Customs 1
coming of age” ceremony of my neighbor’s daughter. In other words, the time she started menstruating. I find this one of the most weird and outdated traditions of all, with no sense nor logic to it. The girl is dressed up and made to sit in a makeshift hut, and lots of people come and eat, celebrate her becoming “mature”. In olden days this was used as an excuse to announce to people that the girl is ready to be married off, and her uncles and other folks, aka grown up men, would come and see the girl.
Vedic culture prescribes homam/ Havana or yagnam to pacify gods or/ and get blessed to fulfill desires.
Different materials are offered to fire , which devotees believe will reach the gods through the smoke.
And this is a very strong tradition.
Recently I was watching such procedure being carried on in a temple, in a video.
The pontiff was standing near the place where there is fire, called Homa kund. His disciples were doing the procedure. Finally they unfolded a new bright red silk saree , put some ghee on it and dropped it into the fire all the while uttering sacred mantras/ chanting.
Garudan thookam
A fascinating yet shocking practice followed in Kali temples of Kerala where people hook their backs and hang themselves in air like Eagles to please Kali
Garbada’s Ekadashi
This is a strange tradition practiced in a town called Garbada in Gujarat where cows are made to walk over the backs of people. Since Cows are considered holy in Hinduism, its believed that letting them trample you over your back will reduce your problems.
Burying children in sand
A extremely outlandish ritual followed in Karnataka where children with physical disabilities and certain handicaps are buried in the sand up till their necks on the day of Solar Eclipse. The children are placed inside the pit from anytime between an hour to six hours. This so called “Treatment” is said to cure the children of all their disabilities.
Kaya klesh
A best example showing that religious practices can often take a painful turn. This is a rather painful tradition followed in Jainism, where the staunch believers of this religion pluck their own hair until they get completely bald. The wounds are later healed from a special remedy made out of cow dung.
Baby dunked in boiling water
The inhumane custom carried out in Bijapur, Karnataka where three month old babies are dunked in boiling hot water and lifted immediately. The ritual is to thank deities and the priest for blessing the home with a child.
Aghoris are the followers of Lord Shiva often referred to as the God of Death and Destruction. They believe that everything nature provides can be consumed. They feast on human flesh, drink from skulls and live among dead. From Eating flesh to conjuring black magic
Exorcism cum marriage
A weird practice followed in some remote Indian villages where marrying to odd creatures and objects seems to be the solution for getting rid of ghosts. According to them, a girl born with facial deformities is most likely to be possessed with ghosts and has an ill fate, therefore she is made to marry an animal to exorcise herself off from the demons. Once this is the done, she is free to marry a boy.
8. Tossing babies in the air
You might have seen adults tossing infants in the air playfully to make their kids laugh, but what if they don’t catch them back? The idea of this act makes our body shiver right?
Well, this tradition of dropping a baby from over a 50feet into a sheet held by men is followed in some regions of the country. People believe that doing this will bring good health, prosperity and good luck to the baby.
Theyyam
“What is Theyyam?” is a question with thousands of answers. Because there are more than 400 different kinds of theyyam in Kerala and Karnataka.
This is a Popular ritual form of dance worship in Kerala and Karnataka where a person dressed in heavy makeup and decorated uniform, dances to heavy drum beats citing mythological legends. As the fest grows, the dancer is believed to get possessed by a divine being or theyyam. Later on Theyyam blesses the devotees, walks on fire and performs astonishing acts.
10. Thimithi
Most of us might have watched people walking on fire in movies to please god and receive what he desires for. One such celebration is Thimithi.
It is the festival of walking barefooted on hot firewood or charcoal to honour Hindu Goddess Draupati Amman. This festival is celebrated in various parts of the country in different forms and names.
Made Snana in Karnataka, Dhinga gavar in Jodhpur, Aadi festival in TN, Lath maar holi in UP
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-weird-Hindu-customs-traditions-you-have-witnessed
Breaking coconuts on the devotees’ head is symbolic of breaking free from your past, and surrendering yourself to God. Interestingly, it is a voluntary decision on the part of the devotees, whether or not they want to go through this ordeal, yet, thousands of people line-up outside the gates of Mahalakshmi Temple in Karur, Tamil Nadu, to receive the blessings on this thanksgiving fest.
During the ritual, one of the priests hold the head of the devotees who are sitting in a queue awaiting their turn, and another priest breaks open the coconut in a jiffy by smashing it on the skull of the person. Of course, this ritual causes head injuries to the people. While, some of them rush to the doctor’s clinic to get first aid treatment, which could involve a few stitches, many devotees refrain from taking recourse to medical treatment either out of reverence for the deity, or due to sheer fear from incurring the deity’s wrath.
However, helpers are deployed in the temple premises to apply turmeric powder or sacred ash called vibhooti on the injury of the people.
One of the old tales associated with this temple states that once upon a time, when the devotees prayed to Lord Shiva for his help, the trident-wielding deity refused to turn up. Noting that the coconut has three eyes the way Lord Shiva has, they started breaking coconut on their head to please him. Finally, Shiva appeared before the devotees and fulfilled their wish. There is a special museum inside the temple where several coconut-shaped stones are kept on display. It is believed that these stones were unearthed long time back when the local villagers wanted to construct a compound wall around the temple.
Although, this practice has drawn flak from several agencies like the State Human Rights Commission for its unreasonable nature, the state authorities still allow its practice considering the fact that it is not completely fatal in nature.
The Mahalakshmi Temple is located in Mahadanapuram, 23 km from Karur. It is 800-year-old temple located in a remote village where only a few vehicles operate.
A temple in Kerala has a role to play in blurring the lines of gender. In a 19-day long festival at Kollam's Kottankulangara Devi temple, one could see hundreds of men dressed as women offering prayers to deities.
It is believed that a group of boys who used to herd cows would dress up as girls and offer flowers and a coconut dish called "kottan" to a stone. Impressed by the devotion, one day, a goddess appeared before one of the boys and blessed him. Subsequently, a temple came up in the place and the ritual became an annual feature.
Over 5,000 people - both men and boys - turns up dressed as women or girls for the prayers. Around the same number of people comes to watch the fest.
The cross-dressing is part of traditional ritual festivities which takes place on the last two days of the festival known as "Kottankulangara Chamayavilakku". The men also carry large lamps.
These devotees also aid the business of make-artists around the temple. A lot of people are involved in the process of transformation of men
The bengali women need to take off their clothes, every time they defecate... Being myself a bengali i feel its really a disgusting rule which needed to be folllowed by bengali women only. Like u have to be completely naked u can wrap a cloth around you but you have to wash it after defecation. U cant touch anyone unless you wash yourself completely if someone touches you then that person too have to wash himself or herself.
In southern Karnataka this ritual occurs during "Made Snana" ceremony in Kukke Subrahmanya Temple.Dalits or the people belongind to lower castes roll over the banana leaves spread on the ground used by the Brahmins during the meals.Each year about 3500 devotes participate in this controversial practise.
This ritual is thought to cure skin disease.
In 1979 the "Made Snana" was abolished, but was soon reinstated because of the protests of the devotees.
In Hindu tradition, in order to offset the evil influence of Manglik dosh, a woman should marry a Peepal or Banana tree before she ties the knot with her fiancé. She could even marry a clay urn, which should be broken soon after the nuptial ceremonies, signifying that the bride has become a widow, and the Manglik dosh problem has been solved.
The months of May and June are the hottest in the country with the temperatures often hovering in the range of 40 to 45 degrees Celsius at many places.This is the time when people need monsoon the most.But the arrival of monsoon varies from place to place. Sometimes monsoon also gets delayed throughout the country.
In order to urge god to shower common people with rain frog marriages are carried out.The wedding of frogs signifies that during rainy season frogs may come out and welcome Lord Indra.
The wedding is performed so that frogs croak and welcome Indra Dev as well as the monsoon showers The sound of frog croaking is the sign of the onset of rain.Hence the marriage can bring about rain.
Customs2
Both Manu Smriti and the Baudhayana Dharma Sutra specifically dissuaded Brahmins from travelling across the dark waters, or called as 'kaala paani' , and the penance if one did cross the sea was very severe. You could lose caste on that one account. Besides the costs incurred in doing the required penance were too heavy.
Manusmriti mentions the rules -
if a Brahmin did cross the waters, he is to be denied a Shrardha (the annual appeasement of spirits - Shrardha - serves to remind one at important times throughout one's life that death does not severe the link between the present and the past, between the living and the dead). Such an offender is grouped with prisoners, sellers of soma, one who eats food given by the son of an adulteress, a bard, an oilman or a perjurer.
A Brahmin explained the taboo as follows -
This because one cannot perform his daily ‘pujas’, the three time ‘sandyavandans’ because the sun and moon was "in the wrong place at the wrong time". Moreover, people lived only within their community and did not "touch" anyone else. If one goes out, he would have to compromise on those religious practices, ‘touch’ many unclean people and eat food prepared by "mleccha’s (non Aryan or non Vedic follower)". Another reason stated was that India is a "Punyabhoomi (Holy land)" and the rest of the world is “karmabhoomi (Land of duty)”. Furthermore, such a departure from this land entailed the end of the reincarnation cycle, as the traveler was cut off from the regenerating waters of the Ganges (thus the English solution of carrying Ganges water on ships). It also meant the departure from family and social ties, besides caste dissolution especially among the higher spheres of society.
Sarpa-kavu has it's roots in Kerala and Parashurama. We worship the Nagaraja (King of nagas).Anantha, Vasuki and Takshaka are the Nagarajas. Nagadevatas (dieties) are also worshipped in a Sarpa kaavu. We are not supposed to visit and worship regularly in the kaavu. Most temples have a Sarpa kaavu at the corner between some trees. The lamp is not lit everyday. There are many living snakes inside these sacred grooves.
Velichappadu in Malayalam translates as Revealer of Light, is the Oracle or mediator between a deity and devotees at a Hindu Temple in Kerala. Prominent in Valluvanad, the Velichappadu, also known as Komaram in some parts, is an integral part of the rituals in a Bhagawathi (devi) temple.There are both male and female Velichappadu and often belong to a particular family. People, in Kerala and beyond, have enormous respect for these mediating oracles when they’re in their trances and heed to their words.
Customs 3
Velichappadu…continued..
As followers of Goddess Bhadrakali (Kannagi), they are seen dressed in red, body smeared with turmeric powder and adorned with heavy ritual ornaments and garlands. A heavy hooked sword or sickle-shaped sword, chilambu (anklet), and aramani (huge and heavy waist belt studded with bells) are a part of the ensemble. Often, as their identity, a Velichapadu grows long hair, which hangs loose on their forehead and back. The Velichappadu makes their customary appearance in the temple after performing a puja. Here they perform a frantic dance called thullal, usually accompanied by beatings of drums and cymbals, and gets into a trance with the spirit of the presiding deity. The deity is believed to speak through him as the Velichappadu dances, delivering the frenzied forecasts. They may also predict solutions to problems put forward by devotees and hence the name which also translates as "the one who sheds light (on problems)
It's an annual festival conducted on Makara Sankranti on the shrine of Sabarimala. The thiruvabharanam (holy & sacred ornaments) is put on Swami Ayyappa. There is a temple in the Ponnambalamedu, the place is not open to the public it is under the control of Forest department of Kerala. When the Sirius star appears in the sky on Makaram 1st, these tribes too perform their rituals in that temple. Like in the temple of Sabarimala they also perform Arathi encircling the fire around the Idol. It is performed by lighting camphor and ghee in a vessel and is circled around the idol 3 times. This lamp or fire is what we see from the Sabarimalai temple and call it Makara Jyothi but the fire in the Ponnabalamedu is the actual Makaravilakku
Customs 4
In Eastern Mysore there is a caste called Morsa-Okkala- Makkalu, in which, when the mother of a family gives her eldest daughter in marriage, she is obliged to submit to the amputation of two joints of the middle finger and of the ring finger of the right hand. And if the bride’s mother be dead, the bridegroom’s mother, or in default of her the mother of the nearest relative, must submit to this cruel mutilation .
* This custom is no longer observed ; instead of the two fingers being amputated, they are now merely bound together and thus rendered unfit for use.—ED.
In the interior of Mysore, women are obliged to accom- pany the male inmates of the house whenever the latter retire for the calls of nature, and to cleanse them with water afterwards. This practice, which is usually viewed with disgust in other parts of the country, is here regarded as a sign of good breeding and is most carefully observed
in the districts of Western Mysore that I have observed Monday in each week kept nearly in the same way as Sunday is among Christians. On that day the villagers abstain from ordinary labour, and particularly from such as, like ploughing, requires the use of oxen and kine. Monday is consecrated to Basava (the Bull), and is set apart for the special worship of that deity. Hence it is a day of rest for their cattle rather than for themselves.
This practice, however, is not in vogue except in the districts where the Lingayats, or followers of Siva}, pre- dominate. This sect pays more particular homage to the Bull than the rest of the Hindus; and, in the districts where it predominates, not only keeps up the strict observ- ance of the day thus consecrated to the divinity, but forces other castes to follow its example.
the nearer the relationship the more easily are marriages contracted. A widower is remarried to his deceased wife’s sister, an uncle marries his niece, and a first cousin his first cousin. Persons so related possess an exclusive privilege of intermarrying, upon the ground of such relationship; and, if they choose, they can prevent any other union and enforce their own pre- ferential right, however old, unsuited, infirm, and poor they may be}.
several strange and ridiculous distinctions are made. An uncle may marry the daughter of his sister, but in no case may he marry the daughter of his brother. A brother’s children may marry a sister’s children, but the children of two brothers or of two sisters may not intermarry. Among descendants from the same stock the male line always has the right of contracting marriage with the female line; but the children of the same line may never intermarry.
The reason given for this custom is that children of the male line, as also those of the female line, continue from generation to generation to call themselves brothers and sisters for as long a time as it is publicly recognized that they spring from the same stock. A man would be marry- ing his sister, it would be said, if the children of either the male or the female line intermarried amongst themselves ;
whereas the children of the male line do not call the children of the female line brothers and sisters, and vice versa, but call each other by special names expressive of the relation- ship. Thus a man can, and even must, marry the daughter of his sister, but never the daughter of his brother. A male first cousin marries a female first cousin, the daughter of his maternal aunt; but in no case may he marry the daughter of his paternal uncle.
Abbe dubois
I venture to predict that it will attempt in vain to effect any very considerable changes in the social condition of the people of India, whose character, principles, customs, and ineradicable conservatism will always present insurmountable obstacles.
To make a people happy, it is essential that they themselves should desire to be made happy and should co-operate with those who are working for their happiness.
Now, the people of India, it appears to me, neither possess this desire nor are anxious to co-operate to this end. Every reform which is obviously devised for their well-being they obstinately push aside if it is likely in the least degree to disturb their manner of living, their most absurd prejudice, or their most puerile custom.
There is one motive which above all others has in- fluenced my determination. It struck me that a faithful picture of the wickedness and incongruities of polytheism and idolatry would by its very ugliness help greatly to set off the beauties and perfections of Christianity.
Doubtless the time is still far distant when the stubborn Hindu will open his eyes to the light and tear himself away from his dark superstitions ; but let us not despair, a day will come when the standard of the Cross will be flying over the temples of India as it flies now over her strong places}.
Even when they migrate or travel from one province to another, natives of India never throw off what I may call the characteristics of their natal soil. In the midst of their new surroundings they invariably preserve their own language and customs.
The Brahmin caste has seemed to me to merit particular attention. It is the caste whose rules and practices are most scrupulously observed.
character of the Brahmins,
the high esteem in which they hold them- selves,
the distant hauteur with which they treat the common people, will be able to appreciate the diffi- culties which anybody must encounter who would become intimate, or ever acquainted, with these proud personages.
The hate and contempt which they cherish against ail strangers, and especially against Europeans;
the jealous inquietude with which they hide from the profane the mysteries of their religious cult ;
the records of their learn- ing ;
the privacy of their homes:
all these form barriers between themselves and their observers which it is almost impossible to pass
the very remarkable caste of Nairs, whose women enjoy the privilege of possessing several husbands, is to ke found anywhere but in Travancore?. Amongst these same people, again, is another distinct caste called Nambudiri, which observes one abominable and revolting custom. The girls of this caste are usually married before the age of puberty ; but if a girl who has arrived at an age when the signs of puberty are apparent happens to die before having had intercourse with a man, caste custom rigorously demands that the inanimate corpse of the deceased shall be subjected to a monstrous connexion. For this purpose the girl’s parents are obliged to procure by a present of money some wretched fellow willing to consummate such a disgusting form of marriage: for were the marriage
Note
Whatever may have been the case in the days of the Abbé, these customs no longer exist. In regard to this, Mr. W. Logan, in his Manual of Malabar, writes thus: ‘To make tardy retribution—if it deserves such a name—to women who die unmarried, the corpse, it is said, cannot be burnt till a tali string (the Hindu equivalent of the wedding- ring of Europe) is tied round the neck of the corpse, while lying on the funeral pile, by a competent relative. Nambudiris are exceedingly reticent in regard to their funeral ceremonies and observances, and the Abbé Dubois’ account of what was related to him regarding other observances at this strange funeral-pile marriage requires confirmation.’ Careful inquiries made of the leading members of the Nambudiri com- munity and of others in Malabar who have an intimate knowledge of Nambudiri customs have convinced me that the Abbé must have mis- understood his informant in regard to the practice which he records here. What is done in such a case is merely to perform the religious rites, usually associated with Hindu marriages, over the dead body of the woman before the corpse is cremated. By marriage here is meant merely the tying of the tali (the emblem of marriage) and not the act of consummation of marriage.—ED.
those castes are most honoured who are particular in keeping themselves pure by constant bathing and by abstaining from animal food, who are exact in the observance of marriage regula- tions, who keep their women shut up and punish them severely when they err, and who resolutely maintain the customs and privileges of their order.
Abbe dubois 2
When expulsion from caste is the result of some heinous offence, the guilty person who is readmitted into caste has to submit to one or other of the following ordeals:
his tongue is slightly burnt with a piece of heated gold;
he is branded indelibly on different parts of his body with red- hot iron;
he is made to walk barefooted over red-hot embers ; or
he is compelled to crawl several times under the belly of a cow.
Finally; to complete his purification, he is made to drink the pancha-gavia.
namely, milk, curds, ghee (clarified butter), dung and urine, which are mixed together.
The last- named, urine, is looked upon as the most efficacious for purifying any kind of uncleanness.
I have often seen superstitious Hindus following the cows to pasture, waiting for the moment when they could collect the precious liquid in vessels of brass, and carrying it away while still warm to their houses. I have also seen them waiting to catch it in the hollow of their hands, drinking some of it and rubbing their faces and heads with the rest. Rubbing it in this way is supposed to wash away all external uncleanness, and drinking it to cleanse all internal impurity.
When this disgusting ceremony of the pancha-gavia is over, the person who has been reinstated is expected to give a great feast to the Brahmins who have collected from all parts to witness it. Presents of more or less value are also expected by them, and not until these are forthcoming does the guilty person obtain all his rights and privileges again.
There are certain offences so heinous in the sight of Hindus, however, as to leave no hope of reinstatement to those who commit them. Such, for example, would be the crime of a Brahmin who had openly cohabited with a Pariah woman. Were the woman of any other caste, I believe that it would be possible for a guilty person, by getting rid of her and by repudiating any children he had had by her, to obtain pardon, after performing many purifying ceremonies and expending much money. But hopeless would be the case of the man who under any circumstances had eaten of cow’s flesh. There would be no hope of pardon for him, even supposing he had com- mitted such an awful sacrilege under compulsion.