Why the Indian women, especially those from South India wear the flowers on their hair without fail, every day?

This question can be asked by anybody curious to know.

One gentleman in ‘Yahoo Answers’ got annoyed for this question and replied as follows.

“This is a tradition in India. Just like this, there are social and fashion traditions in other parts of the world also.

Why don’t you question them? Why does a man wear a tie in front, not at the backside?

Stupid question, is it not? It is stupid to ask a woman in India why she wears flowers.

It is stupid to ask a widow in India why she does not wear flowers or wear a red spot on her forehead.

This way you can go on questioning every custom all over the world.

Why do you question the customs and practices of India alone? When the other parts of the world were cavemen, India had a great civilization working”

But I felt it would have been proper for him to explain the importance/significance/purpose of Indian women wearing flowers on their hair so that people from other Cultures/Backgrounds can appreciate the explanation given.

I shall explain now.

• Every morning, the women religiously put on the flower strands on their head after a bath.
• These flower strands make the women look beautiful (Indians feel that way, and I am not sure, how the westerners feel about wearing a flower on the hair).
• Flowers are a symbol of love, good luck, happiness, and prosperity.
• In an Indian household, a girl is supposed to wear flowers on her hair because it brings happiness to the family and prosperity to all the members.
• Wearing flowers on the hair is the symbol that Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) is residing in the house and that wealth will never leave the house.
• Jasmine, Rose, and Hibiscus are common, jasmine being the favorite.

Please enrich me further if such things are seen in the western world and if it is so…what is the idea of wearing the flowers on hair, from a Westerner point of view?

When Cee Neuner posted the challenge ‘Back of things’, I was scratching my head and wondering, because never in my imagination I dreamed that I shall be taking photos of the back of things. But surprisingly my Archive had a few. Thank You, Cee Neuner

I think it’s a lesson for amateurs like me, that no angle of the subject should be left untouched.

This post is part of Cee’s B&W photo challenge: Back of things

and also in response to Becky’s Square Perspective

Thank you Becky.B….looks like I started seeing everything in Square perspective.

Thank you, Cee Neuner.

Thank you. Namaste 🙏🙏🙏

Philosophy Through Photography

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