Some questions about Hindu Culture?
My fiance is Hindu and took me with him to temple for Diwali, I have some questions he could not answer so here goes:
Is there any cultural significance in the bangles and nose rings I saw many women wearing?
I know what a Sari is, but I saw many women in another outfit which looked like a long straight dress with pants underneath and a scarf draped over their shoulders, what is this called?
At one point the founder and his wife came up to us separately both spoke with my fiance and ignored me completely, even when I spoke. Is this normal or an anomoly? I should note that both my fiance and I are American, also the wife was.
In one room there were statues for astrological Deities, nine in total, two of which were the Sun and Moon, why was there no representation for Pluto or Uranus? What is the significance of circling these statues clock-wise?
Why are there so many different spellings for Diwali?
I would prefer answers from practicing Hindu's, but all serious answers are welcome.
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November 1st, 2009 at 7:01 am
Is there any cultural significance in the bangles and nose rings I saw many women wearing?
It is just part of the culture not much of religious significance.
I know what a Sari is, but I saw many women in another outfit which looked like a long straight dress with pants underneath and a scarf draped over their shoulders, what is this called?
This is called Punjabi Dress, the traditional dress of Punjabi women but is very popular all over India now. The scarf like thing is called Dupatta, that goes with the dress.
At one point the founder and his wife came up to us separately both spoke with my fiance and ignored me completely, even when I spoke. Is this normal or an anomoly? I should note that both my fiance and I are American, also the wife was.
I was not sure what the circumstances were, but it must be an anomaly. One guy gave you the most absurd answer by bringing in unrelated issues here.
In one room there were statues for astrological Deities, nine in total, two of which were the Sun and Moon, why was there no representation for Pluto or Uranus? What is the significance of circling these statues clock-wise?
Check these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navagraha
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/navagrahas.asp
http://www.saigan.com/heritage/gods/navagrhm.htm
Why are there so many different spellings for Diwali?
I would prefer answers from practicing Hindu’s, but all serious answers are welcome.
Because, India has 14 official languages and numerous dialects. The original Sanskrit word is DEEPAVALI. (Meaning Row of Lights)
November 1st, 2009 at 7:01 am
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Music.htm
November 1st, 2009 at 7:01 am
Here are your answers:
1. There is no cultural signficance in bangles and/ or nose rings. Its just a traditional women wear. The scarf is called a DUPATTA and its a head gear which covers the shoulders and bossom. Its a sign of modesty and was instituted by the Moslem interaction when they ruled India from 712 A. D. to 1857 A.D.
2. It is usual to look down upon womenfolks in traditional hindu culture. Remember the "satee" which is still practised in various parts of India in which a widow is considered to be pious and sacred and is supposed to burn herself on the burning pyre of her dead husband. It was during British rule in India 1857 to 1947 A.D that it was abolished by law. Then there are other traditions which are religious and social in which womenfolk are not considered as important as men hence the attitude you observed in your founder. Though modern day Hindus are more liberated but some basic social patterns are hard to die or fade away.
3. The dieties when invented (around 4000 BC) considered the large constellations only and only the major planets. They are not proven by any modern day science as having godly forces. In India there are more than 400 dialects and innumerable languages spoken (Gujrati, sansikrat, Bengali, Telgu, Urdu, Marathi, Malyalam to name the few) and each have its distinct alphabet and script, hence the spellings of diwali you encountered, Its also called Deepawali, some spellings might point towards that.