Hindu Customs

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Greetings

 

" Namaskaram " is the proper Hindu way to greet someone. The greeting

is said with both hands clasped together.

The translation for " Namaskaram " is 'The God in me greets the God in

you. The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you'.

 

 

 

Touching feet in respect

 

Feet of holy men, teachers and elders are touched as a mark of

respect. Respect for elders is a keystone in Hinduism.

 

 

 

Footwear is not worn in the home and temple

 

Footwear is considered impure. It is also important to apologize when

one touches someone with his or her shoe or sandal. The ultimate

insult is to be hit with a shoe.

 

 

 

Giving and receiving with both hands

 

Hindus are required to give and receive gifts with both hands. This

is especially so when presenting offerings to a deity. The reason for

this is that with the gift, prana (life force/ vital energy) is

passed through the hands to the gift. The recipient receives it with

both hands along with the prana from the gracious giver.

 

 

 

Flower offerings

 

One does not sniff flowers picked for deity worship; even the scent

is reserved for the Gods. Flowers which have fallen to the ground are

not offered.

 

 

 

Care in sitting

 

It is considered improper to sit with one's legs outstretched in

front of a temple, shrine or altar, or even toward another person.

This is considered disrespectful.

 

 

 

Doorways

 

Conversations are not held inside or through doorways. This is

considered inauspicious. Likewise to exchange, give or lend an

object, one steps inside the room first, or the recipient steps out

of the room so that both persons are in the same room.

 

 

 

Offerings

 

Offerings of food should not be tasted before placing in front of a

deity. Only vegetarian foods, sweets, flowers, gold or silver, and

prayer items are offered to deities.

 

 

 

Dining

 

The devout Hindu sets aside a small portion of food as a thanksgiving

offering to God before beginning to eat. Food is traditionally served

on a banana leaf. Food is consumed with fingers of the right hand.

Cutlery is generally not used for eating food from a banana leaf.

While eating, fingers are neither soiled above the second knuckle nor

put into the mouth.

 

There are clear cut restrictions and rule son what food to serve for

weddings, birth and death ceremonies. Hindu customs also specify

various fasting days so that health restrictions can be easily

imposed through tradition and religion. Many people observe fast on

selected days of the week as a prayer to their favourite deity.

 

 

 

Hindu marriage symbols

 

Married Hindu women can be identified by marriage symbols they wear.

These include a thali (usually a gold pendant worn with a yellow

string or gold chain), sindoor dot (red powder dot) they apply on

their forehead, and / or toe ring worn on the second toe of both

feet. Some married women apply the red sindoor powder along the

parting of their hair.

 

 

 

Cows are revered

 

Ancient Hindus took into account various factors concerning the

commodity men used for consumption. First in order are vegetables:

then fish, then the other animals. They prohibited slaughtering of

cows for consumption. The reason is not far to seek. The cows are

more useful alive than dead. It provides milk for babies and grown-

ups alike: it ploughs fields for cultivating food: its urine has

medicinal properties and the dung is used as manure for our crop as

well as to light village fires. The smoke that emanates from it kills

mosquitoes and other disease-carrying germs. It is small wonder then

that the cow is worshipped by Hindus.

 

 

http://www.heb.gov.sg/hinducustoms.html#greetings