RITUALS CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES

 

                             

                            ❤ RITUALS, CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES ❤

                       IN INDIA RITUALS AND CUSTOMS ARE CLOSELY KNIT IN SOCIAL RELIGIOUS LIFE OF PEOPLE. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW OR PERFORM ALL THESE SEEMINGLY COMPLEX RITUALS AND CUSTOMS? DO THEY SERVE ANY USEFUL PURPOSE FROM THE POINT OF UTILITY IN DAY-TO-DAY LIFE? YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THAT AT TIMES SOME PRIEST OR RELIGIOUS GURU ASKES THE FOLLOWERS TO PERFORM THESE RITUALS FOR SOME REASON OR THE OTHER. OFTEN PEOPLE PERFORM THEM ON THEIR OWN WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM. LET US PAY SOME ATTENTION TO THE ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF THESE GREAT ENTHUSIASM. LET US PAY SOME ATTENTION TO THE ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF THESE RITUALS AND CUSTOMS. THERE ARE A WHOLE RANGE TO THE RANGE OF FUNCTIONS. HERE WE WILL DISCUSS A FEW FUNCTIONS  CONSIDERED IMPORTANT BY SOCIALOGISTS.

             👀  SOCIALIZATION : RITUALSS, CEREMONIES, ETC AS A SOCIALIZING FORCE. THEY BRING THE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE DEFINED SOCIETY AND INTEGRATES THEM.

             👀   SOCIAL CONTROL : RITUALS, CEREMONIES, ETC. ACT AS A SOCIALIZING FORCE. THEY BRING THE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE DEFINED SOCIETY AND INTEGRATES THEM.

             👀   SOCIAL CONTROL : THEY ACT AS INSTRUMENTS OF SOCIAL CONTROL. THEY ARE LINKED WITH WORLDLY REWARDS AND PUNISHMENT. THE PRIEST OFTEN CONTROLS SOCIETY BY ASKING FOLLOWERS  TO PERFORM THESE FOR SOME REASON OR THE OTHER. MANY A TIME MEMBERS OF A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY OR CASTE ARE ASKED TO PERFORM THESE TO CORRECT THE WRONGS (SINS) COMMITTED OR ELSE FACE EXCOMMUNICATION. IN SUCH A SITUATION THEY BECOME WEAPON OF SOCIAL CONTROL.

          👀  MERIT AND STATUS : AT TIMES THEY ARE PERFORMED WITH A VIEW TO GET SOCIAL PRESTIGE AND STATUS. LIKE PERFORMING SOME SACRIFICE OR CONDUCTING YAGNA ETC.

             👀   IDENTIFICATION : CERTAIN RITUALS ARE PERFORMED TO HAVE A SPECIFIC IDENTITY. PUTTING VERMILION BY MARRIED WOMEN OR CIRCUMCISION AMONG MUSLIMS OR PIERCING OF EARLOBES IN SOME COMMNITIES ARE A FEW EXAMPLES.

             👀    SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT : PERFORMANCE OF CUSTOMES AND RITUALS IS CLOSELY LINELY WITH PEOPLE'S DESIRE TO ACHIEVE SPIRITUAL SATISFACTION AND ADVANCEMENT. PRAYERS, PILGRIMAGE, FASTING, SACRIFICES AND VARIOUS FORMS OF WORSHIP ARE FOLLOWED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT APPLIES TO ALL THE RILIGIONS AND COMMUNITIES.

  

            👀   NAMASKER/NAMSTE : THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF GREETING, ESPECIALLY THE ELDERS, IS TO SAY MAMASTE WITH THE HANDS JOINED AT THE CHEST LEVEL. IT IS ALSO USED AT THE TIME OF FAREWELL.

             👀  LIGHTING LAMP/DIYA : IN ALMOST EVERY INDIAN HOUSEHOLD, A LAMP/DIYA IS LIGHTED BEFORE THE ALTAR OF GOD IN THE MORNING. SOME PEOPLE LIGHT LAMP IN EVENING ALSO.

             👀   PROSTRATING BEFORE PARENTS AND ELDERS : INDIANS PROSTRATE BEFORE THEIR PARENTS, ELDERS AND TEACHERS BY TOUCHING THEIR FEET. THE ELDERS IN TURN PLACE THEIR HAND ON PROSTRATING PERSON'S HEAD AND BLESS HIM/HER.

           👀  DEATH CEREMONY : AFTER A PERSON PASSES AWAY, THE CREMATION IS DONE ACCORDING TO CERTAIN RITUALS. THE RITUALS CONTINUE A FEW DAYS AFTER THE DEATH. IN THE ABOVE LINES, WE HAVE MENTIOBED ONLY SOME OF THE CUSTOMES AND TRADITIONS OF INDIA. OTHER IMPORTANT OCCATIONS WHEN DIFFERENT CUSTOMES AND RITUALS ARE FOLLOWED ARE THE INDIAN FESTIVALS. COME AND VISIT INDIA TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE OTHER FASCINATING ASPECTS OF INDIAN CUSTOMES AND RITUALS.

                                  ❤   INDIAN CUSTOMS AND RITUALS  ❤

                     INDIA IS A MELTING POT OF DIFFERENT FAITHS AND RELIGIONS. THE DIVERSE CULTURE OF INDIA MAKES IT THE MOST UNIQUE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. CUSTOMS AND RITUALS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE INDIAN WAY OF LIFE. THESE CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS TRAVERSE THE BOUNDARY OF RELIGION, CAST AND CREED. CUSTOMS AND RITUALS OF INDIA ARE WHAT ATTRACT MANY TOURISTS TO THIS MYRIAD LAND.

                   ONE GETS A GLIMPSE OF THE CUSTOMS AND RITUALS IN INDIA AS SOON AS ONE IS WELCOMED IN TRADITIONAL INDIAN STYLE. 'ATITHI DEVO BHAVA' IS WHAT INSPIRES THE HOSPITALITY BUSINESS IN INDIA, WHICH IS WHAT REFLECTS THE MOST POPULAR CUSTOM OF INDIA. 'ATITHI DEVO BHAVA' MEANS THAT GUEST IS GOD AND SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE A DEITY. THIS IS WHAT IS EXPRESSED IN WELCOMING A GUEST WITH A GARLAND AND PUTTING VERMILION ON THE FOREHEAD OF THE GUEST. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SUCH CUSTOMS THAT ARE PART OF INDIAN SOCIETY. EVEN THE TOURISM MINISTRY, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HS LAUNCHED THE 'ATHITHI DEVO BHAVA' CAMPAIGN TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF INDIA'S RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF TREATING A TOURIST LIKE GOD.

                 INDIANS ARE STEEPED INTO VARIOUS CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS. RIGHT FROM THE BIRTH TO DEATH, THERE IS HARDLY AND OCCASION THAT DOES NOT HAVE AN ELABORATE CEREMONY. SOON AFTER THE BIRTH OF A CHILD, AN ELABORATE CEREMONY TO NAME THE CHILD TAKES PLACE, WHICH IS MARKED BY CHANTING OF SLOKAS AND SINGING OF HYMS. WEDDINGS ARE GRAND AFFAIRS IN INDIA, AS THEY FOLLOW VARIOUS CUSTOMS AND RITUALS. SO, MANY FOREIGNERS COME TO INDIA TO MARRY IN INDIAN STYLE. RAJASTHAN IS THE PLACE THAT IS MOST POPULAR FOR ROUYAL WEDDINGS IN INDIA.

                EVEN CREMATION IS DONE ACCORDING TO RITUALS AFTER ONE PASSES AWAY. TAKING A HERITAGE TOUR TO INDIA IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE FASCINATING ASPECTS OF INDIAN CUSTOMS AND RITUALS. FETIVALS ARE OTHER IMPORTANT OCCASIONS WHEN ONE CAN SEE DIFFERENT CUSTOMS AND RITUALS FOLLOWED BY PEOPLE. COME ON A FASCINATING JOURNEY TO THE MYRAID LAND OF DIFFERENT FAITHS AND UNIQUE CULTURES WITH HERITAGE IN INDIA.

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