In Hinduism, various beautiful traditions are created by ancestors to celebrate and honor significant events in life. In addition to bringing spirituality into our lives, these traditions instill a sense of togetherness, foster good feelings, and create shared memories. These traditions connect us to our rich history and pass this valuable knowledge to future generations. Therefore, we must hold onto our traditions to keep our identities alive and share our heritage with others.
While there was a time when people were adopting Western culture, things have significantly changed in recent times. People have begun to realize the importance of staying attached to their roots and following traditions to achieve a sense of belonging, wholeness, and belief.
One of the most evident examples is the celebration of birthdays. More than ever in the recent past, Hindu families have begun celebrating birthdays by indulging in traditional practices that bring meaning and value to life. These auspicious traditional practices bring good health, happiness, and prosperity, add value to our special day, and ensure a good life. The culture bestowed by our ancestors is extremely rich and holds significant importance. Therefore, it is vital to educate ourselves on these traditions and follow them to connect with our culture and instill a sense of integrity and belonging.
In this blog, we explore 5 meaningful birthday traditions followed by Hindu families that hold great significance in terms of fostering happiness and overall well-being.
1. Touching the Feet of Elderly Family Members
Also known as Charan Sparsh in Hindi, touching the feet of elderly family members is a sign of giving respect and seeking blessings. When we touch the feet of older people, we give respect to them for the experience and wisdom they have gained over the years. In return, they put their hand over our heads and bless us for a long age, healthy life, successful endeavors, happy family, and more. Our body consists of energies, so when our elders utter good words with positive intentions, their blessings are manifested and bring fortunate opportunities to our lives.
2. Performing Puja in Temple or Home
No birthday is complete without thanking God for letting us experience memorable moments, meeting people, watching the wonders of nature, and creating memories. Life has its ups and downs, but we should be thankful for the achievements and opportunities god has bestowed on us and let us experience various emotions. Thus, a birthday is a great day to show your devotion to god and connect with them through Vedic Mantras. In recent times, many families book Pandit for birthday Puja in Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Noida, and other cities to thank God for their gift of life, enhance the inflow of positive energies, get rid of the negative impact of malefic planets, reduce the effects of negative energy, and invoke their blessings for well-being.
We can also organize diverse puja, including Satyanaran katha, Rudrabhishek, Sundarkaand, Havan, and more, to connect with the Sanatan gods and make your birthday auspicious.
3. Food Distribution
According to Hindu traditions, feeding hungry and needy people is one of the best ways of celebrating your birthday. Many people lack the resources to afford meals and go to sleep with an empty stomach. To help those in need, many Hindu families organize a Bhandara, where food is prepared in large quantities and distributed amongst people. Your kindness will help people feed on a nutritious meal and make their day happy. You can also prepare small packets of food or sweets for the people who contribute to enhancing the community, including sweepers, janitors, security guards, house helpers, and more.
4. Making Donations
Hindu culture believes that giving cultivates generosity. Birthdays can be your reason to indulge in charity and ease discomfort in the lives of the needy. A birthday is a significant event when people can donate food, clothes, utensils, or anything necessary to live a comfortable life. This selfless contribution will bring value to someone’s life, make them happy, make a positive impact, and contribute to a better living for others. Moreover, giving promotes the feeling of happiness, cultivates empathy and compassion, and allows you to show gratitude to the almighty for giving you the privilege to live a comfortable life.
6. Planting Trees
A positive and meaningful way to celebrate your birthday, planting trees is a great way to make a significant contribution to the environment. Trees are crucial for our ecosystem, and planting a tree or two will help nourish a new life and enhance the living quality for present and future generations. In Hinduism, trees are revered and worshipped for their life-giving essence. Almost every dharma shastra forbids the cutting of trees and promotes the plantation and care of trees. There are many trees that you can plant, including Banyan, Neem, Parijaat, Ashoka, Mango, Banana, or any other, to enhance the ecosystem and cultivate a sense of gratitude and devotion for the gifts of nature.
Takeaway
Birthdays are special and we should celebrate them in a meaningful way. While eating, dancing, and partying are one aspect, we should not overlook the significance of our traditions. These traditions not only bring happiness to us but also value to others’ lives. From distributing food, donating clothes & utensils, and planting trees to performing puja through offline and online Puja booking services, there are many traditional ways in which we can make our birthdays meaningful and memorable for years to come.
