Not long after this trip, Curry Mom called and chatted about going to a banquet. Curry Boy explained further: “It was a wedding without bride and groom.”
Build Toilets? Or Temples?
Curry Parents live in a small village, no shopping malls or entertainment venues. There are small vendors, but there are more temples for people to worship.
The Indian President Modi who is Hindu once said: “Build toilets first, temples later”, but how much Hindu love temples, how intimate are they with gods, sometimes I have no idea.
Take my Indian family as an example. They have their own temple. Yes, you read that right. They built a small temple next to their home so that their siblings and villagers can come to worship God. Curry Dad usually go to worship every morning and evening, regardless of the weather, and then he worships again at home altar.
A temple Tour
I got married 3 years ago. On the big day, first thing to do was to worship God, then 2 more temples, and 2 more temples a few days later, I’ve visited 5 temples in total!
After the last temple tour, Curry Mom seemed to notice that I don’t like to worship gods. In this trip, she only took me to two temple (that’s enough though). In fact, visiting temple is not a problem, as long as those temples are not sardine-packed with people pushing back and forth, and they are not too far, maybe I can still cooperate, maybe.
Back to this trip, Curry Mom again suggested going to one more temple, after we’ve been to 2 temples already. It’s because my Curry Bro had bought a new car, so they wanted to drive that new car to “say thank you” to the gods. But this time, the departure time was proposed as 8:00 in the morning. “Why it has to be so early?” I asked with my widely opened eyes.
Frankly, only Curry Parents wanted to go, Curry Bro and his wife were silent. I suggested it’s better to vote, but no one response. When Curry Mom asked again, I took the lead and said “No.” (Oh my god, I really don’t want to go). Clear enough. It was only later that I found out that Curry Bro and his wife decided to follow his mother’s wish, “The new car is mine, so I’ll go…”
A daughter, a Tree and a Doll
But the most interesting thing is that after we returned to Europe, Curry Mom called and said that she had been to a wedding banquet. Curry Boy snickered, “There are no bride and groom. It’s a tree married to a doll.” What?
I immediately had a hundred thousand whys in my mind, and Curry Mom also couldn’t help laughing while explaining herself.
So, what’s happening? In Indian culture, a daughter got married is like what the Chinese call “splashed water”. The greatest dedication. But not everyone has daughter. In Curry Mom’s case, she has two sons but no daughter. I immediately said, “You have two wonderful daughters!” She laughed and said that was not what she meant.
Therefore, they planted a tree at home – a holy basil tree, it’s short, just a small plant. They specially planted another tree and put it in the middle of the front yard. I didn’t know that, one day after eating bananas, I put the banana peel next to the tree, and Curry Bro alerted me, “No banana peel there, it’s a sacred tree.” “Oh! I’m so sorry!” Now I understand. Yes, that is their “daughter”!
Having said that, Those who don’t have daughter will plant holy basil tree. When they want to marry off the “daughter”, they will find someone who has a statue of Vishnu (another God) before the festival of Tulsi Vivah. After both sides reached an agreement, you can held this wedding banquet without bride and groom. And after doing a ceremony, you will really treat your relatives and friends for a big meal like a wedding banquet, isn’t it interesting? !
Can You Explain, Your Belief?
Regarding all these matters related to worshiping God, I always judge: “So superstitious!” I’d asked for Curry Boy’s opinion. “When I was young, I argued with my father and tried to explain it from a scientific point of view. But he won’t listen to me, and we’ll end up fighting. Now, it’s up to them. If he wants me to go to temple, I’ll go, as a son follow his father’s wish. But I don’t believe in God.”
The power of religious belief is really powerful. It can change the thinking of so many people, and when thinking changes, actions will also change accordingly.
When people worship gods with many incense, smoke and rituals, you tend to think they are superstitious. In fact, all religions are the same, and they cannot be explained by science. Covid and Climate Change can all be explained by science, so what? There are still many unbelievers. If you believe it, it exists; If you don’t believe it, it doesn’t exist. Simple, right?
