Character & Charisma #11

While I was in India this June, the construction of the house my parents were building for my grandmother was finally completed. They bought land a few years ago that neighbored my grandmother’s house. My grandfather built her that house however, it was a long time ago. My parents wanted my grandmother to have a new place to live in and a space where my family and I could stay when we travel back to India every year. It is customary to have housewarming parties. Since my mom is Christian and my Dad is Hindu, we hosted two separate housewarming parties to appease all sides of the family. 

The first housewarming party we hosted was celebrated in the Hindu tradition. It took place over two days. On the first day, we all got up early in the morning to go to the house and were greeted by decorations strewn around the outside of the house. There were lights and colorful banners with streamers that hung in the interior and exterior. Along the doorway, there were strings of red and yellow flowers. There was also a long red carpet surrounding the entrance to the house. Outside of the house was a long table for us to eat at, and food lined up in pots on the carpet. We had to take turns eating because there were not enough seats at the tables for everyone. About 20 people attended the ceremony. The people who were not eating helped serve the other people food. After everyone had eaten, we waited for the Hindu priests to arrive. When they arrived, they brought what was needed for the housewarming ceremony, including a variety of fruits, gold pots and pans, and statues. Everyone went inside and the priests set up for the ceremony. During the ceremony, we were listening to the priests praying in sanskrit. I personally don’t understand Sanskrit but my parents explained to my sister and I what was going on. After some time, we were done for the day and went back to my grandma’s house. However, my mom and dad stayed in the new house overnight, because it was tradition to do so after the first day of housewarming. On the second day we got up early and had breakfast in the same way as the first. The priests arrived once again and prayed on the second day as well. Most of the ceremony on the second day was similar to the first day. The priests were blessing the house, and praying for prosperity, safety, and good health. In all honesty, I am not quite sure what the point of the second day of the ceremony is. It was practically just the same as the first day. However, spending the day alongside friends, family, and local priests was an experience I won’t forget.

The day after the Hindu ceremony ended, we hosted a Christian housewarming party. During the Christian housewarming, we had breakfast as usual and waited for the priest to arrive. Once the priest arrived, he went inside the house and blessed the house while going into each room and sprinkling holy water with an aspergillum. After he had gone into each room, we all gathered into the living room and listened to the priest read scripture and deliver a sermon. After this, the priest talked to some people at the housewarming for a while and then left. After some time, we celebrated my sister’s birthday in the same room, even though her birthday was next month.

After the Christian housewarming party had ended after 30 minutes, I was surprised. I thought that I would have to be there for another two days. It was interesting to see how different these two cultures approached housewarming. Interestingly enough, throughout the two day long ceremony and the 30 minute one they both prayed for similar things. They both prayed for prosperity and safety, and both wished the same thing for their people. Though the Hindu housewarming was mostly spoken in Sanskrit and the Christian housewarming was in English, I saw similarities with both their messages and appreciated the fact that two cultures and religions wish the same thing for their people. I always wondered if different religions impacted my parent’s marriage, but seeming the unity between both religions gave me a little more faith.