The Impact Of Creolization In India

1018 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Indian culture wedding essay

The arrival of the Indians brought forward a completely new culture where their religion, language and social customs marked their unique identity. A majority of the Indians that arrived were Hindus. However, the Hindus had their own culture and this culture was segregated via a caste system. This caste system is a traditional hierarchical system having its origin in Vedic times (around 1500 and 700 B.C). It is based on responsibilities and expectations and the main categories of this system include the Brahmins (the upper echelon), then the Kshatriyas (the warriors and soldiers), the Vaishyas (the merchants and peasants), the Shudras (the labour caste, delegated to serve the three castes mentioned before) and lastly, the Chandalas (the outcasts).
In Guyana Hinduism is said the experience this creolization- in the performances of its weddings, jhandis and ways of worship.
Hindus worship a variety of different deities at specific occasions. With the removal of the caste system, the different castes of Hindus no longer worshipped different deities, but instead all worshipped the same deities at specific times due to the lack of holy texts and limited knowledge retained by the Brahmins. In addition, the deity “Maa Kali”, a goddess worshipped primarily by the Hindus from Madras who is said to have healing powers began to be worshipped by Hindus generally as said by Janet Naidu, in the Guyana Journal (2007).
Many Hindu weddings have also experienced transculturation and have taken on a dual Indian/ Western celebration. The weddings still retain the same ritualistic practices, clothing, food and music but the weddings also have taken a western approach in which the couple would change from traditional Indian clothing to a wedding dress and a suit and celebrate a western styles wedding reception with cake, western music and dances. In addition, the use of the bamboo maro[1] to facilitate the wedding rituals has become more creolized by being constructed out of wood and in few cases-

Show More
Related

  • Krishna/Hinduism Worldview

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are four main castes and one in which they consider to be the outcastes. The four main castes are the Brahmin, the next is the Kshatriya, the third is the Vaishya, and the fourth is the Shudra. The outcastes are in the group called Dalits. Each caste has a purpose in life, the Brahmin are considered to be the priestly caste in which they are teach the Veda, and are to “sacrifice for others and receive alms” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Kshatriya is considered the warriors or the ruler caste, they have constant practice in battles, and they are to protect the world from harm. The Vaishya are to be the merchants and the farmers, they tend to the cattle, they, “engage in farming, keeps cows, trades, lends money at interest, and grows seeds” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Shudra are the manual laborers who according to the Institutes of Vishnu under the Four Castes, are to serve the twice born men who are to sacrifice and to study the Veda, the Shudra also engage in all the different duties of craftsmanship (5-10, pg.44). In case of a crisis, each caste is allowed to follow the occupation of the caste that is below them in rank. The duties in which all four of these castes, whatever gender or stage of life, are to follow and hav...

    Read More

  • A Comparison of the Values of Classical India, China, and Persia

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    In India, the religion of Hinduism in particular, provides two sources of support in regards to the social structure of the era. These sources are the Vedas and the Upanishads. According to The Rig Veda when Purusha’s body was divided “his mouth became the brāhman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shūdra was born (Reilly, 92).” By splitting up the body in this way, there was a justification for the creation of the varna or caste system. The highest class or Brahmin’s were the priest class, who were also known as the most pure. In this role, they were the connecting figures between Purusha and his people, which is reflective of them being his mouth. The next upper division class was the Ksatriya or warrior/leader class. In the class, the role was to do the fighting which was reflective of them being Purusha’s arms. The artisan/farmer or middle class was known as the vaisyas. In this class, members represented the role of the thighs of Purusha, who were responsible for doing the brunt or tougher jobs in society. The nethermost social class was the sudra, who were serfs and servants. They represented the feet of Pursha, which is reflective of their status as the lowest class. Along with the Vedas, the Upanishads served as a written guideline for the varna. These works urged the concept of doin...

    Read More

  • Indian Caste System Dbq

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thousands of years ago, Indian society developed into a complex system based on different classes. This system is known as the Caste System. It separated Indians into different castes based on what class they were born into. As thousands of years went by, this system grew larger and became further complex (Wadley 189). This system caused frustration for the Indian citizens because they were receiving inequality.

    Read More

  • Hinduism Vs Hinduism

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite people celebrating marriage in different ways it all comes back to one thing; marriage is a social ritual that by which two people affirms one abiding contracts between. The ceremonies are composed of rituals which symbolize facets of married life and the obligations being undertaken. In Hinduism the marriage celebration can start weeks before the actual ceremony depending on the preferences of the family. Once the day of the ceremony comes around the day starts with the brides’ family welcoming the groom into their home and both families are formally introduced. Both the bride and groom sit at the Mandap- tent where the ceremony is held under,-and are offered a drink. Gifts between the two families are generally exchanged at this point. The groom's mother gives an auspicious necklace to the bride, which is essentially an emblem of the married status in the Hindu religion. Then scared fire is lit and a pundit recites t...

    Read More

  • A comparison of Marriage Practices Between American and Indian Culture

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    This book includes all the basic materials that take place with a Hindu wedding including words to speak and what they mean, wedding rituals and the complete ceremony.

    Read More

  • Hinduism Religion, And The Colors Of Hinduism

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is based on the different levels of class in society. The system was made from the Aryans, who believed and practiced four main categories of class. The highest were the Brahmin, who served mainly as priests and leaders of religious and spiritual education. The second class was the Kshatriyas, who worked in government and politics, and whose primary aim was to help protect society. Following the second class is the Vaisyas. Vaisyas are considered hard workers and producers. Lastly, the fourth class was the Shudras, and they were considered the unskilled workers. As of today, people are classified into the cast system and it exists and is practiced. Many Indians and Hindus observe and acknowledge this system of society as well. It is easy to apply this categorization system to a broader global scale as well. For example, there are prominent global figures and leaders such as the Pope, who would fall under the category of Brahmin. In addition, President Obama would fit under Kshatriyas since he is a politician. Farmers and artisans could be considered Vaisyas, while Shudras would be comprised of workers in low-paying

    Read More

  • Social Stratification And Social Class

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caste System is a social system based on ascribed statuses, which are traits or characteristics of people at birth. The ascribed status includes race, gender, nationality, body type and age. The caste system ranks people so rigidly. A person cannot just change his caste any time he wants.

    Read More

  • Hinduism, Tolerance, and Individuality

    1686 Words  | 4 Pages

    The categorization of a caste descends as low as “untouchables.” This term was ascribed to people that were considered so tainted that they were not to be touched by the other castes, and they were not allowed to even be in sight of the upper class. One could postulate that this is quite similar to the antiquated belief that African Americans were “unclean” and should be segregated from Caucasians.

    Read More

  • Hindu Wedding Research Paper

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Hindu wedding is a complex ceremony whose various components has all a specific meaning and has all a relation to

    Read More

  • Escaping Poverty: The Importance of Location

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Portuguese word casta means race, or breed, and Hindus have traditionally interpreted this as different levels of society, known as the caste system used in India (“India caste system”). The caste placements are commonly associated with a specific occupation, for example, a priest is a member of the Brahmin caste, and a merchant is a member of the Vaishya caste (“BBC - The caste system”). A Hindu is born into the caste that their parents are ‘members’ of, and as a member of that caste, they must marry in the caste, perform the expected occupation of that caste and eventually die as a member of said caste. The lowest caste of the system are the Dalit, or ‘untouchables’ as they are more commonly known. Members of this caste are also born into it, but because of their extreme conditions of living in poverty, they were too despicable to be considered a part of the caste system. These ‘untouchables’ were usually found begging on the streets and did not have a job that fell into the categories of the caste system, therefore were severely looked down upon by all othe...

    Read More

  • Equality In Hinduism Essay

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ideology of gender equality is present in Hinduism, but is not followed within the religious community or in the Indian society. Despite the single chromosome difference between genders, this biological variation has multifaceted religious, social, and economic implications. The question remains how religions such as Hinduism or Christianity can emphasize spiritual equality, yet condone, perpetuate, and justify the practice of gender inequality especially in the work force. This issue of patriarchy affects woman not only in India, but also throughout the world including the United States. In order to evoke a change within society, it is important to understand the mechanisms and justifications for spiritual equality without societal equality and how Hinduism might be able to bring India closer social equality.

    Read More

  • Impact Of British Colonialism on the Indian Caste System

    2707 Words  | 6 Pages

    The caste system in India is elaborately structured to have an Indian touch to it, clearly distinguishing it from social structures worldwide. Caste is a word often used to describe a cluster of people who have a specific rank in the society. Each caste system is elaborately crafted to suit the needs of the society and they vary from group to group; each has its own rules and customs. Different chaste systems are planned in a hierarchical manner to become part of any of the four basic colors; varnas (a Sanskrit word for color). These include; the varna of Brahmans, identified with the learned class and priests; varna of Kshatriyas, which is encompasses warriors, rulers and property owners, the varna of Vaishyas, which attracts traders ; and lastly the varna of Shudras, who are servile laborers (Bayly, 1999).

    Read More

  • Informative Essay

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fisher, Mary Pat. "HINDUISM." Living Religions. 1991. Reprint. Upper Saddle River: Person Education, 2011. 73-120. Print.

    Read More

  • A Hindu Wedding

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Hindu Wedding In Hinduism marriage is not just the joining of two people, whose souls are brought together mentally and physically, but of two families. There are sixteen sacraments that must be performed whilst a Hindu is alive to make the life of the individual prosperous and noble, one of these is marriage. Many Hindu wedding ceremonies follow the same sequence of events, whether it is an arranged marriage or not. I went to the wedding ceremony of Anika Shah and Arun Patel. Many events happen before the main wedding ceremony.

    Read More

  • Essay On Indian Wedding

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    He usually arrives dressed in his wedding attire on the back of a horse, or sometimes on the back of an elephant. “The wedding altar (mandapa) is built the day of and the groom is welcomed by his future mother in law where his feet are then washed and he is offered milk and honey. His sister in law will attempt to steal his shoes and if she succeeds, the groom must pay her to get them back” (beau-coup.com). At the wedding venue the bride waits for the groom in a room covered in garland, when the groom arrives they exchange garland. After this, the brides family will welcome the grooms family to the wedding. Like Christian weddings, the father of the bride gives the bride away at the wedding, this is called a Kanyadaan. A priest will facilitate the marriage by reciting mantras or holy hymns, but the bride and groom marry each other. The bride and groom are considered married when the groom ties a thread that symbolizes his vow to care for the bride. He ties it in three knots that symbolizes the gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Masheshwara. The ceremony takes place around a fire and the god, Agni is considered the witness to the union. “The bride and the groom then circle the fire seven times, in a clockwise direction, called Saat Phere which signifies seven goals of married life which include religious and moral duties, prosperity, spiritual salvation and liberation, and sensual gratification” (Gullapalli

    Read More

More about The Impact Of Creolization In India

Open Document