October 31 2016

Hello and Welcome!

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Nice to see you here! 

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Finally the time has come: My first blog post! After nearly two month in India, that went by so fast and were really exciting for me, I want to welcome you to my blog!

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This Blog will follow me through India. Food, travel, culture and of course the work in Women Empowerment and a lot more that I want to share with you!

I invite you to take part in my journey, to come up with your own opinion, to share your own experience and hopefully to have a few entertaining moments!

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Willkommen, welcome or as you say in Tamil Nadu🔎 "varavērpu"

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Every culture has it´s own welcome ceremonies. Often they are forgotten and not practiced anymore. Therefore I was even more thankful and honored to take part in such a ceremony. 

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Colors, flowers and light 

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Every welcome comes with a Hello, which is called Namaskara or Namaste. It is one of the most popular greeting forms of India. The palms of the hand are brought together near the heart, and you bow your head. Both hands symbolize the unity of the mind. Also you show your willingness to have a peaceful interaction and possible evil intentions are excluded. Both hands are well visible and so no ambush is possible.

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                                                                                                             After the greeting, the Tilaka, which belongs to the                                                                                                                blessing marks, follows. A dot, consisting of a red                                                                                                                  paste, is placed between the eyebrows. It is said to                                                                                                               be the spot where the energy sits. Also it is                                                                                                                             suspected to be the source of wisdom and                                                                                                                                concentration. The red dot symbolizes the third eye,                                                                                                              which stands for spirituality and therefore it is also                                                                                                                very important for prayer. From this point on, all                                                                                                                    thoughts and actions are controlled. Applying the                                                                                                                 Tilaka therefore symbolizes the demand for the                                                                                                                     opening of the third eye. The Tilaka can also be                                                                                                                      applied to the neck, hand and chest.

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Another symbolic act is the Aarti. It is practiced as an act of worship and love. A metallic plate with lamps is rotated in circular movements in front of the person. This practice not only prevents from harm, but also protects you from the evil eye.

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As the last central action, the newcomer gets a flower chain.

 

Flowers play an important role in India. In the temple, they are offered to the gods for worship and respect. Many women also wear beautiful wreaths in their braided hair. On every corner, fragrant, colorful flower chains are offered. Jasmine, orange marigolds, roses. Everything that makes the hearts of flower lovers beat faster.

 

That's it for today! Thank you for checking out my blog and taking the time to learn more about a small part of Indian culture!

 

Leave a short comment about what you thought of the article or let me know what topics are  interesting to you in India!

 

If you want to learn more about the culture and many more topics, just subscribe to my blog and you always get the latest information ;)

 

Or just take a look at my Instagram                     or Snapchat ;) 👻  dreamwithverena

 

I wish you a relaxed day and see you soon!

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Greetings from India!

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Verena

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🔎 Tamil Nadu is one of the Indian states. Here one speaks and writes in Tamil, which is one of the oldest scriptural languages in the world. There are almost 70 million native speakers. Especially from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, but also Malaysia and Singapore.

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