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Family Customs
in India
Family is important in India, and is what their life is centered around. It is common for
several generations to live in the same house as an extended family.
When a woman marries, she leaves her birth family, many times without seeing them again,
and goes to her husband's village and becomes part of his family.
There is significant discrimination toward girls and women. While young girls are expected
to help with the women's work (which consists of fetching water, preparing meals,
cleaning, and caring for animals) as well as care for their younger siblings; boys have it
much easier.
They may be required to herd goats and other animals to and from the fields, but in
general have it much easier than their female counterparts and this discrimination doesn't
end with adulthood.
A simple draped cloth is still the basic attire for many Indians. The women wear a sari,
which is worn with a blouse underneath, with the material ranging from cotton to silk. Men
generally wear a dhoti, which can be worn full length or as "pants" depending on
the region. In northern India, western clothing has replaced that of the traditional for
men, while women still wear saris or other Indian styles of dress. In rare cases women
will wear slacks and blouses, but that is generally among the elite. Deepavali
And Diwali
Hindus celebrate Deepavali (as it is called in South India) or Diwali (as it called in
North India) for different reasons:
Deepavali commemorates the killing of Narakasura (demon king) by Krishna's wife
Sathyabhama. This happened in the Dwapara Yuga during the time of Krishna. There is
another version that the demon king was killed by Lord Krishna himself.
Before Narakasura's death, he requested a boon from his mother, Sathyabhama or possibly
Krishna, that everyone should celebrate his death with the lighting of deepas (lamps).
In the South, naraka chaturdashii is celebrated with firecrackers at the time of suryodaya
(dawn). The main festival is on Amavasya evening with Lakshmi Puja and the lighting of oil
lamps.
According to the Skanda Purana, the goddess Shakti observed 21 days of austerity starting
from ashtami of shukla paksha (eighth day of the waxing period of moon) to get control of
half of Shiva's power. Deepavali is the completion day of this austerity. This is the day
Lord Shiva accepted Shakti into the left half of his form represented as Ardhanarishvara.
In the North, Diwali is celebrated to signify the return of Rama, King of Ayodhya, and his
wife Sita to Ayodhya after a war in which he killed the demon king Ravana. It is believed
that the people lit oil lamps along the way.
In the North India, the festival is held on the final day of the Vikram calendar. The
following day marks the beginning of the North Indian new year, and is called Annakut.
In Bramhavaivarta Purana, Deepavali is associated with the Daitya king Bali. Vishnu takes
Vamana avatar and destroys Bali by deceit. Bali is granted a boon to return to earth once
a year.
Holi, the festival of colors
In ancient scriptures and paintings holi has always been depicted as an occassion for
celebration with colors where men and women play pranks with each other. The original idea
might have been to offer an opportunity for men and women to mingle with abandon.
Holi in North India
Holi is an important festival of Braj, where men of Nandgaon and women of Barsana play
'latthmar Holi' in the remembrance of the playful throw of colors by Krishna on 'Gopis'
and their resistance. The romance of Holi is depicted in the love plays of Krishna and
Radha. In Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul and Barsana, Holi is a two-week long festival
featuring play of colors, folk songs called 'Hori', folk dances such as Raas-Lila, staging
the various aspects of Radha and Krishna's love.
The story behind the festival
When Krishna was a young boy, he asked the reason for his dark color while Radha was so
fair. His mother Yashoda playfully suggested that he should smear color on Radha's face
and change her complexion to any color he liked. Krishna followed the idea in a playful
way and the event is celebrated as Holi with colors.
Holi and the Holika story
Hirnakashyipu in order to kill his son asked the help of his sister Holika, who had a boon
that she could walk through the fire unharmed. The wicked aunt entered the fire with her
nephew Prahlad. But Holika could enter the fire unharmed only alone or else she would
perish. Blessed by Lord Vishnu, the child Prahlad remained unharmed but Holika got burnt
and died instantly. Holi is thus celebrated to commemorate the death of the evil aunt,
after whom the festival is named. To this day, cow dung is hurled into the fire and
obscenities are shouted at the Holi fire at some places to insult Holika.
Holi in South India
Festival of Kamadeva or Kamanna
When Lord Shiva came to know of the demise of his wife Sati, he was sad and furious. Shiva
went into meditation and trancerenouncing all work. The world shook and went topsy
turvy.
Sati took rebirth as Goddess Parvati to try and win Lord Shiva's heart and wake him up
from his trance. When Sati failed, she asked the help of Kamadava.
Kamadava shot his love-arrow at Shiva's heart. Disturbed by this, Shiva opened his third
eye out of anger which, like the modern lazer, instantly incinerated Kamadeva.
Shiva realized his mistake, he granted Kamadeva immortality in invisible form.
After the burning ceremony, people offer mango blossoms which Kamadeva liked and also
sandalwood paste to Kamadeva as a balm for the burns.
Clothing
To the foreign traveler, one of the powerful attractions in India is the colorful and
diversified attire of its people. The silk saris, brightly mirrored cholis, colorful
lehangas and the traditional salwar-kameez have fascinated many a traveler over the
centuries.
Attire for Women
For a single length of material, the sari must be the most versatile garment in existence.
It is only one of the many traditional garments worn by women, yet it has somehow become
the national dress of Indian women. A sari is a rectangular piece of cloth which is five
to six yards in length. The style, color and texture of this cloth varies and it might be
made from cotton, silk or one of the several man-made materials. The sari has an ageless
charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size. This garment can fit any size
and if worn properly can accentuate or conceal. This supremely graceful attire can also be
worn in several ways and its manner of wearing as well as its color and texture are
indicative of the status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman.
The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is a choli. The choli evolved as a form
of clothing in 10th century AD and the first cholis were only front covering; the back was
always bare. Bodices of this type are still common in the state of Rajasthan.
Apart from the choli, women in Rajasthan wear a form of pleated skirt known as the ghagra
or lehanga. This skirt is secured at the waist and leaves the back and midriff bare. The
heads are however covered by a length of fine cotton known as orhni or dupatta.
Another popular attire of women in India is the salwar-kameez. This dress evolved as a
comfortable and respectable garment for women in Kashmir and Punjab, but is now immensely
popular in all regions of India. Salwars are pajama-like trousers drawn tightly in at the
waist and the ankles. Over the salwars, women wear a long and loose tunic known as a
kameez. One might occasionally come across women wearing a churidar instead of a salwar. A
churidar is similar to the salwar but is tighter fitting at the hips, thighs and ankles.
Over this, one might wear a collarless or mandarin-collar tunic called a kurta.
Attire for Men
Though the majority of Indian women wear traditional costumes, the men in India can be
found in more conventional western clothing. Shirts and trousers are worn by men from all
regions in India. However, men in villages are still more comfortable in traditional
attire like kurtas, lungis, dhotis and pyjamas.
The traditional lungi originated in the south and today it is worn by men and women alike.
It is simply a short length of material worn around the thighs rather like a sarong. A
dhoti is a longer lungi but with an additional length of material pulled up between the
legs. Pyjama-like trousers worn by the villagers are known as the lenga.
Indian dressing styles are marked by many variations, both religious and regional and one
is likely to witness a plethora of colors, textures and styles in garments worn by the
Indians. |
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