Hindu customs and traditions are an important part of Hinduism. Human civilization is incomplete without them. As Hinduism is the oldest religion on Earth, many Hindu customs and traditions exist. Some customs are so important to the people that sometimes, they sacrifice their lives for them. People living in villages in India are very conscious of these.
It does not mean that people living in the cities do not observe them, but they are not as staunch as those in villages. There are literally thousands of customs and traditions in Hinduism. They vary from region to region and caste to caste. Many of them are common in all parts of India. We will try to list every Hindu custom and tradition here.
Important Hindu Customs and Traditions:
1. When Hindus meet, they greet each other by saying ‘Namaste’ or ‘Namaskar.’ They put together the palms of both hands while saying so. Some religious words like Ram Ram, Jai Mata Di, Jai Ram Ji Ki, and Om Namah Shivay are also used sometimes.
2. Before the start of any good work and social and religious ceremonies, Hindus worship Lord Ganesha and chant the mantra:
वक्रतुंड महाकाय सुर्यकोटि समप्रभ:
निर्विघ्नं कुरु में देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा:
Vakratund Mahakay Suryakoti Samaprabhah Nirvighnam Kurumedevah Sarvakaryeshu Sarvadah
3. Hindus do not wear footwear inside homes, temples, and other holy places. They do not enter the temples after consuming alcohol and/or non-vegetarian food.
4. They apply a spot or standing line of kumkum between the eyebrows on the forehead during worship.
5. They do not eat non-vegetarian food on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Chaturthi, Ekadashi, or other festival days.
6. Most marriages are arranged, with the consent of the bride and groom. Marrying outside the caste is considered a bad practice.
7. Arranged marriages generally take place within the respective castes only.
8. Marriage is a big ceremony for them, and they do not hesitate to take out loans. It is like a prestige issue.
9. They do not kill snakes on Mondays and the festival day of Nag Panchami.
10. On auspicious days, Hindu women drew beautiful designs in front of their houses, known as Rangoli.
11. Hindu girls and women pierce their noses and ears.
12. A married Hindu woman wears a Mangalsutra around her neck, bangles in her hand, and toe rings, which indicate that she is married. She also applies a Kumkum spot or sticks a bindi between her eyebrows.
13. Showing respect to elders is an integral part of Hindu culture. A son must take care of his parents when they are old. Younger people touch the feet of their elders to show respect and seek blessings from them. Mother, Father, and Teacher are considered next to god and highly respected.
14. Hindus worship many deities. It is believed that there are 33 crore deities in Hinduism.
15. Many festivals are celebrated throughout the year. There are different festivals for different deities. Ganesha, Shiva, Vishnu, Laxmi, Parvati, Hanuman, Shri Ram, Shri Krishna, and Kartikeya are the most popular gods.
16. Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu incarnates on Earth occasionally to restore Dharma.
17. Lord Brahma is not worshiped separately as he is cursed. There is only one temple of Brahma in India, which is in Pushkar, Rajasthan.
18. Laxmi Pujan in Diwali is considered the most significant Hindu festival. On that day, they worship Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of money.
19. Generally, Hindu women and girls wear clothes covering all the body except the face, such as Sari, Lehengas, Salwar Kameez, Ghagra choli, etc.
20. A married Hindu woman considers her husband God, and the husband considers her his Ardhangini (Half Body).
21. Before going on a long journey, they put lemons under the wheels of vehicles. They believe that it would save them from perils. They also break the coconut and light incense sticks in front of the vehicle for the same purpose.
22. Many people tie seven chillis and a lemon woven in a thread or wire to the vehicle, believing it saves them from negative energies.
23. They tie a black doll over the front door of the house to stop evil powers from entering the house.
24. A ceremony called Vastushanti is performed before moving into a new house. The yajna performed during the ceremony is supposed to wipe out ghosts and other negative energies from the house.
25. You would find an altar in every house which contains miniature idols of many Hindu deities. They clean and worship them every day.
26. The idols or pictures of Hindu deities are kept in such a way that they do not face the South. The practice is observed in temples, as well as in homes. It is believed that hell is located in the South and paradise in the North.
27. If they accidentally touch someone with their foot, they apologize for it by touching the person’s body with their right hand and then touching the same hand on their forehead.
28. Wastage of food or touching the food with feet is considered a bad habit, and they avoid it as food is considered next to god.
29. Tulsi, or basil plant, is considered sacred; you can find it in front of almost every Hindu house.
30. A guest is also considered next to god and given great respect.
31. The naming ceremony of a newborn is performed on the 12th day of birth.
32. Hindus pierce babies’ ears and put golden earrings in them.
33. Most of the Hindus cremate dead bodies.
34. During Pitroo-Paksha, Hindus pay homage to their ancestors and perform a rite known as Shraddha or Tarpan.
35. Hindus eat food with their right hand only. Eating food with the left hand is considered a bad habit and unhygienic. The majority of people use a hand instead of a spoon for eating.
36. They do not sniff flowers to be offered to gods.
37. They offer food to God before eating it.
38. Hindus only accept the religious offering of Prasadam in their right hand.
39. Many Hindus fast on particular days of the week to show their devotion to their particular gods.
40. Hindus perform idol worship because they believe that a part of the god resides in it.
If you know more Hindu customs and traditions, please share them in the comments section.