Indian Unique cultural traditions / rituals

Indian Unique  cultural traditions / rituals

India is throbbing with diversity and there are so many traditions and rituals which are unique to it :). It is almost impossble to list all of them but I will try and summarize some of them.

1. Baby Tossing

Every year in Solapur (a region in Maharashtra, India) parents get together to throw their babies off the top of a 50 foot tower.The babies are caught in a sheet held by other villagers on the ground.The parents believe that the practice will give their children long and healthy lives.This is practiced mostly by Muslims but some Hindu families also engage in it. Parents that part take in this ritual are usually those who have become pregnant after praying at the Shrine of Baba Umer Dargah. Local authorities provide policing for the event despite the fact that national government is opposed to it.

2.  The Aghori Sadhus and Cannibalism

The Aghoris (Aghori) are members of a Hindu sect who worship Shiva, whom they see as the supreme god. Because they believe that Shiva created everything – they consider nothing to be bad. For this reason they engage in a variety of sexual practices, they drink alcohol, take drugs, and eat meat. Nothing is considered taboo. But the thing that makes their ancient traditions bizarre is that they are also practicing cannibals and their temples are cremation grounds. An aghori lives in the cremation ground and is able to support himself there – his clothing comes from the dead, his firewood comes from the funeral pyres, and food from the river. When a person is cremated, an aghori will coat himself in the ashes of the body and meditate on the dead.

The most shocking aspect of the Aghori life is their cannibalism. Dead bodies that are found floating in the river are gathered up and meditated on. The limbs are then removed by the Aghori and eaten raw. If you are interested in watching a fascinating documentary on the Aghoris, here is the link : Aghora .

An Aghori drinking from human skull :

3. Shoe Stealing and hiding (Juta Churai Rasam)

Many of you may be familiar with this particular tradition. It has been shown in many Bollywood movies (Hum Apke Hai Kaun tops the list). Its actually a fun activity and I really enjoyed the whole thing during my sister's wedding. 

This is what happens the groom is required to take off his shoes before approaching the wedding altar. As soon as he does this mayhem ensues ;). The bride’s side of the family (especially brothers and sisters) tries to steal them while everyone from the groom’s side of the family tries to protect them. If the bride’s family succeeds in their endeavor, then they are allowed to hold the shoes hostage until they get paid a ransom! 

There is also a certain amount of pride associated with the stealing (and usually the bridesmaids win.. yes, we won :)). It is said that the side which wins this war will have upper hand in years to come :D

 

Following picture should give you more idea (surf  to find more images, can't paste it here due to copyright issues): 

4.  Dhinga Gavar

Dhinga Gavar is a festival celebrated inJodhpur, in Western Rajasthan in India. "Dhinga" literally means "fun by deception"; Gavar, also known as Gangaur. The festival of Gangaur is celebrated throughout India, but that of Dhinga Gavar is celebrated only in Jodhpur.

Dhinga Gavar is basically a folk deity, the humorous side of Shiva's consort Gangaur. The festival starts on the next day of Holi. The legend is that Shiva once teased his consort Parvati by dressing up as a cobbler. In retaliation Parvati also appeared as Bhiltribal women before Shiva to tease and have some fun out of it. 

The function of Dhinga Gavar starts after sunset when the statues of Dhinga Gavar are put on a dais at 11 important location of old Jodhpur city. Each statue is decorated in typical Rajasthan costume with gold jewellery of 5 KG to 30 KG. The offerings to Dhinga Gavar are made of cannabis and dry fruits powder and is known as “moi”. Here is a image of deity :

The women of whom mostly are fromPushkarna Brahmin families dress up in fancy dress costume as various Hindu Gods and Hindu Goddess, police, saints, dacoit, tribal etc. and carry a stick in their hand. They patrol the narrow streets of Jodhpur city whole night protecting the statute of Dhinga Gavar.

It is a popular belief that any unmarried man who comes near these women and is stricken by the stick gets married soon with a suitable girl. So a lot of unmarried man intentionally roam around on Dhinga Gavar night.

Girls happy after beating boys :D...

5. Mourning of Muharram (This is also practiced in many other parts of world)

To commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali (a grandson of Muhammad), some groups of Shia muslims take to the streets and whip themselves with specially designed chains with razors or knives attached. Other groups slit their heads open with knives (as can be seen in the image above). This tradition (called matam) is also practiced by children or forced on them by parents who do the cutting. While some Muslims frown upon the practice, many major Muslim leaders endorse it.

Thousands of mourners slit open their heads with swords, big knives and razor blades streaming their blood to signify their grief over the martyrdom of Al-Imam Al-Hussein – the tragedy which caused the sky to rain blood and the earth to bleed – and thus paid rich homage to Al-Imam Al-Hussein who sacrificed everything in defending Islam which is today under obligation to him.

Wiki Link : Mourning of Muharram

6. Human-Animal Marriage

In some parts of India it is believed that ghosts can inhabit certain people of the living world. Most notably, girls who are born with a baby tooth already erupted through the gum and girls who are very ugly or have some facial deformation are believed to be possessed by ghosts.

The only way to exorcise the ghosts is for the girl to marry an animal, typically a goat or dog. Even though there is a lavish wedding ceremony complete with booze and dancing, the girl is not expected to copulate with the animal – which is good news! She is free to marry a man later on, when the ghosts are proven to be rid from her. I wonder who makes this decision and how they come to the conclusion that the girl is now free from ghosts.

Wiki Link :- Human–animal marriage

7. Lath mar Holi

Lath mar Holi is a local celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi. It takes place well before the actual Holi in the town ofBarsana near Mathura in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The name means "that Holi in which [people]hit with sticks" (laṭh is a thick traditional staff).

Legend has it that Lord Krishna from nandgaon visited his beloved Radha'svillage on this day and playfully teased her and her friends. Taking offence at this, the women of Barsana chased him away. Since then, men from Krishna's village, Nandgaon, visit Barsana to play Holi in the town which has the distinction of having the only temple dedicated to Radha in India.

In the sprawling compound of the Radha Rani temple in Barsana, thousands gather to witness the Lath Mar holi when women beat up men with sticks as those on the sidelines become hysterical, sing Holi Songs and shout Sri Radhey or Sri Krishna. Even today the marriage between residents of Nandgaon and Banaras is not allowed!

8. Worshipping Weapons in Navrati (Ayudha Puja or Astra Puja)

Navratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratrimeaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Deviare worshiped. 

The festival is celebrated across the length and breadth of India. But in some parts pf India (Gujarat and South India) on the ninth day of the festival, weapons and tools are worshipped!

There are two legends associated with the Ayudha Puja which you can read here:Ayudha Puja

A photograph of Narendra Modi, CM of Gujarat doing Ayudha Puja for which he attracted lot of criticism :

9. Varuna Yajna (Worshipping Hindu God of rain)

Agriculture and allied sectors accounted for 16.6% of the GDP in 2009 and about 50% of the total workforce in India. Agriculture is demographically the broadest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic fabric of India. Most of the country is majorly dependent on monsoon rains for the purpose of irrigation. If monsoon fails the Indian economy suffers a huge setback and more than that there is unrest which is not good.

Considering the importance of rains and given that we have 330 million Gods, we have one rain God as well. Varun dev is considered God of rains and whenever the monsoon is weak Varuna Yajna is performed to please God of rains. 

Hindu priests sit inside barrels containing water as they perform special prayers in order to appease Varun :

10. The Sati Pratha

Sati is an ancient culture that existed amongst the Hindus in India, where a woman would burn herself on her dead husband's funeral fire thus killing herself. It was considered an honorable act and the widow was believed to enter straight into heaven, as a reward for her sacrifice. She became a goddess and statues were built in her honor. A very famous temple Rani Sati Temple is one such example.

The term is derived from the original name of the goddess Sati, also known asDakshayani, who self-immolated because she was unable to bear her father Daksha's humiliation of her (living) husband Shiva.

The act was banned by the British Government, but in the late 1980s, an instance was reported. Another case was also reported in 2002. 

Thankfully, this tradition is not in practice any more. The Prevention of Sati Act now makes it illegal to aid, glorify or commit Sati. All offenses are punishable under the law.

11.  Mangal-Dosha and Marriage with tree

Mangal Dosha is an astrological combination that occurs if Mars (astrology)(Mangal) is in the 1st,2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, or 12th house of the Vedic astrology Ascendant chart.

This condition is astrologically believed to be unfavourable for marriages, causing discomfort and tension in relationship, leading to severe disharmony among the spouses and eventually to other bigger problems. This is attributed to the "fiery" nature of Mars, the planet of war.

It is believed that the negative consequences for a single-manglik marriage can be resolved if the manglik first performs a ceremony called a kumbh vivah, in which the manglik "marries" a banana tree, a peepal tree, or a silver or gold idol of the Hindu God Vishnu.

Thankfully the new generation doesn't give any credence to such traditions and slowly the practice is fading off.

12. Polyandry

Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which a woman can have two or more husbands.

Polyandry has been practiced in India and is still practiced by a minority. The popular Hindu epic, Mahabharatha provides the first striking example of polyandry,Draupadi, daughter of king of Panchāla being married to five brothers.

Polyandry was mainly prevalent in theKinnaur Region a part of Himachal in India which is close to the Tibet or currently the Indo-China border. As mentioned in the Epic Mahabharata, The Pandavas were banished from their Kingdom for thirteen years and they spent the last year hiding in this hilly terrain of Kinnaur. A minority of the Kinaauri's still claim to be descendant of the Pandavas and thus justify the practice of Polyandry. However this is a debatable issue as Kinnauris existed much before the Pandavas as mentioned in the epic. 

Apart from Kinnaur, Polyandry was practiced by some south Indian tribes, prevalent among the Todas of Nilgiris, Nairs of Travancore and Ezhavas of Malabar. While polyandrous unions have disappeared from the traditions of many of the groups and tribes, it is still practiced by some Paharisespecially in Jaunsar Bawar region in Northern India.