Hindu Culture

Hinduism derives from the word “India” and is an ancient religion with no origin date or founder. It refers to a large variety of religious traditions and philosophies that developed in India. Many Hindus believe in reincarnation, observe festive holidays, value the practice of meditation and worship one or more deities.

Hindus have special requirements based on their tradition, scriptures, culture and belief system. One of those requirements is a dress code. Men and women wear forehead markings. Women who are married have a red dot (bindi) and orthodox men have a religious marking (tilak). In today’s society, the bindi no longer represents marriage but has become fashionable among young girls who wear it in different colors. Women who are married wear a mangalsutra around their neck, which is a necklace tied around the bride’s neck by the groom on the day of the wedding. Though today many Hindu girls and women wear bangles it was also used as a symbol of marriage. Men are allowed to sport a sikha – a tuft of hair like ponytail – on the back of their heads.

As for traditional clothing, some Hindu men wear a dhoti kurta, a chaddar which can be wrapped around the shoulders and torso during cold weather and a churidar during worship, prayer or festival days. For women, a traditional dress is known as a sari or a salwarkameez. In India you will still see a lot of women wearing the sari, the salwarkameez consists of two parts a tunic (kameez) that covers loose trousers (salwar). During worship or other appropriate times, women will cover their heads.