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India is a birthplace for innumerable customs and traditions that have found acceptance worldwide. The Indians regard these customs and traditions are high respect and they occupy a very significant position in each one's life. Due to the presence of a multitude of ethnicities in the country, there is a great assortment of customs and traditions in India. There is a specific ritual that is associated with every gesture that an individual makes and when all these rituals come together, the form a rich cultural blend. Indian Ethnicities The customs and traditions in India have certain purity and grace about them that strikes every individual that comes across them. These customs change as an individual travels from the north to the south and from the east to the west of India as every state in India has a specific set of customs. However, despite these differences, there are certain customs and traditions that are commonly followed across the country. One of the prominent customs and traditions of India is the form of greeting that Indians follow. In India people often greet each other or bid farewell to each other by joining the palms together, which is known as "Namaskar". In this gesture, the right hand denotes higher human nature while the left hand denotes lower human nature. Apart from this gesture, the youngsters bow before the elders and touch their feet to seek their blessings on auspicious days, celebrations or festivals. Another very important tradition that is intrinsic of the Indian culture is "arati". The arati is a ritual of worshipping the almighty or even blessing individuals on auspicious occasions, anniversaries and festivals. The arati consists of a dish that carries five small metal lamps along with cotton, few rice grains and arecanut. Usually the elders perform the arati and move the dish in a circular motion before the image of the deity or even another individual. Another very important and one of the most popular of all the customs and traditions in India is the act of garlanding. Garlands are made of fresh flowers and offered to gods and goddesses in the act of religious worship. The garland is also offered to any guests, visitors or eminent personalities as a marl of respect. Usually, these garlands are made of jasmine or marigold flowers woven in fine thread. There are specific customs and traditions in India exclusively for the married women. Every married woman must wear a red "bindi", which is a mark that is put on the forehead and an ornament called "mangalsutra". The mangalsutra is equivalent to the wedding ring and is tied by the groom around the bride's neck during the marriage ceremony. This is mainly a Hindu ritual and the mangalsutra consists of black beads along with a gold pendant. These are some of the major customs and traditions in India that have been handed down for thousands of generations.
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