Perhaps India is the most exotic of all Asian countries: only here you can see such a colorful multicolor of colors and hear such a wide range of sounds. Only here you can contemplate a cow, importantly walking along a city street next to a Mercedes and a cycle rickshaw; and no one has the right to drive her away, but can only carefully go around. And only in India, everyone boldly enters the muddy, dirty waters of the Ganges, relying on its divine powers, and perform a bath. Nowhere else can you hear such an unearthly vocal flowing in a continuous iridescent stream and you will not see such gutta-perky dancers squirming so that it seems that they have no bones. It is in this densely populated country that the insane luxury of some is combined with the appalling poverty of others. And the local chastity of lovers needs to be learned by jaded Europeans, who have completely forgotten about such concepts, as immaculate purity and sublimity of love feelings, and accustomed to do without spiritual and cordial preludes in their relationships. The population here is divided into numerous castes, each of which has its own customs, so the Indian people have a lot of them.
Cult of the sacred animal
The tradition of deifying animals has its roots in ancient times, but is still sacredly revered in the country; although a violation in the form of an insult to a cult animal is no longer punished as cruelly as before, when a person who cursed the symbol of holiness was sacrificed to him. But the law is still harsh on those who dare to carelessly treat one or another representative of the four-legged: for this they face expulsion from the country.
Each state has its own cult of the animal, and in order not to get into an unpleasant situation, you need to find out who is sacredly revered in this area, and try to respect the sacred object as much as possible. The main cult in the country is the cow, which can lie quietly on the highway until it gets tired of itself.
It is not allowed to enter the temples in leather shoes and wear leather jewelry. In honor of the sacred animals, special celebrations and extensive Thaipusam festivities are held, in which the entire population takes part, regardless of castes and estates. The main purpose of such actions is to show the victory of good over evil, when the Indians, driven to ecstasy, even pierce their hand or foot as a sign of readiness to sacrifice themselves to a totem deity.
Indian dances
Probably, there are few among the Indians who do not know how to dance at all, because according to established customs, dance is taught almost from infancy.
The inability to dance is considered bad form, and the one who succeeds in this matter is praised to the skies: a talented dancer enjoys universal love and respect. Because each dance is not just graceful movements, but a certain composition that contains a clear idea, meaning, understandable to sophisticated spectators. The more expressively this is conveyed by the dancers, the higher the assessment of their skill, the virtuosity of which causes a storm of enthusiastic cries from the audience.
Greetings and gestures
They even have the usual handshake, accepted everywhere at a meeting, has its own characteristics: it is considered indecent to greet a stranger and women. It is also unacceptable to hug and kiss, meeting and saying goodbye even to well-known people – the most acceptable at such moments is “namaste” – arms folded at chest level or a palm raised up.
In order not to get into an awkward position, you need to know the interpretation of common gestures: you can't publicly snap your fingers, wink at women, clap your hands, as this will be regarded as an insult or an unpleasant hint.
The word “toilet” in the sense of a place where one can perform natural functions should be replaced by the strange phrase “number one” when there is a need to know the location of this object. Sign language is especially demanding in the provinces: conservative residents of which strictly monitor the behavior of visitors.
ritual rites
Until now, the main method of burial is considered to be burning the body of the deceased, followed by scattering the ashes over the Ganges, and in remote villages, the requirement for self-immolation of the widow on the funeral pyre of her husband still remains in force. According to Hindus, this helps spouses to rise spiritually and go to heaven.
The rite of eating only with the right hand is strictly observed, regardless of whether they eat with their hands or with utensils: you can only hold a fork or spoon in your right hand. The left hand is considered dirty by Hindus, because it is used for ablution after going to the toilet: it is not customary for them to use toilet paper, as in other Asian countries with a hot climate.
The most important bright, colorful and solemn ritual holiday in India is a wedding, for which they prepare for a very long time, adhering to all the canons developed by the centuries-old ancient and more modern traditions of the local population.
Perhaps, the wedding ceremony is equal in importance only to birth, because marriages are concluded here once, without implying divorces either in this life or in the next seven, which is what the Vedic beliefs of the inhabitants of India interpret, therefore, with such responsibility and breadth, they approach the wedding ceremony here. ceremony, sparing neither strength nor means.
The main requirement on the eve of the wedding for the bride is her chastity. The girl must be a virgin, according to the ancient Vedic interpretation of the union of a man and a woman, according to which the bride is the “field”, and the groom is the “sower” and the only owner of it, and only he is allowed to throw seeds on this field.
In cases where a man marries a woman who lost her virginity before marriage, their family is subjected to all kinds of humiliation, and children become outcasts. The same attitude is experienced by a woman who has married a second time or lives with a man in an informal marriage.
The choice of a future wife and husband is the most important stage in the life of Indians, therefore, special horoscopes are compiled for lovers, according to which a conclusion is made about their physiological and psychological compatibility; it is predicted how successful and happy their union will be. The ceremony of betrothal of the newlyweds is usually performed at the Sacred Sacrificial Fire by a Brahmin – a tribal priest.
A few days before the wedding ceremony, a tilak engagement takes place in the groom's house by the bride's father and his male relatives, thus emphasizing the important role of a real man, which is a future son-in-law. A potential father-in-law decorates his forehead with a special sign – a symbol of consent to accept this man into his family, the brahmin performs a ceremony of worshiping the Gods, all the relatives who come put a tilaki sign on the groom's forehead and present gifts.
A fun ceremony – sangeet (a kind of bachelorette party) takes place in the bride's house, in which mostly women of both genders participate. They sit down at the festive table with a variety of delicious treats, and then dance, sing songs and vied with each other to wish happiness and joy in the upcoming family life. Sugahin is also held in the bride's house – a ritual of reciting prayers glorifying women who passed away before their husbands and are revered as saints. All those who gathered also wish to become a “sugahin” to the future wife, whose husband is alive and well.
The day before the wedding ceremony, a haldi ritual is performed, which consists in applying turmeric paste to the hands, feet and face of the newlyweds, giving, according to the Hindus, a festive glow to the skin.
Before the start of the celebration, the rooms of the bride and groom are decorated with a special swastika – a symbol of their future happiness, success and prosperity: “swast” means “good”. The bride is instilled with the idea that her husband is like a deity, for whom she will live and faithfully serve after the wedding.
The sacrificial ritual at the Sacrificial Fire confirms the girl's consent to consider her future husband as the highest deity. And the man after that is sure that it was she who was sent to him by God and accepts his wife as a precious gift.
Previously, the groom usually came to his betrothed on a richly decorated elephant, now – in a motorcade. His mother-in-law meets him, bowing and placing a tilak on her son-in-law's forehead – a talisman against evil forces. Having met in a luxurious tent, the young people exchange garlands of flowers as a sign of love and fidelity.
Contrary to European traditions, all expenses for the wedding are borne by the bride's family, so it is not easy for parents who have several daughters. Only traditional wedding dresses, which require 16 mandatory elements of jewelry, take a lot of money, not to mention everything else. But age-old rites for the inhabitants of this amazing country are more expensive than money; as the famous hero of the Soviet film masterpiece said: “The East is a delicate matter.”