WHY ARE RITUALS SO IMPORTANT TO RELIGIONS?
Hindu religion is full of rituals, and they have been practiced in India since time immemorial. With the birth of a person, they start and continue even after his or her death. All these rituals are related to the religious significance and play a different role in an individual’s life. They all celebrated amid religious ceremonies, fanfare, and a grand feast.
Various Rituals Celebrated In India
Chhati Ceremony: This ceremony is celebrated when the newborn is six days old. On occasion, a priest is invited who perform a religious ceremony for the purification of the infant. It is also believed that God writes his or her destiny according to his deeds in his or her last birth.
Annaprashana: This ceremony is celebrated to feed the newly born with cooked food when he or she is six to eight months old. For this purpose, a priest is called who chooses an auspicious date for this ceremony. It is organized for the good health and growth of the baby.
Mundan: This ceremony is organized to get the baby’s birth hair shaved off when he or she is between four months to three years old. For this purpose, a barber is called to perform this ceremony. Parents also organize a feast on this day.
Shraddha: This is the first death anniversary, celebrated for the departed soul. On this day, a priest is called who performs a ritual so that his or her soul could rest in peace. Dakshina (money) and alms are given to the priest and the needy.
The importance of faith and trust in life cannot be denied – especially in the religious and spiritual life, but at the same time, curiosity is also very important in this spiritual journey. Therefore, in Hindu Scriptures, ‘Why’ and ‘How’ to have been discussed extensively along with the discussion of ‘What.’ Among these three aspects, devotees have no objection over ‘What’ and ‘How.’ But what irritates them is the question ‘Why.’ In this question, they have suspicion and have the nasty smell of unreliability. Apart from Hindu scriptures, other religions have put a check on this question, though the Hindu religion discusses it in detail in its Philosophy texts. The reason—is that questioner’s personality gets completely transformed on getting a satisfactory answer to a question ‘Why.’
