Culture of Surat

The culture of any place refers to the lifestyle or the way of living of the people there. India is known to have a rich cultural heritage primarily because of the vast cultural diversity within the nation. One such culture, among the many, worth mentioning is that of the city of Surat, located in the state of Gujarat in India.

Communities & Religions in Surat

Surat, also known as Suryapur, is the administrative capital and the second largest city of the state of Gujarat. The Culture of Surat has shaped up with time as more and more people from different races and backgrounds like the western Chaulakyas, Parsis etc have migrated into the city. This was because the main activity carried out in Surat was trade which led to people coming in. People from various communities like the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and the Christian community are thereby found here and they are collectively known as the Surtis.

Customs, Traditions & Celebrated Festivals in Surat

The language spoken by the people of Surat is Surti Gujrati. The Surtis are supposed to be well respected people and warm by nature, usually have a friendly and loving attitude. The people of surat are known to celebrate all the major festivals with a happiness galore. Navaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali are among the main festivals celebrated in Surat. A special festival celebrated here every Makar Sankranti on the 14th of January every year is the kite flying festival which is undoubtedly an integral part of the tradition in surat. A festival called Chand Padvo is unique to this city alone. On this day, the Surtis, after offering food and delicacies to the Gods, enjoy the snacky items out in the open. This day is celebrated on the biggest full moon day of the Hindu calendar.

 Not only this, the Surtis take immense pride in their own culture and heritage and are fond of performing arts like Ras, Garba, Siddi Dance, Dandi Nritya so on and so forth. Surat is also famous for its local folk drama known as Bhavai. They tend to take keen interest in dance and music. So these are all part of the rich and colorful tradition in Surat.

Crafts & Attires in Surat

Surat handicrafts are also well known. Various weaving and printing styles of the textile industry include bandhej (bandhej lehenga, worn by the females during garba), toran, matani, mashru, tangalia, deesa and zari. The different kinds of attires in Surat include sarees which further include include brocade, gharchola, panetar and tanchoi. The traditional attire for men include a short coat, dhoti and a turban. Usually during the festivals men wear this kind of attires. Apart from these, there are other handicraft industries like wood carving, stone carving, pottery, miniature paintings etc.

Women are given much importance when compared to the men in their family in the whole of Gujarat. The Surti women are generally dressed up in sari in their everyday lives along with light weighted gold jewellery and it’s a custom in Surat for all married women to wear a streak of Vermillion or Sindoor on the parting of their hair.

Cuisine of Surat

The food of Surat is very similar to the general Gujarati cuisine. The Culture of Surat indicates that the Surtis are basically vegetarians. However, with modernization, certain classic dishes are being transformed into contemporary dishes. Dishes like locho, undhiyo and kahaman are a part of the everyday foods consumed by people of Surat. The food is usually spicy but the people of Surat prefer a tinge of sweet. A famous sweet dish is Ghari which is mostly available in the all the sweet shops in Surat.

Thus, all in all, this ancient city of Surat encompasses a blend of various customs and traditions making it a culturally rich enough city.