A person’s culture influences every aspect of his being. It can cause him to eat foods that are nutritionally unhealthy and to take drugs that may do more harm than good. It can even keep him from meeting his basic needs by keeping him from finding food. It can also be a powerful force that causes him to refrain from sex or to take a vow of premarital chastity or even self-mutilation. Cultures are complex, and it is impossible to define them in a way that will be completely satisfactory. Nevertheless, a definition must be sufficiently fruitful to allow the investigator to develop a theory of how cultures work.
According to anthropologists, a culture is a system of beliefs and values that a group of people shares and adheres to. A culture can be based on an ethnicity, religion, race or language, but it can also be a shared set of practices and values that is not based on any one thing. These can be rituals, customs, artifacts, and traditions.
Culture is a social construct and can be seen as a process of societal development and evolution. It encompasses both the tangible, such as buildings and artifacts, as well as the intangible, such as ideas and values. It is the sum total of a society’s experiences, from the way it organizes itself to the way it communicates and treats its members. It may include beliefs, values and ideals, but it can also be reflected in daily activities such as family gatherings, work ethics, etiquette, the way a city is designed or even the way sports are played.
Most definitions of cultural are broad in scope and may be interpreted as having two different meanings: broadly, it can refer to a system of meaning that includes all aspects of life; narrowly, it can mean the arts-that is, what artists create and how they are viewed, preserved, exchanged and consumed. The two concepts often intersect, as in the case of commercially produced and popular cultural artifacts such as movies or music. This intersection is reflected in terms like the creative economy and cultural diversity.
Usually, individuals draw a major part of their sense of identity from the cultural groups in which they are socialized. These can be more permanent factors, such as their ethnicity or language; they can also be fluid characteristics, such as gender or age cohort. People who share many of these traits may form a subculture, but they can also be influenced by other things that differ from one to the next, such as occupation or marital status.
Another important factor in organizing a successful cultural event is finding the right place and assembling the right team of helpers. A good place is important because it sets the stage for the performances and provides a comfortable environment for the attendees. A great team organizes everything behind the scenes, including ticketing, safety, security, and other logistics. A team can also be responsible for creating a fun atmosphere during the event by decorating it with lights, colors and props that represent various cultural traditions.