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CULTURAL AWARENESS TRAINING
MAJOR RELIGIONS AND BELIEFS PRACTISED IN THE UK
Hinduism
Hinduism, the dominant religion of India, is one of the world’s oldest
religions. It is a mixture of beliefs, values and customs and has many
Gods, with Brahma as the Supreme Being. God is symbolised by the
word OM or AUM. The Hindu temple is the Mandir where worship is
both individual and congregational. Most Hindus have a shrine in their
home. Bhagavad-Gita is the most sacred of Hindu books.
Beliefs
Hindus believe that all living things have an eternal soul, which is born and reborn. Reincarnation is of central importance and behaviour in this life
determines status in the next. There is one divine conscious power, superior
to humans, manifested in many forms of Gods, with many names.
Hindus believe the world is periodically recreated through the God Vishnu.
There have been nine reincarnations of this god and the seventh, Rama, and
the eighth, Krishna, are the forms most worshipped by Hindus. Other
popular Gods include Siva, his son Ganesha, Kali and Hanuman. Hindus
usually pray at least twice daily.
Many Hindu people have dropped the family name to indicate rejection of the
caste system. In these cases the middle name becomes the last name and it
is likely that husband and wife will therefore have different ‘surnames’ or
‘family name’.
Society
Some Hindus believe in the caste system that puts people in different social
groups. Historically, Hindus cannot change or leave their caste or marry
outside it, although some caste rules have recently been relaxed. It has been
illegal in India for several years to discriminate against people on the grounds
of caste, but it still occurs, particularly in rural areas.
Hindu society is broken down into four main groups or varna:Brahmin
The priestly caste, who teach and perform religious ceremonies, and
encourage others to learn religious duties.
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Kshatriya
The military caste, who protect society and govern, rule and administer a
country towards a disciplined life.
Valshiya
Who engage in business, commerce and agriculture.
Shudra
The manual labourers.
Dietary Practices
In Hindu religious philosophy, the eating of meat is forbidden, particularly
beef, since the cow is a sacred animal. Most Hindus will not even eat fish,
eggs or food containing eggs, and diet has a strong religious aspect.
It is important to find out what is acceptable food to avoid giving offence. The
drinking of alcohol and smoking of tobacco are regarded as taboo for many
Hindus.
Dress
Generally, both men and women may wear western dress. Traditional
clothing for women includes the Sari, Shalwar (loose fitting trousers) and
Kameez (a loose fitting tunic).
Hindu men cover themselves from waist to knee and would wear Kameez or
Kurta (a long tunic) on special occasions. Married women wear a red spot on
the forehead (Bindi) or a red streak in their hair and a necklace (Mangal
Sutra). The colour white is traditionally worn for mourning. Some orthodox
Hindu men wear a small tuft of hair (Shikha) which is similar to a ponytail.
Festivals
Hindu festivals carry a deep spiritual meaning and are mostly based on the
lunar calendar with dates varying from year to year. On festival days the
temple images undergo ritual cleaning. During the main festival of ‘Diwali’
house entrances are often decorated with ‘Rangoli’ which are patterns drawn
with coloured powder. Often gifts are exchanged and fireworks set off.
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