I. Definition of Culture: Culture is an integral part of our existence. Yet, it is different from person to person. We can understand culture better with the following example: whenever we meet a relation of ours or a friend, we greet him with folded hands (namaskar). We offer respect to our elders by touching their feet. This is typical of Indian culture. Shaking hands, hugging and kissing are different ways of greeting friends and relatives in the western world.

Now let us define culture. A widely accepted and easily understood definition is: "Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society".

II. Characteristics of Culture: The most common and important characteristics of culture. They are:

1. Culture is universal.

2. Culture is stable, yet it is also dynamic.

3. Culture is a learned behaviour.

1. Culture is universal: An Oriya family was residing in Bangalore. Once, when they were having their dinner consisting of chapati and dalma, their neighbour, a Telegu speaking woman entered. She was rather surprised to see the Oriyas eating chapati and not rice, which in fact was essential to her own dinner. Thinking that perhaps the Oriyas had run out of rice, she offered to provide them the required amount. To her request, the Oriyas said that it was not the case of running out of rice, but they were accustomed to eating chapati at night. This example shows that while food is universal, what people eat, how they prepare and serve it, varies from one community to another. Culture is both universal and particular.

2. Culture is stable yet it is also dynamic: 

(a) A culture is also time bound. It changes over time. In other words, it is in a continuous state of flux. Culture can be compared to a flowing river. As the river flows down, the water at a given spot along the river gets replaced by the second incoming flow. However, the river remains as ever so. So is culture. The contents change, are modified, get replaced, but the river of culture flows. It is process of continuous change and continuity makes culture dynamic. Change in the culture comes so steadily and stealthily that we never suspect it until we project the present on the past.

(b) Let us take the example of our own photograph. A present photograph of this year and another photograph taken a few years back will definitely give an idea of change in culture either in hair style or in dress pattern. We can mark here how styles of clothing and hair have changed over years. In our daily life we can see many such changes. Years back, in our society, girls' education was not encouraged while early marriage was mostly encouraged. Girls were staying at home, learning household activities till they were engaged and got married. Over the years, we see girls have come out of the four walls of the house not only for formal education, but also for higher education. 

3. Culture is a learned behaviour:

(a) When you greet others you fold your hands. But, have you seen a new born baby folding its hands to greet others? In other words, we can say that we have learnt to greet with namaskar because we have seen others doing it in the same manner or we have been told by our elders to do so. But does anybody tell a crow to build its own nest? Even tailorbirds weave their own nests. These birds have not learnt the technique of nest-building from other birds. They have inherited the quality from their parents.

(b) Human beings do not inherit any socio-cultural parental quality. They have to learn it from their family members, members of the group and the society they live in. Thus culture is a learned behaviour and not genetically inherited nor is it an instinctive behaviour. It is acquired by human beings from the society in which they are brought up. Consequently, culture is unique to the human species. Learning of one generation is passed down to the succeeding generation through a process called "enculturation".