What are some of the bizarre customs in India?

Hindu devotees greet each other with a gesture of pressing palms together, offering well wishes. When greeting an elder, they bow and touch their feet. When Hindus press their palms together, they always raise their hands to their face before joining them. This greeting is considered more refined and elegant than a handshake, giving a sense of serenity. I sometimes follow local customs, though I don't actually touch their feet; touching the lower leg is sufficient, usually done by younger people to elders or those they deeply respect. Secondly, Indians believe bathing a child in a bathtub is inhumane. Because stagnant water is considered dead water, they believe the child will suffer misfortune or die after bathing in it. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Similarly, it's important to observe local customs in another country.

First, let's talk about the etiquette of greetings.

Hindu devotees greet each other with a gesture of pressing palms together, offering well wishes. When greeting an elder, they bow and touch their feet. When Hindus press their palms together, they always raise their hands to their face before joining them. This greeting is considered more refined and elegant than a handshake, giving a sense of serenity.

I sometimes follow local customs, though I don't actually touch their feet; touching the lower leg is sufficient, usually done by younger people to elders or those they deeply respect.

Secondly, Indians believe bathing a child in a bathtub is inhumane. Because stagnant water is considered dead water, they believe the child will suffer misfortune or die after bathing in it.

Thirdly, there is a significant disparity in social status and a strict hierarchical system in India. If person A is of higher status than person B, they cannot be equals; the rules are very strict. For example, those of higher status generally do not associate with those of significantly lower status. A driver would never be allowed to eat with their boss. We once suggested to our Indian partners that we have the driver join us for a meal, but our Indian partners firmly refused.

Fourthly, if you wish to enter a Hindu temple in India, you must not wear anything made of cowhide. Wearing cowhide is considered a transgression; leather shoes, watch straps, belts, handbags, and other cowhide products are not permitted inside. Indians remove their shoes before entering temples or kitchens. They believe that wearing shoes inside is both impolite and unholy. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, leaves their shoes at the entrance and enters barefoot. I remember last summer, when we were traveling, we had to remove our shoes to enter a temple. The ground was scorching hot, and we quickly ran out.

Fifthly, Indians favor the numbers 3, 7, and 9. Numbers like 6 and 8 are insignificant. They believe red signifies life, vitality, energy, and passion; blue represents sincerity; sunny yellow represents brilliance and magnificence; green signifies peace and hope; purple represents serenity. Indians prefer red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and other bright colors in their lives and clothing. They dislike roses. In offices and commercial establishments, desks are often placed in the northeast or southwest corner.

Sixthly, Indians mostly eat from plates. Importantly, when eating, only use your right hand to pass food; do not use your left hand. When interacting with Indians, avoid handing them anything with your left hand. They consider the left hand unclean and the right hand clean. They eat with their right hand, using it to eat rice and even thin porridge. In India, the left hand is not used except for using the toilet. Extending your left hand is an insult; they might even throw away anything you offer with your left hand, and in a fit of anger, might even scold you. Many people eat directly with their hands. Once I asked an Indian why they didn't use a spoon, and he said it wasn't as tasty that way. They can also use small flatbreads to scoop up soup.

Seventhly, do not touch a child's head. In India, touching a child's head will certainly offend someone. However, some people are not so sensitive about it. The most easily misunderstood gesture is that Indians usually shake their heads or slightly tilt their heads to the left and then immediately return to their original position to indicate "Yes," "Understood," or "Okay." This is very different from our nodding gesture and is easily misunderstood.

Eighthly, jewelry is an indispensable adornment in the daily lives of Indians. Even women from poor families wear inexpensive metal or plastic jewelry. Since ancient times, Indians have believed that it is a man's duty to give jewelry to women, and women should fully adorn themselves with jewelry. India is known as the "Land of the Moon," "Land of Mangoes," "Golden Country," "Kingdom of Diamond Trade," "Golden Land," and "Pearl of the Crown." Taxis do not require tips. Hotels and restaurants include a 10% service charge in the bill. For other services, 2 or 3 rupees are sufficient. However, I think two or three rupees are definitely not enough now; it's too little.

Ninth, India is known as the "Kingdom of Cows," and cows are the most sacred and inviolable animals there. When driving, be careful not to hit a cow, and do not wear cow products into temples. It is also best to avoid using cows as photographic subjects. Besides cows, it's best not to harm other small animals. A while ago, a foreigner, perhaps too hungry, killed a dog at night. Indians discovered this, reported it to the police, and the foreigner was deported the next day and banned from ever returning to India.

Tenth, do not sit on statues of Buddha for photos. If tourists act inappropriately towards temple statues, monks, etc., it is considered a grave sin. Some unwitting tourists have been punished for taking commemorative photos while sitting on Buddha statues. Souvenir statues brought back from the country should not be placed on the ground. Although statues purchased in Buddhist countries belong to the buyer, they must be treated with respect. Treating them as mere objects, placing them carelessly, or handling them roughly will offend the locals.
 
Eleventh, animism is prevalent in Hinduism. Devout Hindus have three major aspirations in life: to make a pilgrimage to the holy city to worship Shiva, to bathe and drink holy water in the Ganges, and to be buried in the Ganges after death. They worship the cow as a god.
 
Twelfth, traditionally, India is patriarchal. Because when a daughter marries, her parents must prepare a substantial dowry; without it, she cannot get married. When an Indian couple has a daughter, they express it with a gesture of clapping their hands, representing coming empty-handed. But if it's a son, the family immediately celebrates with gongs, signifying that the son will bring a substantial dowry when he marries. The way Indians celebrate the birth and safe growth of a child is by performing a "Puja ceremony" at the temple, chanting prayers, and then holding a banquet with relatives and friends. After an Indian child is born, their parents will find someone to perform fortune-telling for them, and the child's name is mostly taken from heroes or gods. The child's birth chart is particularly important because it can determine the child's future spouse.
 
13 Funeral When a Hindu dies, a cremation ceremony is held at a river ghat. After a Hindu dies, the family wraps the body in yellow or white silk and places it on two bamboo stretchers, carrying it in a procession to the river ghat for cremation. Traditionally, family members should carry the deceased to the cremation ground, but now most people entrust this to professionals. In India, those who handle funeral affairs are considered the lowest caste, the untouchables. Generally, funeral processions are very simple, but wealthier families may hire musicians to play in front, creating a grand procession. Before cremation, the deceased's eldest son must hold an oil lamp and walk around the body three times. When the cremation pyre is lit, the eldest son must shave his head, leaving only a small tuft at the back of his head, and then bathe in the river. After the cremation, the ashes are swept into the river, representing the soul's liberation from the body.
 
14 Wedding Indian weddings represent social status and are the most important ceremony in a person's life. When Indian young people reach marriageable age, their parents find a partner for them from the same social class, language, region, and background, and whose astrological signs are compatible. Indian wedding ceremonies are quite complicated. Before the wedding, both parents discuss the dowry with the priest acting as a matchmaker. Only after the bride's family agrees to the dowry amount do they choose an auspicious date and begin preparations. The day before the wedding, the bride must follow traditional makeup procedures: applying oil, bathing, changing clothes, combing her hair, applying eyeliner, lipstick, and painting her feet red, applying a red tika on her forehead, a black mole on her chin, and henna designs on her hands and feet using plant dyes. Then she perfumes herself, puts on jewelry and hair ornaments, and finally blackens her teeth, chews betel nut, and applies lipstick, before the preparations are complete. On the wedding day, the groom arrives at the bride's house in a grand procession riding a white horse. A pyre has already been set up at the bride's home, and both families, with the priest chanting auspicious mantras, walk around the pyre in prayer. Then, surrounded by her bridesmaids, the bride walks to the pyre, where the priest ties the bride's sari and the groom's scarf together, symbolizing a long-lasting marriage. The wedding banquet is held at the bride's home, where the couple sits and receives blessings from relatives and friends. The groom stays at the bride's house that night and takes the bride home the next day.

In China, mothers-in-law generally require their future sons-in-law to "have a car and a house." In some parts of India, "having a toilet" is a prerequisite for eligible men to find a wife. According to US media reports, a mass wedding was held this week in Madhya Pradesh, India, and the entry tickets for the grooms were proof of having a toilet.

In Bihar, India, there is a unique market—a marriage market. This market is held once a year for seven days in Surat village. Most of the people who come to the Surat marriage market are Brahmins from this area. This market has a special name, "Shaba." The fathers or guardians and relatives of the prospective bride and groom each set up tents. The prospective groom can come with his father, but the girl is not brought. No women are seen at the marriage market. The busiest people are the matchmakers. The bride's father first finds a matchmaker and talks to him privately, telling him what kind of son-in-law he wants for his daughter. The matchmaker has information on many young men, familiar with their family background, education, and character. After assessing them, he takes the "customer" to the groom's tent. Here, they can "meet," see the appearance of the prospective groom, and the most time-consuming part is negotiating the amount of the dowry.

In India, women, who have always been of low status, have a day of empowerment every summer—the "Festival of Beating Men".

(Lathmar Holi). This unique festival is mainly to welcome the colorful spring. Men and women participating in the celebration will sprinkle colored powder and paint on themselves beforehand. Men will paint themselves in bright colors, while women will wear colorful clothes, wrap their heads in colorful veils, and beat men with bamboo poles. Men will use flower petals as a "weapon" to fight back against women.

When Indians eat together, they often use leaf plates. These plates are made by stacking several large, whole leaves, with two layers, inner and outer, and the leaves are "sewn" together with twigs smaller than matchsticks. The leaf plates are round, with a raised edge, so they look like metal plates, and all the leaf plates are the same shape and size, apparently pressed from a mold.

Indians drink raw water. Indians found it strange that I brewed tea.

Because the climate here is hot, and curry (India's number one curry), raw onions, etc., are commonly eaten, these foods have good bactericidal abilities. Over time, this has led to their habit of drinking raw water. Even in large restaurants and hotels, the first thing offered to guests is a glass of raw water. This sounds unhygienic to most people, especially Westerners. But the Indian people, like humans in the raw-meat-eating era, have adapted to the environment, and with their frequent consumption of curry and onions, they have strong resistance.

Indian clothing has extremely distinctive national characteristics, unlike other nationalities. In your memory, have you ever seen a picture of an Indian woman showing her thighs? I don't think so. Because Indian tradition requires women's clothing to show their navels, but their thighs and calves must be covered.