Indonesia is one of the most populous nations in the world with a population of about 255 million people. Also, the country is made up of 17,000 islands making it one of the most culturally-diverse countries on the world. The rich culture of the Indonesia intertwined with the age-old traditions and religion. Moreover, the culture has been greatly influenced by the thoughts brought about by the Dutch colonists and Portuguese traders. Over centuries, the culture of Indonesia has been shaped by the hundreds of ethnic groups in the country. However, the modern-day culture has borrowed from Malay, Arabic, Chinese and European cultural aspects. Moreover, the culture has been influenced the numerous religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Confucianism.
Language
The official language in Indonesia is Bahasa Indonesia, which is widely spoken in the country. This language is taught in schools and spoken in politics, national media, and business. However, there are several hundreds of local Indonesian languages spoken as the first language. Among the local languages, Javanese is widely used with over 2.7 million people. A lot of the younger people also speak English. This is a good thing because the language can be quite hard to learn. It’s much easier to meet girls on IndonsianCupid because almost all of these girls speak English and are looking for foreigners.
Religion
There six religions recognized by the government. These religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism and Confucianism. Islam is the largest religious group with over 85 percent of people. This makes Indonesia the most populous Muslim nations in the world.
Music
Music plays a significant role in the Indonesian culture. The origin of the music is traced to Sumatra, Java and Bali islands in Indonesia. Gamelan is a popular traditional music that originated from Bali and Java. Also, Dangdut is a popular music style that was introduced in 1970s. Thus free dance style music is very useful in political campaigns. Other types of music include keroncong, soft sasando, Angklung and Degung.
Dance
Most of the traditional dances are derived from the Mahabharata and Ramayana cultures in India. Moreover, traditional Balinese and Javanese play a significant role in the culture of Indonesia. Surakarta and Yogyakarta are some of the highly stylized dances that are also popular in Indonesia.
Cuisine
Indonesia is a home to some of the most delicious cuisines on the world. The cuisine has been derived with the influence of European, Chinese, Indians, and Middle Eastern. Rice served with meats and vegetables is a staple food in most Indonesian dishes. Moreover, Thai and Vietnamese food is found in some of the cuisines. Spices such as chili and coconut milk are the main ingredients in most dishes.
Architecture
The Indonesian culture boasts of great architecture that is mostly influenced by the Indian. However, the European influence on the architecture has been strong since Nineteenth century. However, Arab and Chinese have also played a significant role in the architecture. The traditional buildings, which have been the home of Toraja and Batak, are built with oversized saddle roofs. The Torajan people often used stack buffalo horns in front of the house as a sign of status. Also, the outside walls of the traditional houses are adorned with different colors.
Conclusion
The Indonesian culture is diverse and rich. Most of the cultural aspects have been preserved for many centuries.