Bihar is an old civilization and is one of the states which has the most culturally diverse population. People from different religions (Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh) reside here and also belonging to different caste and races like Aryans, Dravidians, Mangolians and more. Apart from this people from different linguistic groups like Bengali, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Mahahi, and Bajjika. Thereby Bihar has diverse culture and home for extraordinary intellectual work. Bihr has its mention in the Samudra Manthan. Bihar has a rich cultural background of which it is still proud of.
In the present day Bihar there is a mixture of Hindus and Bihar and the other religions like Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism do not have much influence. Christians did not make place in Bihar as they made way to Jharkhand after the separation. Thus in majority Hindus and Muslims live here in peace apart from a few deviations.
People here are shy, introverted, self-content honey, helping, and very down to earth. Illiteracy, corruption, bad administration, poverty has taken a toll on the lives of people yet each family here has one member as engineer, doctor, or gazetted officer.
The important festivals of Bihar are Chhath, Sama Chakeba dominantly in the Mithila region.
The traditional clothing of Hindu in Bihar is a dhoti and that of a Muslim is a lungi. However, due to modernization several other clothes are also being worn. Silk is the preferred cloth and Bhagalpuri silk is of great importance here. Bangles made from lah are widely used in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Mostly the very famous delicacy litti chokha and dahi chivda, and the sweet thekua are very famous here and gaining importance even in foreign countries. Sattu is still the preferred beverage here.
Bihar has rich craft and the ancient tales are depicted through the paintings and craft.
The most popular art form of Bihar Madhubani painting is gaining immense importance in the present craft world. Madhubani is the heart of Mithila region from where Princess Sita hails. Thus the art form uses stories from Ramayana in its paintings. Through a series of structures the stories are portrayed in Madhubani painting. With lines and vegetable dyes the painting is done. Late Prime minister Indira Gandhi widely popularised this painting.
Patna Kalam is a very popular School of Painting in Bihar. It is popular for the Mughal Miniature School of painting that flourished in Bihar during the 18th to the mid 20th century.. The decline of Mughals forced the artisans to shift from Delhi to Bihar. They started their style here and became popular as Patna Qalam. The style infamous for soft colours and use of handmade paper or mica sheets. The paintings depict the life of people in Bihar.
Chhau dance- the simple tribal people of Bihar express their joy through creative Chhau dance which was originally a war dance and is performed in order of perfect fighting techniques.
The females of Mithila Region perform this dance where one is Jat the husband and the other is Jatin the wife. They wear masks and explain the story of their life.
Bidesia- the dance form is popular in the Bhojpuri speaking region of Bihar.