Tamil people are well known and appreciated for their family oriented culture. The families responsibility is to transmit the beliefs, traditions and core value to their generations. In Tamil Nadu joint family culture was in practice from olden days. Under this joint family the patrilineal related generations stay together.They may or may not link to the possession of the family properties.
The joint family is something more than living together. Here the people share their views and get the guidance from the elders in decision making. They learn many aspects to lead a life in a healthy way. The kids in the joint family are blessed to live with many relatives and their children, so that they learn to care and share naturally. Tamil people are well known for their festival celebrations. They celebrate the festival together by sharing all kinds of works and responsibilities.If the family members are more in number the views and ideas differ from each person, which paves a way for the children to learn more and have a multi dimensional views. The grand parents take care of the kids by teaching moral values through good stories and many things useful to their life.This creates a good exposure to the children.
In Tamil Nadu we used to say that, an old lady is equal to any number of cctv cameras and securities.In such a way they are bold enough to safe guard a house. No strangers dare to enter the house against them.They also say the death of grand parents is equal to a burnt library.The arranged marriage practice illustrates the importance of the family culture in Tamil Nadu.As popular belief goes on, a marriage tied with many knots will not come undone.
The eldest male of the family be the head of that family. a clear guidance of hierarchy and authority would be given by him.He has the authority over the whole family in times of decision making and discipline creation. Great respect should be shown to the members of the family who are in the higher authority. Eldest woman of the family guides and controls the other women folks in the family. It is amazing to see the educated and professionals seek their elder's advice in every aspects like marriage, accepting a job, travel abroad, move in search of jobs,etc.
With the economy development and urbanization, the joint families are split into nuclear units. The traditional family setup faces a great difficulty in adapting themselves to the changing modernization.They are not flexible to the modern life style.The nuclear family comprises of a couple and their children.The age old parents live with their unmarried son or separately. This is increased due to the necessity of the people which made them to move from villages to cities or from one city to another based on career opportunities. This goes on increasing under the impact of westernization and secularization.
However the family setup is changing nowadays, the relative ties are strongly bound with kinship, and loyalty to family is imbibed within family members. When a crucial or emergency situation arises, their foremost duty is to seek the family consideration and agreement.
In Tamil Nadu still we can see the joint family culture in many villages. Though the children are settled in other cities, they visit their paternal home during the festivals like Pongal and Deepavali. The festival for the village Gods will be celebrated as 'Thiruvizha'.Our people has the tradition of inviting their children to the village during this celebration. This shows the bondage of their love to their family and relations.
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