Hindu Ceremonies
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Hindu Ceremonies
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Hindu Ceremonies
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The ritual world of Hinduism, manifestations of which differ greatly among
regions, villages, and individuals, offers a number of common features that link
all Hindus into a greater Indian religious system and influence other religions
as well. The most notable feature in religious ritual is the division between
purity and pollution.
Religious acts presuppose some degree of impurity or defilement for the practitioner, which must be overcome or neutralized before or during ritual procedures. Purification, usually with water, is thus a typical feature of most religious action. Avoidance of the impure--taking animal life, eating flesh, associating with dead things, or body fluids--is another feature of Hindu ritual and is important for repressing pollution. In a social context, those individuals or groups who manage to avoid the impure are accorded increased respect. |
Still another feature is a belief in the efficacy of sacrifice, including survivals of Vedic sacrifice. Thus, sacrifices may include the performance of offerings in a regulated manner, with the preparation of sacred space, recitation of texts, and manipulation of objects. A third feature is the concept of merit, gained through the performance of charity or good works, that will accumulate over time and reduce sufferings in the next world.
Hindu Ceremonies
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The home is the place where most Hindus conduct their worship and religious
rituals. The most important times of day for performance of household rituals
are dawn and dusk, although especially devout families may engage in devotion
more often. For many households, the day begins when the women in the house draw
auspicious geometric designs in chalk or rice flour on the floor or the
doorstep.
For orthodox Hindus, dawn and dusk are greeted with recitation from the Rig Veda of the Gayatri Mantra for the sun--for many people, the only Sanskrit prayer they know. After a bath, there is personal worship of the gods at a family shrine, which typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images, while prayers in Sanskrit or a regional language are recited. In the evenings, especially in rural areas, mostly female devotees may gather together for long sessions of singing hymns in praise of one or more of the gods. |
Minor acts of charity punctuate the day. During daily baths, there are
offerings of a little water in memory of the ancestors. At each meal, families
may set aside a handful of grain to be donated to beggars or needy persons, and
daily gifts of small amounts of grain to birds or other animals serve to
accumulate merit for the family through their self-sacrifice.Hindu Ceremonies courtesy library of
congress. Data as of September 1995
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