Since nothing of noteworthy excitement has occurred since my
last blog post, I’ve decided to include some of the interesting things I’ve
been learning about Indian religion and culture. The culture is shrouded by their religion -
even their language is affected by their belief system - and my growing
comprehension of Hinduism (and even Islam) has given me insight into why
Indians live the way they do. Here are just a few random facts about this country I am growing to love:
1. In Hinduism, there are countless gods, but typically, most people
are dedicated to one god or a family of gods.
2. India is a land of symbolism and iconography.
-elephant = good luck
-peacock = beauty and grace (and it's their national bird)
-tiger = power
-camel = love (huh?)
3. Just recently, India celebrated a holiday called Raksha
Bandhan, and unlike most of their holidays laced with superstition and
paganism, this one is actually quite sweet.
During this holiday, sisters tie a band or bracelet around her brother’s
wrist as a reminder of love and protection and in return, brothers vow to
protect and take care of their sisters.
It attempts to bring families closer together and strengthen the
brother/sister relationship.
4. Karma is a central belief in Hinduism. What you sow in one life you will reap in the
next. Reincarnation is much like the Law of Conservation of Energy, which
states in part that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Similarly, Hindus believe that the body dies
but the soul lives on and on. In simple terms, the
ultimate goal of a Hindu is to be reincarnated over and over again while going
through 4 basic stages (too long and complicated to include here), and then be
absorbed into the spirit of their main god Brahman, which is an eternal state. Women cannot achieve this – she must be
reincarnated into a man first.
5. Since Hindus believe that a soul resides in every being,
animals are held in high esteem. Animals
are rarely killed, which is why most practicing Hindus are vegetarian, if not
vegan. The cow is their most sacred
animal, and it is basically more honorable to be reincarnated into one than it
is to be reborn as a woman.
6. Due to discrimination against women in this culture, one in
every sixth girl will die. India has one
of the highest abortion rates in the world, if not the highest, and most of
them are girls. Many of them are killed
as young children by their own families.
7. Hinduism is almost 4,000 years old, making it one of the
oldest religions of the world. It has
dominated Indian culture for most of its existence.
8. Most of the marriages in India are arranged. Weddings are week long events with several
specific parties and gatherings symbolizing certain specific things. Don’t ask me what these specific things are, because I don't remember all of them. I would actually have
to get married here to figure them all out!
They are loud though, let me tell you.
While in Mussoorie, our landlords hosted a wedding and one of the
parties was right outside our guesthouse (we’re talking loudspeakers RIGHT
OUTSIDE my door). Loudest music and
dancing I’ve ever heard. Let’s just say
that they had fun, and I got no sleep that night.
9. Indians have a six day work week, with each sector or area
taking a different day of the week off. I
just solved the depression problem in India – give the people a two day weekend.
10. Widows are considered bad luck in Hindu culture. She is often blamed for her husband’s death,
and many times is shunned or killed. Although
this mainly occurred in historic India, the wheels of change are often slow to
turn. Modern India is rising, and
hopefully this will no longer be an issue, but widows here still carry the
stigma of death with them.
11. Rivers are very important to Indians. In Hinduism, they are worshiped as gods and
goddesses, and the Ganges River is believed to have sin-cleansing powers. Indians come from all over the country to be
cremated and have their ashes spread in the River. From what I hear from the people I know who
live there, the scent of burning flesh in the air is incessant. As if that wasn’t disturbing enough, people often
use the water to bathe in, wash clothes in, wash animals in, and set their dead
children adrift in (no children are allowed to be cremated, so they just put
bury them in the river). They rely
heavily on the holiness of the water to forgive sins and usher the soul to eternity
in Brahman.
As I said before, Indian culture has historically been defined and shaped by their religion. There is much more to this story, and I get new revelations about it every day...it both fascinates and saddens me. But after studying Hinduism at its most basic level, I am more
thankful than ever before for the Hope that is in us.
Again, thank you for your prayers and support! I am so thankful for my friends :) Three more months here, then home. I've been missing the USA lately, but I'm looking forward to every step I'll take until then.
