7. Annaprashana(Giving the child
solid food):- This Sanskar is performed on 6th
month, when the child is given solid food for the first time. Sweet porridge or
rice pudding can be given to the child. One of them with curd, honey & ghee
is given it to the child while reciting
Prasad Mantras.
8.Mundan(Hair cutting):- This
Sanskar is the first time
cutting of hair on the child’s head. The ceremony is to be performed on an
auspicious day after the age of 1year. The hair must be disposed of at some
holy place where no one can find it. This Sanskar is restricted to the family level.
9.Karnvedh(Ear piercing):- This
Sanskar is performed in the
3rd
or 5th
year, Piercing of the ears. With the commencement of worship of the sun, the
father should first address the right ear of the child with the mantra “Oh god
may we hear bliss with our ears”, performed so that child may listen to good
things & to have a good education.
10.Upanayana(Sacred thread):-
This is the ceremony of wearing the sacred thread called Yajnopaveetam. This Sanskar is 2nd
birth of the child- a spiritual birth. The child is thereafter authorized to
perform all rituals.
11.Vedarambh(Study of Vedas &
Scriptures):- This Sanskar is done along with Upanayana. Vedarambh is the learning of
Vedas & other holy books. The child commences his journey on the road to
spiritual life. It’s a formal beginning
of the child’s education. In ancient times, the child used to send to the Gurukul(kind of a boarding
school) where sages used to provide a complete education.
12.Samavartana(Completing
education):- This is the ceremony associated with the end of formal education
of Vedas in ‘Gurukul’. After learning the
rules of life he returns home from his teacher’s ashram. He is now eligible to
enter into the householder stage & considered a qualified man to get
married.
13. Vivaha(The Marriage):- Vedic Hindu marriage is viewed as
sacramental, which is a lifelong commitment of one wife & one husband. It
is the strongest bond between a man & a woman, which takes place in the
presence of their parents, relatives & friends. The bride & groom walk
around the fire hand in hand.
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7Circular rounds around the fire
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Groom applies Sindoor(red-orange powder) in woman's hair
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14.Vanprastha(Preparing for
renouncing):- This ceremony is performed at the age of 50. With the
commencement of this ceremony, a man withdraws himself from all worldly
activities, retires into the forest & prepares himself for taking sanyas. This was practiced
in ancient India.
15.Sanyasa:- Before leaving the
body a Hindu sheds all sense of responsibility & relationships to awake
& revel in the timeless truth which is called the “Moksha” or “Nirvana”.
16.Antyeshti(Last rite):- These
are the rituals associated with funeral. When death is imminent, sacred tulsi leaf & water
drops of the holy river Ganga are put in the mouth
of the person on the death bed. The body is laid on the ground with the head
towards the north. The eldest son generally performs the last rites. The dead
body is washed, perfumed & wrapped in a new white cloth & decked with
flowers. For 10days following death,
food is not prepared at home & relatives & friends take the
responsibility of getting food for the family. This is the most common ritual
among all the Indians & strictly followed by all.
Protocols at Dinner
We Indians are very particular about the dining
protocols & these protocols are built on traditions. Here I will try to
explain such Indian food traditions or dining protocols with reason behind
them:-
1.Men first:- In any Indian traditional family, you will
notice that all men of the family sit together & have the food first. The
reason behind this lies in the old age when there were no electronic kitchen
appliances & ladies of the normal Indian family used to cook the food by
their own as there were no servants as well. The ladies wanted that their
husband, son or brother should get fresh & hot food so they used to cook
& serve the food at the same time to the men in the house. After all the
men are done with the dinner, then only the ladies used to have their food.
That’s why in India ladies are also called “Goddess Annapurna” who is the
goddess of food & nourishment. Like everything in Hindu religion, the food
we consume also has a goddess who ensures the nutrition we get & she is
Goddess Annapurna. Anna means “food” in Sanskrit language & purna means “filled
completely”. Annapurna is the goddess of kitchen & of Cooks. Her statues
are often found in Hindu kitchens for her blessings.
2.Offering to the god:-
The Scriptures recommend that one must eat food after offering the cooked food
to the god first. So in Indian homes, whatever is cooked on daily basis a small
quantity of that is first placed in front of the god. Here the question arise
that would really the god himself eat this. Obviously the answer is No,
therefore this food offered to the god is later on given to the cow because
Hindus believe that all the deities live inside the cow that’s why Cow is
considered a holy animal in India & even non-vegetarians never eat beef.
3.Prayers before the
meal:- Food is also considered very sacred in India. That’s why before starting
the dinner, we honor the food & bow down in front of it. Then we first
sprinkle some water on the food. Then, we take some water in our right hand
palm & circulate it over the food plate. Then touch the food with our right
palm & drink a little bit of water from right palm. Then we chant prayer for the food & give
thanks to the Goddess Annapurna for giving us this delicious food.
4.Eating on the floor:-
Still in modern times specially in Indian villages, most of the houses don’t
have any dining table. We Indians sit on the ground while having our dinner
& other family members (especially ladies/children) serve the food. Sitting
on the ground is a kind of physical activity that improves the metabolism. This
is one of the most common Indian dinner protocol.
5.Eating with hands:-
According to Ayurveda(ancient Indian
medical science), the practice stimulates the five elements that our five
fingers represent & thus helps in bringing forth digestive juices that
makes digestion of food easy.
6.Serving on banana
leaves:- This culture is practiced through the entire Southern belt of India.
Banana leaves contain a lot of polyphenols, an antioxidant that is helpful in reducing the
progression of Diabetes, Cancer, Neuro degenerative & Cardiovascular diseases.
Interestingly, many luxurious resorts & hotels have started practising it lately keeping
the overall well-being of the guests.
In India, wasting the food by leaving the uneaten food
in the plate is considered disrespectful. How many times have we heard our
parents mutter-”Don’t waste food, you’re disrespecting the gods”. So the funda is “Take only that
much food in your plate as much as you can eat”. Eating with left hand is also
prohibited in Indian culture. In fact, use of left hand is restricted in
all kind of sacred rituals.
Gastronomy
Indian Thali:- Thali is a round platter
used to serve food in the Indian subcontinent. Considered as a wholesome meal,
the authentic homemade Indian thali is full of protein, vitamin, healthy fat &
carbohydrate keeping the climatic conditions in mind. It can be definitely
called as ‘balanced diet of India’ which is our regular meal. While travelling in most regions of India,
you’ll find local restaurants serving thali. As for the food it contains, a thali is a complete meal
consisting of 10 or more dishes, depending on which part of India you’re in. A thali consists of:-
• A Grain: Rice or
flatbread made with wheat, millet etc.
• Lentils: Dal or Sambhar
• Vegetables: A
seasonal preparation
• Chutney: A condiment
made with fruits, herbs & spices
• Raita: Curd usually mixed
with some kind of vegetable
• Pickles: Most
commonly made from either raw mangos, lemons, chillies or a mixure of all, though that
varies by region
• Papad: A deep-fried,
savory snack made with rice, flour or lentils
This is followed by buttermilk, a refreshing drink.
Indian thali, in its most
elaborate form, is a wholesome dish that’s also a feast for your eyes, with its array of
colors & bright bowls for each food.
Spices & Herbs:- If you have ever seen an Indian
kitchen, you will feel like you are in a small world of spices. Spices are the
essence of Indian food. Subtle use of herbs & spices not only characterizes
the Indian cuisine but it also marks it as a distinction from rest of the
famous cuisines of the world. Here is the list for some of the essential spices
of Indian cuisine:
1.Tulsi (Indian holy Basil)
2. Bay leaf 3. Black pepper 4. Asafoetida 5. Black salt 6. Cardamom
7. Carom seeds 8. Cinnamon 9. Cloves 10. Coriander 11.
Curry leaves 12. Cumin seeds 13. Dry mango powder 14. Fennel 15. Ginger powder
16. Garlic powder 17. Mace 18. Mustard seeds 19. Mint 20. Turmeric 21. Tamarind
22. Sesame seeds 23. Saffron 24. Dried red chilli
All these spices & herbs are very beneficial for our
immune system & that was the reason behind comparatively low death rate in
India during COVID19 pandemic despite being a densely populated country.
Indian traditional dishes:-
Restriction:- Non-veg is restricted in traditional Indian food. Though, non-vegetarian food came to India
with several invasions by foreign rulers in Medieval period & later on due
to Colonization, but it could not become the identity of Indian cuisine. In
India, majority of the people follow complete vegetarian diet, especially in some communities like
Brahmins, Vaishya & Jain non-veg is strictly
prohibited. In India, even non-vegetarian people also don’t consume meat on a
regular basis, it’s very occasional or less frequent. Non-vegetarian people
also don’t eat meat during some particular week days like Tuesday or during
holy fasting days. Along with this, fast food is also not very prevalent in
India.
Religion:- As you all know that India is recognized as
motherland of Hinduism. 80% of the population practices Hinduism &
remaining have different beliefs like Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism
& Jainism. The later 3religions are also originated from India only.
Hinduism is considered as the oldest religion in the world. Religion pervades
many aspects of a Hindu life & religious observance is not only limited to
one location or use of a particular text. It assumes many forms: in the home,
at the temple, on a pilgrimage, through yogic practices, dance or music, by the
river, through the observation of one’s social duties & so on. We Indians
are very religious by nature & as I’ve already explained in the beginning
slides, we rigorously follow our rituals on a daily basis. Our day starts with
prayers & ends with prayers. After waking up before stepping into the
floor, we begin the day with the morning prayer called “Karadarshana”. “Kara” means the
palm of the hand & it stands for the 5organs of action. While looking at
the palm, we invoke the lord in the form of various deities, thus sanctifying
all the actions that will be done during the day. By acknowledging the lord as the
giver of the capacity to perform actions & as the giver of the fruits of
those actions, we sanctify the actions. Then we take bath, daily bathing
compulsory for the Hindus as only after having bathe we can enter the temple or
worship the god. Even we provide daily bathe to our deities as well with milk,
curd & water followed by changing their clothes. This is the primary act
performed during worship of any deity. After having shower, we offer water to
the sun & the Tulsi plant(Indian holy
Basil). Some people also do Sun salutation in the morning to honor the sun
because sun is one of the most powerful deities in Hinduism. He is the ultimate
source of light & origin of the universe. In Hindu mythology, sun is
portrayed as riding a chariot driven by seven horses. Offering water is
considered very sacred in Hinduism not only to the deities but to the holy
plants & trees as well. Even after
death of our elder ones, water is offered to the dead souls in front of the
rising sun in the morning & prayers offered for the repose of their souls.
All the Hindu homes have a shrine where we perform our
daily worship rituals which is called “Pooja”. Offering of flowers, fruits & water to the
deities, ringing bell, lighting lamps & fragrant incense sticks symbolize
all the things that we need to be grateful for & with this gratitude we
must also feel responsible for the whole planet, as everything that is being
offered, is first & foremost product of the Earth. That’s the reason Earth
& nature are also considered very sacred in Hinduism & these are
worshipped as the goddess.
Then while leaving for the job, we generally touch
the feets of our parents which
is called “Charan sparsh” in India & get
amazing blessings from our elders. This is a very common & sweet gesture
followed by almost all the Indians that is performed not only within the family
but outside the family too to give respect to our teachers/elders or any great
personality & get the blessings from them in return. Then in the evening
when lamps are lit, that time also a short form of worship is performed in all
the Indian homes in which a lamp made of soil or brass is lighten up &
offered to the god. It symbolizes the importance of light in our daily life.
After this, musical prayers are sung honoring the deities. Then before sleeping
at night most of the Indians chant a Sanskrit prayer “Sarve bhavantu sukhinah” for the prosperity
& welfare of humanity.
Since in Hinduism, each god/goddess is associated with
one animal/bird/reptile so unnecessarily giving trouble to any creature on this
planet is considered disrespectful in Hinduism. That is also a major reason
behind pure vegetarian diet of Hindus. Since books contain source of knowledge
& Goddess Saraswati is considered the
goddess of wisdom so giving honor to her, we Hindus never let touch the books
with our feet because touching the books with the feet is considered very
disrespectful in India. Along with this, wearing shoes in the kitchen as well
as in the temple or in the place of worship is also strictly prohibited in
India.
Formalities:-
The iconic way of Indians to greet or salute others is
doing “Namaste” which is globally famous. The right way of doing Namaste is
holding the palms together, bow down a little in front of anyone & then say
“Namaste”. This is the Indian way to welcome a person & give respect to
him. This Indian gesture has proved it’s significance across the globe during
the Pandemic when people were unable to shake their hands freely.
Indian traditional dress code is ethnic i.e. Saree/Salwar-Soot for the women
& Dhoti-Kurta/Kurta-Pajama for the Men.
In India, we don’t call our elders with their
name/surname rather we prefer calling them Uncle/Aunty & Brother/Sister
although they are not our family members, but this is the most common habit we
are taught from our childhood to give honor & respect to everybody no
matter they belong to which background, rich or poor, literate or illiterate.
Calling anybody directly from his name/surname is considered disrespectful in
India. Some people use “jee” as a suffix to the
name to give respect to others.
Along with this, wearing revealing & transparent
clothes is also considered disrespectful in India.
Culture:- As you would have been understood till now
that Indian culture is very rich in each & every aspect.
Festivals:- We Indians are festival lovers by nature.
Reason is simple as India itself is a colorful country with so many festivals
occurring throughout the year. We love celebrations, that’s why in India each
festival is celebrated in a unique manner. Let’s have a look on some amazing
Indian festivals:-
1.Diwali/Deepawali: It’s a world famous
Indian festival of lights which is considered the biggest festival of India.
This festival lasts for 5days. Diwali is the celebration of returning of Lord Rama to back to
her birth place Ayodhya after 14yrs of
exile. We light candles & lamps made of clay, decorate our homes with Rangoli & burn
fire-crackers. We worship Goddess Laxmi- the goddess of wealth & prosperity on this
auspicious day. Many types of Indian sweets are pre-prepared at Indian homes
which we distribute among our neighbors, friends & relatives on Diwali.
2.Raksha-Bandhan: It is the most
lovely & one of it’s kind in the world. It is a very auspicious occasion
for Indian siblings. It is celebrated between the brothers & their sisters,
as a tribute & dedication for the ever-lasting bond that they share. The Hindi word ‘Raksha’ means protection, ‘Bandhan’ means tying of a
relationship. Thus on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie rakhis(sacred thread) on
their brothers’ wrists, wishing for their excellent health & well-being;
consequently, the brother pledges to love their sisters ever long & to
protect her from all kind of dangers. At the very core of it, it is a ritual
that is based on the pillars of protection, love & brotherhood.
3.Holi: This is the
festival of colors. People play with bright colors like red, green, yellow,
orange, magenta & purple etc. The celebration begins with the Holika dahan ritual that is
celebrated to honour the burning of Holika, the evil demoness & protection of Prahlad by Lord Vishnu from
that fire. People collect wood & burn a bonfire & celebrate by singing songs around it.
4. Dushehra: This festival symbolizes Lord Rama’s victory over
demon king Ravana which signifies the
victory of the power of good over evil. To enjoy the festival, people enact the
battle through skits & plays in a dramatic form which is called Ram-Leela. People burn huge
life-size effigies of demon Ravana & his brothers. They fill those effigies with
explosives & aim an arrow with fire that results in splendid fireworks
& stunning visuals.
5. Nav-Ratri: ‘Nav’ means Nine & ‘Ratri’ means Night;this festival is celebrated over a period of 9nights during
which we worship 9incarnations of Goddess Durga. The festival is generally celebrated two times in a year. People make grand
statues of the goddess & processions are taken place. The temples &
idols of Goddess are beautifully decorated.
Many people observe a fast or a special diet during these 9days, even
non-vegetarians don’t have non-veg meal during this period. During these days, Kanya pujan(worshipping little
girls) is held because they symbolize
Goddess Durga. This festival is
celebrated in a very joyful manner. The girls & boys wear traditional
colorful dresses. People of all ages gather together at a place where the Garba/Dandiya dance is organized
in which people dance barefoot in a big circle. This festival is a great symbol
of our culture & folk diversity as a single festival is celebrated in
different ways all over India.
6. Kumbh mela: This is a major
pilgrimage of Hindus. It’s the largest religious gathering in the world held
4times over the course of 12yrs at 4different locations that are situated on
the banks of sacred rivers. The location rotates b/w Haridwar on the river Ganges, Ujjain on the river Kshipra, Nashik on river Godavari, Prayagraj on the conference of
the rivers Ganges,Yamuna & the mythical Saraswati. Kumbh mela is the intangible cultural heritage of
India declared by UNESCO
which is attended by millions of pilgrims. Kumbh is believed to burge one from all of his/her sins & also liberate them
from the cycle of re-birth. It is also a thrieving place for religious & philosophical debates. This
mega event is worth a watch atleast once in a lifetime.
Indian culture is a perfect blend of traditional &
modern values. Actually I can’t define it either conservative or liberal rather
I must say it a ‘flexible’ culture which is varying as per need of the society
& present time. India has accepted variety of people with different
religions, casts, languages, diets & beliefs that created a beautiful
diverse Indian culture. Indian culture & society is always ready to adopt
the changes which are beneficial for the society. We have successfully
abolished various kinds of malpractices by making strict
laws against those were prevalent
in ancient India like Casteism, untouchability, child marriage,
sati pratha(burning widows alive), polygamy & prohibition of
widow remarriage etc.
Many of the rituals & traditions instructed in our ancient scriptures have
been changed with time as per current social scenario which is a very rare
thing to be found in any other culture. India is the safest country for minorities as they have
given full freedom to follow & practice their own religious belief. Unity in diversity is the biggest
specialty of India. In India, each festival is celebrated in a different manner
in several parts of the country. Each community has it’s own traditions,
rituals & beliefs despite that they are united. So in short I can say that
Indians are getting modernized while maintaining their culture & tradition
simultaneously.
Indian culture has always been the center of attraction for western countries.
This is the reason why many foreign tourists turn to India in search of
spiritual peace, many of them go to Benaras to understand the mystery of death, some stay in Haridwar-Rishikesh to learn yoga and
meditation, some of
them attend the
Kumbh Mela(world's largest human
gathering) to understand the
concept of salvation. Indian culture is so rich that in every field of life like
religion, spirituality, knowledge, science, health, medicine, literature,
language, architecture, painting, sculpture, music, dance, astrology,
economics, politics, cooking, we have so much to give to the world that is still untouched.
