to Sri Lanka upon the arrival of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. Under their
rule, Roman Catholicism was spread out on the Island with many Roman Catholic schools for
the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

The Catholic Church holds that there is one eternal God, who exists as a mutual indwelling of
three persons: God the Father; God the Son; and the Holy Spirit. There are seven sacraments
in the Catholic Church that the Catholics go after: – Baptism: is the ritual act, with the use of

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water, by which a person is admitted to membership of the Christian Church, – Confirmation:
is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious
upbringing. According to Catholic doctrine, in this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit. –
Eucharist: refers to both the celebration of the Mass, that is, the Eucharistic liturgy, and the
consecrated bread and wine which according to the faith become the body and blood of
Christ. – Penance (confession): is the method given by Christ to the Church by which
individual men and women may be freed from sins committed after receiving Baptism. –
Anointing of the Sick: is the ritual anointing of a sick person. – Holy Orders: includes three
orders: bishop, priest, and deacon. – Matrimony: catholic marriage.

1.2 Ethnic groups in Sri Lanka

The people of Sri Lanka are divided into ethnic groups whose conflicts have dominated
public life since the nineteenth century. The two main characteristics that mark a person's
ethnic heritage are language and religion, which intersect to create four major ethnic groups--
the Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims, and the Burghers. Ethnic divisions are not based on
race or physical appearance; some Sri Lankans claim to determine the ethnicity of a person
by his facial characteristics or color, but in reality such premises are not provable. There is
nothing in the languages or religious systems in Sri Lanka that officially promotes the social
segregation of their adherents, but historical circumstances have favored one or more of the
groups at different times, leading to hostility and competition for political and economic
power.

 Sinhalese
The Sinhalese are the largest ethnic group in the country. They constitute about 75% of the
Sri Lankan population and number greater than 16.2 million. The Sinhalese identity is based
on language, historical heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan
language brought to Sri Lanka by the north Indian peoples that settled the island in the fifth
century. Because it was geographically separated from other Indo-Aryan tongues, Sinhala
developed in its own way. It has been influenced by Pali, the sacred language of southern
Buddhism. To a lesser extent, it has also been influenced by Sanskrit. It also has borrowed
words from Dravidian languages of southern India, mostly Tamil. Sinhalese is written in its
own alphabet.

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The Buddhist religion reinforces the solidarity of the Sinhalese as an ethnic community. In
1988 approximately 93 % of the Sinhala speakers were Buddhists, and 99.5 % of the
Buddhists in Sri Lanka spoke Sinhala. The most popular Sinhalese folklore, literature, and
rituals teach children from an early age the uniqueness of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, the long
relationship between Buddhism and the culture and politics of the island, and the importance
of preserving this fragile cultural inheritance. Buddhist monks are accorded great respect and
participate in services at the notable events in people's lives. To become a monk is a highly
valued career goal for many young men. The neighboring Buddhist monastery or shrine is the
center of cultural life for Sinhalese villagers.

Their shared language and religion unite all ethnic Sinhalese, but there is a clear difference
between the "Kandyan" and the "low-country" Sinhalese. Because the Kingdom of Kandy in
the highlands remained independent until 1818, conservative cultural and social forms
remained in force there. English education was less respected, and traditional Buddhist
education remained a vital force in the preservation of Sinhalese culture. The former
Kandyan nobility retained their social prestige, and caste divisions linked to occupational
roles changed slowly. The plains and the coast of Sri Lanka, on the other hand, experienced
great change under 400 years of European rule. Substantial numbers of coastal people,
especially among the Karava caste, converted to Christianity through determined missionary
efforts of the Portuguese, Dutch, and British; 66 % of the Roman Catholics and 43 % of the
Protestants in the early 1980s were Sinhalese. Social mobility based on economic opportunity
or service to the colonial governments allowed entire caste or kin groups to move up in the
social hierarchy. The old conceptions of noble or servile status declined, and a new elite
developed on the basis of its members' knowledge of European languages and civil
administration. The Dutch legal system changed traditional family law. A wider, more
cosmopolitan outlook differentiated the low-country Sinhalese from the more "old fashioned"
inhabitants of highlands.

 Tamils
The people collectively known as the Tamils, comprising 2,700,000 persons or approximately
18 % of the population in 1981, use the Tamil language as their native tongue. Tamil is one
of the Dravidian languages found almost exclusively in peninsular India. It existed in South
Asia before the arrival of people speaking Indo-European languages in about 1500 B.C.
Tamil literature of a high quality has survived for at least 2,000 years in southern India, and
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although the Tamil language absorbed many words from northern Indian languages, in the
late twentieth century it retained many forms of a purely Dravidian speech--a fact that is of
considerable pride to its speakers. Tamil is spoken by at least 40 million people in the Indian
state of Tamil Nadu (the "land of the Tamils"), and by millions more in neighbouring states
of southern India and among Tamil emigrants throughout the world.

There was a constant stream of migration from southern India to Sri Lanka from prehistoric
times. Once the Sinhalese controlled Sri Lanka, however, they viewed their own language
and culture as native to the island, and in their eyes Tamil-speaking immigrants constituted a
foreign ethnic community. Some of these immigrants appear to have abandoned Tamil for
Sinhala and become part of the Sinhalese caste system. Most however, continued to speak
Tamil and looked toward southern India as their cultural homeland. Their connections with
Tamil Nadu received periodic reinforcement during struggles between the kings of Sri Lanka
and southern India that peaked in the wars with the Chola. It is probable that the ancestors of
many Tamil speakers entered the country as a result of the Chola conquest, for some personal
names and some constructions used in Sri Lankan Tamil are reminiscent of the Chola period.

The Tamil speakers in Sri Lanka are divided into two groups that have quite different origins
and relationships to the country. The Sri Lankan Tamils trace their immigration to the distant
past and are effectively a native minority. In 1981 they numbered 1,886,872, or 12.7 % of the
population. The Indian Tamils are either immigrants or the descendants of immigrants who
came under British sponsorship to Sri Lanka to work on plantations in the central highlands.
In 1981 they numbered 818,656, or 5.5 % of the population. Because they lived on plantation
settlements, separate from other groups, including the Sri Lankan Tamils, the Indian Tamils
have not become an integral part of society and indeed have been viewed by the Sinhalese as
foreigners. The population of Indian Tamils has been shrinking through programs repatriating
them to Tamil Nadu.

Ethnic Tamils are united to each other by their common religions beliefs, and the Tamil
language and culture. Some 80 % of the Sri Lankan Tamils and 90 % of the Indian Tamils are
Hindus. They have little contact with Buddhism, and they worship the Hindu pantheon of
gods. Their religious myths, stories of saints, literature, and rituals are distinct from the
cultural sources of the Sinhalese. The caste groups of the Tamils are also different from those
of the Sinhalese, and they have their rationale in religious ideologies that the Sinhalese do not
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share. Religion and caste do, however, create divisions within the Tamil community. Most of
the Indian Tamils are members of low Indian castes that are not respected by the upper- and
middle-level castes of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Furthermore, a minority of the Tamils--4.3 %
of the Sri Lankan Tamils and 7.6 % of the Indian Tamils--are converts to Christianity, with
their own places of worship and separate cultural lives. In this way, the large Tamil minority
in Sri Lanka is effectively separated from the mainstream Sinhalese culture and is fragmented
into two major groups with their own Christian minorities.

 Muslims
Muslims, who make up approximately 7% of the population, comprise a group of minorities
practicing the religion of Islam. As in the case of the other ethnic groups, the Muslims have
their own separate sites of worship, religious and cultural heroes, social circles, and even
languages. The Muslim community is divided into three main sections--the Sri Lankan
Moors, the Indian Moors, and the Malays, each with its own history and traditions.

The Sri Lankan Moors make up 93 % of the Muslim population and 7 % of the total
population of the country (1,046,926 people in 1981). They trace their ancestry to Arab
traders who moved to southern India and Sri Lanka sometime between the eighth and
fifteenth centuries, adopted the Tamil language that was the common language of Indian
Ocean trade, and settled permanently in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Moors lived primarily in
coastal trading and agricultural communities, preserving their Islamic cultural heritage while
adopting many southern Asian customs. During the period of Portuguese colonization, the
Moors suffered from persecution, and many moved to the Central Highlands, where their
descendants remain. The language of the Sri Lankan Moors is Tamil, or a type of "Arabic
Tamil" that contains a large number of Arabic words. On the east coast, their family lines are
traced through women, as in kinship systems of the southwest Indian state of Kerala, but they
govern themselves through Islamic law.

The Indian Moors are Muslims who trace their origins to immigrants searching for business
opportunities during the colonial period. Some of these people came to the country as far
back as Portuguese times; others arrived during the British period from various parts of India.
The Memnon, originally from Sind (in modern Pakistan), first arrived in 1870; in the 1980s
they numbered only about 3,000. The Bohra and the Khoja came from north-western India
(Gujarat State) after 1880; in the 1980s they collectively numbered fewer than 2,000. These
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groups tended to retain their own places of worship and the languages of their ancestral
homelands.

The Malays originated in Southeast Asia. Their ancestors came to the country when both Sri
Lanka and Indonesia were colonies of the Dutch. Most of the early Malay immigrants were
soldiers, posted by the Dutch colonial administration to Sri Lanka, who decided to settle on
the island. Other immigrants were convicts or members of noble houses from Indonesia who
were exiled to Sri Lanka and who never left. The main source of a continuing Malay identity
is their common Malay language (bahasa melayu), which includes numerous words absorbed
from Sinhalese and Tamil, and is spoken at home. In the 1980s, the Malays comprised about
5 % of the Muslim population in Sri Lanka.

 Burghers
The term Burgher was applied during the period of Dutch rule to European nationals living in
Sri Lanka. By extension it came to signify any permanent resident of the country who could
trace ancestry back to Europe. Eventually it included both Dutch Burghers and Portuguese
Burghers. Always proud of their racial origins, the Burghers further distanced themselves
from the mass of Sri Lankan citizens by immersing themselves in European culture, speaking
the language of the current European colonial government, and dominating the best colonial
educational and administrative positions. They have generally remained Christians and live in
urban locations. Since independence, however, the Burgher community has lost influence and
in turn has been shrinking in size because of emigration. In 1981 the Burghers made up .3 %
(39,374 people) of the population.

1.3 Regional differences in Sri Lanka.

 Clothing
Traditionally during recreation the Sinhalese wear a sarong (sarama in Sinhala). Men may
wear a long-sleeved shirt with the sarong, while women wear a tight-fitting, short-sleeved
jacket with a wrap-around called the cheeththaya. In the more populated areas, Sinhalese men
also wear Western-style clothing wearing suits while the women wear skirts and blouses. For
formal and ceremonial occasions women wear the traditional Kandyan (Osaria) style, which
consists of a full blouse which covers the midriff completely, and is partially tucked in at the

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front. However, modern intermingling of styles has led to most wearers baring the midriff.
The Kandyan style is considered as the national dress of Sinhalese women. In many
occasions and functions, even the saree plays an important role in women's clothing and has
become the de facto clothing for female office workers especially in government sector.

 Food
Foods in Sri Lanka can be hot or very mild or can be combination being very much a
question of individual preference. Sri Lankan food is unique for their Culture. Many Sinhala
food items are derived from Chena cultivation. Sri Lankan food plays a vital role in the
islanders’ life from the most auspicious Sinhala/ Hindu New Year to normal day-to-day
practices. They make milk rice and special sweets with coconut milk, floor and Honey at
cultural festivals. The curries come in many verities of colours and flavours blended in Sri
Lankan Hot Spices has a great ayurvedic value when used in curries.

Most of the Sri Lankans eat vegetables. With a large community of farmers the Rice and
curry is the main food in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka curries are known for their fiery hot spicy
flavours and coconut milk is very distinct feature of Sri Lankan cuisine that different regions
of country specialize in different types of dishes. The specialty in Sri Lankan food is that
same food is differently made in different regions. Dishes from the North region of Sri Lanka
have distinct south Indian flavours.

Dishes from the South region of Sri Lanka can be Spicy, Hot or Mild. The meals of the
southern region of Sri Lanka are known for their variety and fishing village though the
coastal strip. Ambulthiyal a unique spicy fish preparation with thick gamboges “Goraka”
paste.

Certain types of fish Balaya, Kelawalla are native to Southern seas. “Lunu dehi” (lime pickle)
and jaadi (Pikled fish) are food items made from methods of preserving since they could dry
them in sun during rainless days. Western region of Sri Lanka has foreign influence much
more than other regions. Many items made using wheat flour always had made Sri Lankan
dishes foreign. Since upper western coastal region is dry, fish is dried with salt as a
preservative. This is called “Karawala” (dry fish).

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Spices such as Cloves, Cardamoms, nutmeg and pepper are found in abundance throughout
Kandy and Matale District in Central region of Sri Lanka. Eastern province constitutes three
major ethnic groups. Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil, Chena cultivation, Game meat from nearby
forests and dry Weather have influenced many food items. Staple diet of Sri Lanka is ‘Rice
and curry’ the word ‘curry’ converting a multitude of dishes which are made according to
different methods of cooking from Soups, meat, Sea food, Lentils, Vegetables, Sambols,
Mallums, Phies to Achcharus. Curd and Treacle and Sweetmeats made from Rice flour and
palm treacle, jiggery along with various types of fruits are additions to the meal as the
dessert. The Palm, Coconut, Kithul, Palmyra from which the treacle is made will vary
accordingly. Sri Lankans also like several juicy sweetmeats like Kavum, kokis, Halape,
Thalaguli and Wattalapam etc. Sri Lankans also like to have drinks like tea and coffee.

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2.0 Products and services demanded by different cultures in Sri Lanka
There are several types of products and services required by the people in Sri Lanka and
sometimes they are different from region to region.

 Western Province

Referring to Colombo and suburbs, home to majority of citizens due to high natural
population growth and migration for work and educational reasons, you will find a myriad of
attitudes and types of people, natives from different regions. People hailing from various
levels of economic and social classes, this region is shared by both the elite and the residents
surviving on day wage and living in slums. This is a mesmerizing city, with coffee lovers
spending thousands on a cup of latte or cappuccino, while right outside the lavish cafes you
can witness people heading to little grocery boutiques to buy 250g of sugar because they
can’t afford more. You can see the corporate workers driving to work in luxurious cars,
dressed in suits, passing shops that employ young school drop outs for sales work.

To keep up with the upward pressure on prices, and the demands of the sophisticated lifestyle
people are accustomed to, working harder and longer hours has become an obligation on all.
This leaves less time for family and people are considered “busy”. They are either at work or
disconnected even while they are with you, consumed by phones, TVs and other electronic
devices.

Example for the product brand used by Colombo can be thousands but few can be Soft logic,
Samsung, burger king KFC, Mc Donald’s, Pizza hut, Unilever, Hemas, Keels super, Arpico
etc.

Textiles by Colombo people is more westernize than other regional cities in Sri Lanka where
they tend to where frocks and European suit for their weddings.

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  Eastern Province

The most prominent feature that clearly identifies people from Eastern province is their
accent. The mother tongue of most are Tamil because this regions consists of Muslims and
Hindus and it takes but a few seconds of speech to recognise their locality. Many believe that
people from these areas tend to be competitive in nature, placing immense importance in
pride and material possessions. They are quite affluent. Another region is dominated by the
religious communities and operates on a hierarchical system. Businesses cannot open up
without prior approval from the religious institutions, depicting the nature of central system
of decision making. The existence of certain youth movements for the welfare of the
community serves to be both positive and negative.

For example for the products and services in Kandy is the modern shopping complex
available in the heart of the city is Kandy City Centre which consists of most products
available in Colombo.

Textiles is also another popular topic comparing to other regions. Most of the Kandian female
ware traditional osariya (Saree style) while Gents are waring Nilame Aduma.

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3.0 Different Culture in different countries

Among the world several countries have several cultures & Religion. By comparing to Sri
Lanka some cultures are completely different than Sri Lanka.

3.1 China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest cultures, tracing back to thousands of years ago.
Important components of Chinese culture includes ceramics, architecture, music, literature,
martial arts, cuisine, visual arts, philosophy and religion.

 Ethnic Groups

Officially there are 56 recognized ethnic groups in China, Han Chinese being the largest
group. Many ethnic groups, though merge into Han identity, have maintained distinct
linguistic and regional cultural traditions. Even within one ethnic group, there are probably
diverse groups of people. Various groups of the Miao minority, for example, speak different
dialects of the Hmong-Mie languages, Tai-Kadai languages, and Chinese, and practice a
variety of different cultural customs. Typically each minority group has their own costumes,
festivals and customs. For example, various marriage customs are found among different
minority groups. There is actually a museum that features marriage customs of ethnic groups-
Guizhou Museum of Marriage Customs. See more about our Minority Tours.

 Religion

Confucianism and Taoism, later joined by Buddhism, constitute the "three teachings" that
historically have shaped Chinese culture. There are no clear boundaries between these
intertwined religious systems, which don't claim to be exclusive, and elements of each enrich
popular or folk religion. Folk or popular religion, the most widespread system of beliefs and
practices has evolved and adapted since at least Shang and Zhou dynasties. During the period
fundamental elements of a theology and spiritual explanation for the nature of the universe
emerged. Basically, it consists in allegiance to the "shen", a character that signifies a variety
of gods and immortals, who can be deities of the natural environment of ancestral principles
of human groups, concepts of civility, cultural heroes, many of whom feature in Chinese
mythology and history. Recent surveys estimated that some 80% of Han Chinese practice
some kind of Chinese folk religion and Taoism; 10-16% are Buddhist’s; 3-4% are Christians;
and 1-2% are Muslims.

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  Chinese Styles

Chinese clothing has many types and suits according to various occasions. They have
traditional Zhongshan suit, Cheongsam and many other suits created by ethnic groups
scattered on this vast ancient civilization land. Each type of clothe has their unique way of
making and sewing methods and lucky pattern exquisites. They were not only evolving over
time but also transforming dramatically following dynastic changes or the imperial decree of
a new ruler.

There is no "typical" Chinese costume, although today, if any style of clothing epitomizes
"Chinese", it would be the Cheongsam, or call it Qipao, which has evolved from ancient
clothing of the Manchu ethnic minority. Cheongsam is Popular because it fits the Chinese
female figure well, and has simple lines and looks elegant. It is suitable for wearing all the
year round for both young and elderly group. And it can either be long or short.

 Chinese Food

The history of Chinese food in China stretches back for thousands of years and has changed
from period to period in each region according to climate, imperial fashions, and local
preferences.

The “Eight Cuisines” of China are Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong,
Sichuan, and Zhejiang cuisines. These styles are distinctive from one another due to factors
such as availability of resources, climate, geography, history, cooking techniques and
lifestyle. For example, Jiangsu cuisine favours cooking techniques such as braising and
stewing, while Sichuan cuisine employs baking. Hairy crab is a highly sought-after local

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delicacy in Shanghai, as it can be found in lakes within the region. Peking duck and dim-sum
are other popular dishes well known outside of China.

3.2 America

American culture encompasses the customs and traditions of the United States. "Culture
encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music,
what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we
behave with loved ones, and a million other things," said Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist
at Barnet and Southgate College in London.

The United States is the third largest country in the world with a population of more than 325
million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A child is born every 8 seconds, and a person
dies every 12 seconds.

The United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Nearly every
region of the world has influenced American culture, most notably the English who colonized
the country beginning in the early 1600s. U.S. culture has also been shaped by the cultures of
Native Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians.

The United States is sometimes described as a "melting pot" in which different cultures have
contributed their own distinct "flavors" to American culture. Just as cultures from around the

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world have influenced American culture, today American culture influences the world. The
term Western culture often refers broadly to the cultures of the United States and Europe.

The Northeast, South, Midwest, Southeast and Western regions of the United States all have
distinct traditions and customs. Here is a brief overview of the culture of the United States.

 Religions in American

Nearly every known religion is practiced in the United States, which was founded on the
basis of religious freedom. About 71 % of Americans identify themselves as Christians,
according to information gathered by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research group,
in 2017. The research also found that about 23 % had no religious affiliation at all and around
6 % of the population is made up non-Christian religions.

 American style

Clothing styles vary by social status, region, occupation and climate. Jeans, sneakers,
baseball caps, cowboy hats and boots are some items of clothing that are closely associated
with Americans. Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Victoria Secret are some
well-known American brands.

 American food
American cuisine was influenced by Europeans and Native Americans in its early history.
Today, there are a number of foods that are commonly identified as American, such as
hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and meat loaf. "As American as
apple pie" has come to mean something that is authentically American.

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There are also styles of cooking and types of foods that are specific to a region. Southern-
style cooking is often called "American comfort food" and includes dishes such as fried
chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas and corn bread. Tex-Mex, popular in Texas and the
Southwest, is a blend of Spanish and Mexican cooking styles and includes items such as chili
and burritos, and relies heavily on shredded cheese and beans.

3.3 Netherland

The cultural life of the Netherlands is varied and lively. Dutch painting and crafts are world
renowned, and Dutch painters are among the greatest the world has ever known. The Dutch
themselves take great pride in their cultural heritage, and the government is heavily involved
in subsidizing the arts, while abjuring direct artistic control of cultural enterprises. Indeed, the
long-enduring tradition of Dutch freedom of expression has undoubtedly played a significant
role in the flowering of Dutch culture through the ages.

The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, and it is spoken by a vast majority of the
country’s population. It closely resembles German and borrows terms from both French and
English. The secondary language of the Netherlands is Friesian, which is spoken by
approximately a half-million citizens of the Dutch province of Friesland.

 Netherland Religions

The Netherlands is one of the most secularized countries in Western Europe. Only about 39%
of citizens claim to be religious, and of those 39% only 6% attend church on a regular basis.
There are currently two main religions prominent in Dutch society: Roman Catholic and

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Protestant. The Roman Catholics make up approximately 25% of the Dutch population, and
Protestants make up approximately 15%. Muslims make up 5% of the population. Buddhists
make up 1%, and Hindus make up 0.9%.

 Netherland Fashion

The Netherlands has a small but flourishing fashion culture. There are a few prestigious
fashion events that take place in the Netherlands - Amsterdam International Fashion Week,
which is held twice a year, the competition during the Mercedes Benz Dutch Fashion Award,
and the Arnhem Fashion Biennale.

Dutch brands such as C&A, WE, MeXX, Oilily, Kuyichi and G-star are well known in the
international market but a few top designers are the trendsetters in the Dutch fashion world.
Viktor & Rolf are the first Dutch designers to have achieved international success and
recognition.

The younger generation in the Dutch royal family support Dutch fashion by including Dutch
designs in their wardrobe. Princess Mabel’s wedding dress was designed by Viktor & Rolf
and more recently Princess Máxima appeared wearing a dress design by Jan Taminiau made
from a mail sack!

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  Netherland Foods

Traditional Dutch cuisine is not very diverse. It’s very simple and straight forward. The
traditional Dutch meal consists of a lot of vegetables with a little meat.

Breakfast typically consists of a slice of bread with various toppings like different cheeses,
peanut butter, treacle, and chocolate spread. While lunch can include the same foods as
breakfast, often times there will be sandwiches with different cold cuts and cheeses – Gouda,
Edam, and Leyden. Dinners in the Netherlands are typically a two or three-course meal
consisting of soup as an appetizer, potatoes with a large portion of vegetables and a small
portion of meat as the main course, and pastries or cookies for dessert. Stamppot (or, stew) is
a traditional winter meal and snert (pea soup) is often times the soup of choice for dinner.

The Netherlands is famous for its cheese. Gouda, Edam, and Leyden are known worldwide,
and Alkmaar is a town famous for its cheese market. Salted herring is another staple to the
Dutch. Other staples include hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles), stroopwafel (caramel waffle
cookies), French fries and mayonnaise, and pffertjes (small, thick pancakes).

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4.0 Comparison between Countries

Sri Lanka China America Netherland

Religions Buddhism Buddhism Christianity Christianity
Hinduism Taoism Minority Buddhism
Islam Catholicism Judaism Hinduism
Christianity Protestantism Buddhism Islam
Islam Jainism
Clothing/ Sari (Kandian) Zhongshan suit Jeans Skirt
Fashion Sarong Cheongsam Sneakers Blouse
Nilame Adum Skirt, Blouse, Baseball caps T-shirts
Skirt, Blouse, T-shirts, frocks cowboy hats Frocks
T-shirts, frocks , Trousers etc boots Trousers
, Trousers etc Frocks, T-shirts Jessie
Foods Milk Rice, Rice Sweet and Sour Apple Pie Stroopwafel
Malu Ambul Pork Hamburger Hagelslag
thiyal, Sambol Chow Mein Clam Chowder Oliebollen
Coconut Roti, Ma Po Tofu Pizza Kaas
Pittu, Kawum, Dumplings Tacos
kokis,Aluwa

According to the above chart it can be identified that different countries have their own
traditions, religions, foods and fashion styles. Sri Lanka is the only country which have
majority of Buddhist people when most of other countries having their main religion as
Christianity.

Also as the clothing styles Sri Lanka is the only country which wear sarees and sarongs &
Nilame Adum when the other countries people wearing European or western cloths. However
nowadays most Sri Lankan’s also wear westernized cloths.

All the countries have their own food items also they have other countries foods as well.

According to the above chart though there are differences in all the categories there are some
similarities as well due to the market globalization.

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