10 facts about hinduism

 1. Hinduism is a religion of 330 million gods.

2. Hindus believe that the soul can be reincarnated, undergoing a cycle of rebirth.

3. Hindus hold the belief of the four Vedas high in their mind. This is considered the most ancient scripture throughout the world.

4. The religious tradition of Hinduism is responsible for the creation of such concepts and practices as Yoga, Ayurveda, Vastu, Jyotish, Yajna, Puja, Tantra, Vedanta, Karma, etc.

5. Hindus believe that a soul is able to undergo numerous lifetimes within a physical body. All of the past lives that you have led, contribute to the person you are today.

6. Karma is the universal principle of cause and effect. Our actions, both good and bad, come back to us in the future, helping us to learn from life's lessons and become better people.

7. There is no concept of Creation and a Creator. The world came from God, exists in God and will return back to God, just like waves arise from the ocean, exist in the ocean and subside back into the ocean.

8. Reincarnation is the phenomenon where the immortal soul is continuously born and reborn in any one of 8,400,000 life-forms until it attains moksha. Moksha is ultimate liberation.

9. Hindus believe that all living entities have a soul, or ãtma. Each is eternal – it was never created and will never perish. The ãtmã is characterized as unchanging truth, consciousness and bliss.

10. Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Hinduism grants you a healthy lifestyle. The Hindu practices like bath in the morning, do Yoga, stay away from meat etc. promote health and hygiene.

What is Horoscope?

   The Horoscope is that part of the heavens, or more strictly speaking, that part of the ecliptic, which is in the eastern horizon at the instant of one's birth. The term is also applied, and more frequently, to a diagram of the heavens by means of which the astrologer was able to determine what stars were in the horizon at any particular time. He pretended to have the power to read the future of a person the hour and date of whose birth was known. In the Middle Ages astrologers were present at the birth of a prince or heir to cast the horoscope; that is, to map out and announce the influence of the planets and stars present, as it were, at his birth.

Horoscope signs

SOME VERY FUNNY FACTS ABOUT MARRIAGE

All over the world, women prefer to marry older men and vice versa.

Marriage is love. Love is blind. Therefore, marriage is an institution for the blind.

After marriage, husband and wife each become one on one of two sides of a coin. They just can't see each other, but they stay together.

A British couple, Percy and Florence Arrowsmith hold the record for the longest marriage in the Guinness Book of Records. The marriage lasted 80 years before the death of Percy Arrowsmith, at 105 years of age in 2005.

Married women seem to have a lower risk of being abused in the home than those who are not married. Regardless of race, education, and age, cohabitants are three times more likely to become violent than married people.

No matter how often a married man changes jobs, he always ends up with the same boss.

In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens; in the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens; in the third year, the two speak and the NEIGHBOUR listens.

THE CHILD ASKS: -Dad, how much does it cost to get married? THE FATHER ANSWERS: -I don't know son, I'm still paying for it.

CHILD: Is it true, Dad, that in ancient China a man didn't know his wife until he married her? THE FATHER: That happens everywhere, son.

When a man takes a woman's hand before they are married, it is love; when they are married, it is self-defense.

When a newly married man looks happy, we know why. But when a man with ten years of marriage looks happy, we would like to know why.

It is not true that a married man lives longer than a single man.

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When did the custom of exchanging wedding rings begin?

Not everyone in the world is in the habit of exchanging rings when they get married. But in some places, the custom has been followed for so long that no one knows when it actually began.

In some primitive tribes, it was a custom for a man to place a bracelet on the arm or leg of the woman he married to prove that she belonged to him. This custom may have led to the first use of the wedding ring.

Wedding rings were already in use since ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the circle represented eternity, and therefore the ring would keep the marriage forever.

Wedding rings have been placed on the fourth finger of the left hand since the times of ancient Greece. The Greeks believed that a vein from this finger ran directly to the heart.

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What are the differences between Niger and Nigeria?

The nations of Niger and Nigeria both take their names from the Niger River, which flows through both countries. However, Niger and Nigeria could not be more different from each other.

Niger has an area of 1,267,000 km², while Nigeria has 923,768 km² . With a population of 186 million people, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. Niger has a population of only 20 million and is one of the least densely populated countries on Africa.

French is the official language of Niger, while English is one of the official languages of Nigeria. The majority of the population in Niger is Muslim, while about 35 percent of all Nigerians are Christian. Nigeria is largely fertile and forested, with many rivers and a long coastline, while in Niger 80% of its territory is desert and completely isolated from the sea.

Although the Niger River flows through Niger, the many rapids along the river prevent boats from using the navigable waterways to reach the sea from Niger. Niamey, the capital of Niger, is about 1000 kilometres from the nearest port. And there isn't a stretch of railway in the whole country.

By the way, a person in Niger is called a Nigerien, while someone in Nigeria is called a Nigerian.

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What's the Chinese New Year?

When does the Chinese New Year start?

Lantern Festival

The Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The new year begins on the first day of the Chinese calendar, which usually falls in February, a holiday that lasts for 15 days.

In Chinese New Year celebrations, people wear red, and give "lucky money" in red envelopes and some firecrackers to children. The red symbolizes fire, which drives away bad luck according to the Chinese.

People gather in the homes of their relatives to eat big feasts. The Chinese New Year ends with the Lantern Festival. People hang lanterns in temples and parade with them under the light of the full moon.

The highlight of the Lantern Festival is the so-called dragon dance. The dragon, which can be 30 meters long, is usually made of silk, paper, bamboo and... of people.

Who was Lilith?

What is the origin of Lilith?

 The name Lilith means "night monster." It is a female demon that appears in Hebrew folklore. Its name and legend derive from a very ancient tradition of Assyria and Babylon, where there was a very similar demon called Lilit or Lilu.

Part of rabbinical literature says that she was the mother of the diabolical son that Adam had after separating from Eve.

The cult of Lilith remained active for many years. In the 7th century A.D. it still survived in certain Jewish groups. Today it symbolizes the destructive force of the feminine, but also its irreverence and rebellion.

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What is the Red Cross?

Where did the Red Cross start?

In countries where Christian religions predominate, this emblem is adopted by those who help the victims of accidents, catastrophes and even wars. Members of the Red Cross show great altruism

The Red Cross is an institution of relief and spontaneous help, which was founded on the initiative of a Swiss, Henri Dunant, following the Geneva Convention of 1863. It had endeavoured to "humanise" the war and to avoid unnecessary suffering for the wounded and prisoners. Dunant succeeded in having the Swiss flag (a white cross on a red background) with inverted colours adopted as the emblem of the Red Cross. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. Today, the Red Cross is an international organization; Muslim countries have created the Red Crescent based on it.

For many years, Israel requested recognition of the Red Star of David, arguing that since the Christian and Muslim emblems were recognized, the corresponding Jewish emblems should also be recognized. These emblems have been used since 1935 by Israel's Magen David Adom Society, Israel's national first-aid society.

What is Folklore?

   Folklore, the things that make up the traditional culture of a people throughout its history. Folklore is usually handed down from one generation to another by word of mouth or by performance, rather than by writing. The forms of folklore that are mainly perpetuated through language include legends, myths, fairy tales, and poems, as well as proverbs, riddles, and figures of speech. Among the types that are passed down through action are music, dance, art, drama, rituals, crafts, cookery, and children's games. There is also a body of traditional practices and beliefs concerned with scientific or supernatural phenomena, which includes medicine, witchcraft, and prediction.
   Folklore is as old as human culture. It is created informally by a group of people for themselves, and it reflects their patterns of thought and behavior. Although a certain tale or custom may be created by an individual, its original author is not known and it is regarded as anonymous. As it passes from one generation to another, it is usually so modified that it can be considered the product of the community.
   Because folklore is preserved in memory, actual performance, and oral tradition, it rarely has a fixed form. Instead, it usually has an approximate pattern. The telling of a folktale or the performance of a folk activity may vary from group to group or even from one individual to another within the same group. Thus, there are often several versions of a folktale, folk dance, or folk song. Modifications are made not only to suit the tastes of a particular audience, but also to express the creative impulses of the tellers or performers. This flexibility distinguishes folklore from more cultivated literary or artistic creations.
   Folk materials are often used by writers, musicians, and artists in their works. For example, the ancient folk legend of a man who sold his soul to the Devil has been used and elaborated by many writers, including the English dramatist Christopher Marlowe in his play Doctor Faustus (about 1589), the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his dramatic poem Faust (1808-1832), and the German novelist Thomas Mann in his book Doctor Faustus (1947). The story was also the basis of the famous opera Faust by the 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod.

What is a rain dance?

   Many primitive tribes living in arid regions have held special dances with the hope of producing rain. The Papago Indians of Arizona held a rain dance before they planted their crops. First, the women gathered jars of cactus juice. Then for two nights, while the liquid fermented, men and women danced around a fire and sang songs about rain. Next morning, they drank the cactus juice. They believed that, as they filled themselves with this juice, so would the earth become filled with rain. The masked dances of the Pueblo Indians and the Hopi snake dance were also rain dances.

What is a folk dance?

   A folk dance is a traditional dance step or figure that is characteristic of a race or nation. Some folk dances originated in religious rites. Others describe primitive folk or tribal customs. In England, the United States, and other countries, folk-dance societies have been organized to preserve knowledge concerning the various national and regional dances. Details of costumes, form, choreography, and rhythm are carefully recorded. The dances of different regions and countries are compared in relation to each other as well as to such universal themes as animism and fertility. Notable folk dances include the English morris dance, the Spanish saraband, the Scottish Highland fling, the Irish jig, the Polynesian hula, American square dances (such as Turkey in the Straw), and the Latin American rumba.

Lady Godiva (legend)

   Lady Godiva (1040-1080) was a heroine of English legend, was the wife of Leofric, earl of Mercia and lord of Coventry. According to tradition, when she asked her husband to reduce the excessive taxes of the people of Coventry he agreed to do so but imposed the condition that she would ride naked through the streets of the town. She accepted the challenge and rode through Coventry, clad only in her long hair, after commanding all the citizens to remain in their homes, with doors and shutters closed, throughout the day.
The first account of the story is found in the Flares historiamm of Roger of Wendover (d. 1237). Later, anonymous balladists added miraculous incidents to the legend. The story of "Peeping Tom," the one citizen who spied upon Lady Godiva and who was immediately struck blind, was first reported by Paul de Rapin in his Histoire d'Angleterre (1723). There are literary versions of the story by Drayton, Leigh Hunt, and Tennyson. In commemoration of the legend a Godiva procession was made a triennial feature of the Coventry fairs from 1678 to 1826 and has been revived intermittently in modern times.

Graphic arts

   In its original meaning the term "graphic arts" included all fine arts which represent objects on a flat surface. It later came to mean only linear expression, as in drawing. Today the term is usually limited to art forms produced by printing methods, such as woodcuts or photographs. On the borderline between art and science, graphic art functions in both divisions. One of its main purposes is communication. The graphic arts are used to diagram or illustrate ideas and to document contemporary life; they are the accepted vehicle for various forms of persuasion and comment, such as satire, caricature, humor, and propaganda. Graphic media fell into aesthetic disrepute with the general decline caused by the Industrial Revolution. William Morris was among the first to revive interest in this field and in the 20th century a broadened appreciation of the values of all media has resurrected the graphic arts to their proper artistic level.

What is rumba?

   Rhumba, or rumba, is a ballroom dance in four-four time. Its strong quick-quick-slow rhythm is usually subjected to complex syncopation. Accentuated body movements rather than foot movements characterize the dance. Rumba had its roots as a Spanish and African folk dance. The ballroom dance originated in Cuba and became known in the United States in the early 1930's. The various forms of the ballroom rumba are performed throughout the West Indies.

What is idolatry?

   Idolatry is the worship of idols. An idol is usually a carved figure resembling the figure of a person. The ruder the people, the ruder its idols. There are two sorts of idol worship; the worship of the idol by reason of godlike qualities which it is believed to possess, and the worship of idols as a means of approaching the deity or deities they are supposed to represent. A statue of a noted man, on the other hand, is an entirely different thing. While the erection of the statue is, no doubt, an outgrowth of idolatry, the statue is erected merely as a mark of respect and to keep in mind one whose qualities commend him. Idolatry appears to have prevailed among all savage nations. Idols were set up in groves and in temples more or less elabo­rate.
   Although the Hebrews have given to the world a religion which is especially severe upon idolatry, the families of the Hebrew patriarchs themselves were not entirely free from idolatry or image worship. We learn that Rachel, Jacob's wife, had stolen "the images that were her father's," and that she put them in the camel's furniture and sat thereon that Laban might not find them. The idolatry of the surrounding people gave the prophets of Israel much trouble.
   The worship of idols has ever been accompanied by bowing down in front of them, making presents, and offering sacrifices.

How did early cultures interpret comets?

   Throughout the ages, a great deal of mythology has been associated with the presence of comets. Because of their unusual shape and sudden appearance, comets were commonly viewed as omens, both good and bad. A comet appearing in 44 B.C. shortly after Julius Caesar was killed was thought to be his soul returning. In A.D. 451, the Romans felt that a comet's appearance was responsible for the defeat of Attila
the Hun, and in A.D. 684 a comet was blamed for an outbreak of the plague. People used to print and distribute pamphlets every time a comet was coming, some with titles such as "News of the Terrible and Fearsome Comet." Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher and scientist from the third century B.C., mistakenly believed that comets were atmospheric phenomena and that they were a sign of coming weather.

What is a vendetta?

   A vendetta is a particular case of the wider custom of blood-feud, by which every member of a stock, or body of men between whom blood relationship subsists, is bound to aid in taking vengeance (on the offender if possible, or on the stock to which he belongs) for a personal injury done to any of his kinsmen. The vendetta which exists in Corsica, and to a less extent in Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria, is the practice of taking vengeance on the murderer of a relative; and this duty is imposed primarily on the next of kin, but in a less degree on all the relatives of the murdered individual. If the murderer succeeds in eluding his pursuers, then vengeance may be taken on any of his relatives. Between 1770 and 1800, when the vendetta was at its height, some 7,000 murders are said to have occurred in Corsica owing to this practice of private vengeance.

Gypsy people

A Spanish gypsy girl

   A nomadic people, Gypsies are believed to have left India by way of Persia and Egypt (hence the name Gypsy) sometime before the end of the first millennium A.D. Traveling in large bands into northern Europe and the British Isles, across Africa and into Spain, the Gypsies eventually established themselves throughout the Western world, including the United States. South America and Australia. Although some have been assimilated, the majority remain a people apart, speaking a separate language, Romany, and living Gypsy lives whether in the middle of New York or on the edge of a Hungarian village. As the perennial and osten­tatious "other" wherever they happen to be, Gypsies have been persecuted throughout history: in the Middle Ages they were accused of witchcraft; in World War II an estimated 500,000 European Gypsies were murdered by the Nazis. Despite lesser harassment today, some 5 million Gypsies are thought to live in various parts of the world.

Mummies

   The ancient Egyptians believed that a person's body should be kept from decaying after death. The body must be kept as it was so that the soul which had left it could come back to the tomb and find refuge in the body.
   To keep a dead body from decaying, the Egyptians used chemicals which dried it. They dried it very much as we now dry fish or beef. Then they wrapped it in layer after layer of linen. Several hundred yards of linen were needed. The layers of linen were held together with coatings of resin. A body that has been treated in this way is called a mummy.
   Mummifying a body took about 70 days. During that time woodworkers were busy making coffins, for the mummy of an important person had more than one. The coffins fitted one inside another. The innermost coffins were often beautifully painted, as the picture on the next page shows.
   Many museums now have Egyptian mummies. These mummies look very much as they must have looked centuries ago. The Egyptians' way of keeping a body from decaying was certainly a good one.
   Not all Egyptian mummies were mum­mies of human beings. There are mummies of almost every kind of animal known in Egypt. Among them are cat, gazelle, bull, and crocodile mummies.
   Not all mummies are Egyptian. In Peru in ancient times bodies were mummified, too. But to most people the word "mummy" means an Egyptian mummy.

What is a dialect?

Dialect, the speech characteristics of one group of people in contrast to those of another group using the same language. Dialects differ from one another in vocabulary and pronunciation and often in grammar. Since they retain the basic character­istics of the language, however, the various dialects in a language can nearly always be understood by a person who can speak any one of them. Within the past 75 years the scientific study of dialects has become a major branch of linguistics.