Here are some facts and interesting points i've found out about the overall theme of weddings and culture that applies, or can apply to India.
- Brides paint henna on their hands and feet to protect themselves from the evil eye.
- Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.
- Diamonds set in gold or silver became popular as betrothal rings among wealthy Venetians toward the end of the fifteenth century.
- In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness.
- A pearl engagement ring is said to be bad luck because its shape echoes that of a tear.
- Much like the modern tradition of feeding wedding cake to one’s spouse, in ancient Rome, couples pledged their unity by sharing food. Today a Japanese bride and groom drink sake together, Jewish couples drink from the same cup of consecrated wine, and Muslim couples eat from the same piece of candy.
- In Asia, wearing robes with embroidered cranes symbolises fidelity for the length of a marriage.
- Brides carry or wear "something old" on their wedding day to symbolise continuity with the past.
- Brahmin's the 'priests' are seen as the most prestigious caste
- Followed by Kshatriya's, descendants from warriors and rulers
- Followed by Vaisyas, descendants from skilled traders, merchants, and minor officials
- Followed by Sudras, descendants from unskilled workers
- Lowest castes are the Pariah "Harijans", outcastes, "Untouchables", "Children of God"
- M.F Husain, a very well renowned painter and artist from India, painted alot of Bollywood movie posters early in his career.
- Painting was more widespread because human labour was cheaper printing and distributing publicity material
- Nowadays a majority of the posters are made digitally.
- Bollywood produces over 1000 movies every year, much more than Hollywood
- Post-independence, movies generally had more social themes such as poverty and labour, such as Awaata
- Golden Age is the name of bollywood movies from around the 50s
- Raj Kapoor is one of the most well renowned Bollywood stars ever, appearing on a few 'Best performances ever's lists', such as Time magazine. In performances in films such as Awaara.
- Ghazal is a type of poetic song, usually about the pain of and loss of separation,
- Mohammad Rafi, one of Indias most renowned playback singers often recorded songs for free.
- Mohammad Rafi, died performing on stage due to a heart attack
- Lata Mangeshkar, one of the most well renowned playback singers in India, has recorded over 30,000 songs in 14 different languages, making her the most recorded voice in history
- Javed Akhtar, was born as Jadoo Akhtar
- Dowries were outlawed in India, but are still prevalent in rural areas
- Around 60% of all female deaths in Bangladesh at one point, were dowry related
- Sons are often preferred as parents are aware of how much it costs to marry their daughter off and the idea of giving dowry and the pressure involved
- This leads to the murder of female babies, which is sadly still common
- The Hindu Marriage Act 1955
- Music is a massive part of Indian weddings
- Bollywood is a big part of Indian culture
- Both combine with the amount of songs that are wedding related in Bollywood, such as "Le Jayenge Le Jayenge", from the movie Chor Machaye Shor
- 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'
- Sharukh Khan is one of the biggest stars in the Indian movie industry, alot of people think he's the first thing they think of when someone mentions India, never mind Bollywood, according to my survey
- Public displays of affection are really frowned upon in India
- Richard Gere kissed Shilpa Shetty, probably unaware of this and received a massive public outcry
- Hindus do not eat beef, and beef isn't really found in India as cows are seen as sacred
- Hindus do not eat beef
- Cow is associated and referred to as Devi (goddess)
- Even when meat eating was permitted, the anicent Vedic scriptures encouraged vegetarianism
- Cow gives 5 useful products: milk, curd, ghee butter, urine and dung
- Gopastami - Cow Holiday - once a year cows are washed, bathed, decorated and given offerings.
- During Holy Months such as Shrawan and Kartik, Hindus follow a vegetarian diet
- Homosexuality is frowned upon in India, still
- Many Hindus, especially Brahmin Hindus abstain from eating meat, and are vegetarian
- Among Hindus many people discourage eating onion and garlic along with non-vegetarian food during festivals or Hindu holy months of Shrawan and Kartik.
- Consumption of human flesh is forbidden in Hinduism
- In some castes widows are forbidden from eating meat
- The 4 castes are Brahmin (priestly), Kshatriya (defence), Vaisya (agriculture and business) and Shudra (menial labour)
- Alcohol and narcotics are forbidden with traditional Hindus
- It's also a taboo to collect fruit or break plants after sunset, origins of this could be back in the day before lights were available, it would be dangerous to pick at night, so it became taboo as you could hurt yourself or get sick from eating a dodgy fruit
- Pre-marital sex is frowned on and forbidden in terms of religion but definitely frowned on in Indian culture
- Segregation in sexes in schools is very common
- System of dating between a boy and girl is foreign in hindu culture and rarely approved
- Kissing or affection in public is very disrespectful and frowned upon in India
- Having a child outside wedlock
- Homosexuality is frowned upon
- Dowry plays a big part in Indian and South Asian culture, gonna look into this further.
- Hindus regard the cow as a sacred animal and will not kill or eat them, look into this further.
- In india shaking your head actually means yes.
- In some castes in the back, it was forbidden to even travel across the sea!
- Castes, all have their own traditions and taboos in Asian culture
- Orgon donation is very rare, because Hindus believe in reincarnation and you may be reincarnated with vital organs missing. Of the 1.1 billion population only around 80 organ donors appear on record in one study
- Things like reality tv are really challenging the perceptions and taboos in indian culture, with dating and talk of sex etc much more prevalent and slightly more accepted in society with shows like the Indian Big Brother
- Do not offer to shake the hand of a person of the opposite sex unless they offer first.
- Do not walking over books and paper, even newspaper or even touching them with your feet, as Indian people treat books as a metaphor for the Goddess of learning.
- Do not use the same hand for eating and also for taking food from a common dish on the dining table. Indians believe other people’s saliva is unhygienic. Tasting and taking a sip from others’ glasses is regarded as violation of private space. If you need a spoon, you will need to ask for it or bring one along. Typically, people eat with their (right) hand.
- Do not breaking temple rules while on a visit to a temple. Feet, particularly shoes/sandals, are considered unclean, always take them off when entering a temple (except in some Westernized, urban congregations). In some temples tourists are not even allowed to walk into the most holy areas with their shirts on!
- Do not touch anyone or receive/give anything with one’s left hand, as the left hand is only used for one’s “morning business.”
- Do not drink any alcohol or smoke in public. It’s offensive.
- Do not hunt, as killing wildlife can get you in serious trouble. Do not hurt a cow, as many Hindus consider the cows are holy, and are offended if they are hit by strangers.
- Do not discuss religion, especially with Muslims who form 11% of India’s population. Do not make comments of ridicule or disrespect toward the society or any religion. People are very resentful of Western (ignorant) judgments.
- Do not do any public preaching or handing out of tracts, and that kind of activity is prohibited when you are in India on a tourist visa
- Do not visit areas in the extreme north or north-east, as foreigners, especially west Europeans and Americans are at risk to be hostaged by terrorists in those areas. The other areas of India is safe for everyone.
- Do not buy food from roadside stalls or mobile canteens. Do not drink local tap water, drink bottled water only. Do not eat fresh fruit and vegetables that you cannot peel.
- Do not take offers of spiritual salvation and magic remedies from saints, godmen and quacks. There is no way you can distinguish the genuine ones from the crooks.
- Do not try to explore Indian road yourself, nor to drive in India unless you have been trained on Indian roads.
- Do not ever purchase air, rail or bus tickets through strangers or unauthorized travel agents or tour operators. In any case avoid persistent touts and taxi-wallahs at airport/stations/bus stand to help you find your hotel. Always use tourist assistance desk for proper advice.
- Do not hire any type of transportation from unlicensed operators. In case of taxis and auto-rickshaws, try to hire them from the pre-paid booths if possible. Otherwise, insist on going by the meter or set a fare in advance to avoid being over charged.
- Do dress modestly if you are female. No sleeveless blouses, no short skirts, no shorts, no low, loose collars. And men do not wear shorts.
- Do prepare yourself at the earliest. Indian traffic and roads are hapless.
- Do greet people with big smile. Handshake with ladies especially in rural areas should be avoided.
- If possible do cover yourself with travel insurance for thefts, loss and medi-claim. Do exchange money only through authorize banks or money changers.
- Do immunized yourself against various diseases like typhoid, malaria, hepatitis and tetanus that are prevalent in India. Do take whatever medications you need in ample supply.
- Do bargain with half price when you buy things from roadside stalls or hawkers, but do not bargain in proper shops especially where display “fixed price” signs.
- Do make sure to remove your footwear when visiting a place of worship or mausoleum.
- As customary, do bring some small gifts as hostess gifts and as presentations to one’s students, it can be as small as a postcard from your home region.
- Polygamy was frequently practiced in ancient Hindu Society
- Priest chants mantras - which are spiritual or sacred syllables which contain divine power
- Brides mother blesses groom with rice and applies tilak of vermillion and turmeric
- Tilak isa vertical mark placed on the top of the forehead of a devotee of a ritual worship
- Sacred fire is to make the atmosphere pure and spiritual
- Bride leads the laps around the fire, seven times. It is custom but also in effect legalises the marriage according to the Hindu Marriage Act
- Different areas of India, such as Southern and Northern have slightly different marriage ceremonies, similar to how Catholics and Orthodox Christians have slightly different marriage ceremonies
- Couple make food offerings to fire and feed each other a morsel of food to express mutual love and affection
- Pre-wedding events are interesting, especially mehndi ki raat, where they apply henna to the bride
- The exit of the bride and groom is much more sombre in South Asian culture with lots of tears and hugging of the bride as the groom takes her away
- Brides family tend to push the wedding car as it moves off to symbolise helping the couple on their way
- Worlds oldest religion
- A billion followers
- Belief in reincarnation is a vital characteristic
- Cycle of births and deaths
- A way of life, a 'Dharma'
- Responsible for birth of concepts such as Yoga, Kharma, Puja, Tantra
- Some scholars believe it existed around 10,000BC
- Rig Veda is earliest Hindu scripture
- Hinduism not found anywhere in scriptures, word Hindu inf act comprised from foreigners referring to people living across the River Indus or Sindhu
- Key hindu scriptures are called 'shastras'
- Most popular texts are the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharata
- One supreme Absolute called 'Brahman'
- But thousands of worshipped dieties/gods/godesses
- Also worship trees, animals and even planets
0 comments:
Post a Comment