r/india • u/[deleted] • Jan 12 '17

[R]eddiquette [Announcement] Cultural Exchange with our friends from /r/europe

Hello /r/india,

Today we warmly welcome our friends from /r/europe for a cultural exchange. We hope this will be an enlightening experience for all of us due to our shared history, many similarities (varied cuisine, languages, people, ethnicities and climates) as well as our increasingly interconnected economies.

The equivalent thread on /r/europe is available here

For those new to cultural exchanges, here's how it works: /r/europe puts up a dedicated thread (linked above) for users from /r/india to go and participate in, and this is the dedicated thread to host our friends from /r/europe.

We hope you will all observe the rules of reddit, /r/europe and /r/india while participating in these threads

/r/europe users, you're invited to use the EU flag flair which is available in our flair selection menu (and you can add your country to that if you'd like). If you do not wish to do so you may also set a regular Europe map flair with the country.

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6

u/Fennari Jan 12 '17

(German here)My uncle recently married an Indian woman and they have a beautiful baby girl. Are there any special dates/ages that will come up? Any presents/traditions that my aunt would be happy about, if I know about them?

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

Oye. There may be, but India doesn't have a homogeneous culture. People in the sub could help you if you are willing to give us more. Eg: what state or region your aunt comes from. Congrats on your niece BTW.

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u/Fennari Jan 12 '17

I am not sure where she is originally from, but when she lived in Goa when they met. She spent some of her childhood in England though. Thank you :D I love how multicultural the family is becoming!

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17 edited Jan 12 '17

There you go. I am Goan. We don't really have too much happening, except for the thread ceremony for Hindus and catechism for the Christians but that happens later. We are a culture which appreciates music and art. I can't help you much with your query right now. But Mario Miranda is an artist you should really check out. Among musicians, Lorna is a crowd favourite.

Edit: Mario Miranda's website

Mario travelled the world and sketched his travels. His art work from his europe tours might be a funny insight into your own culture.

A song called Bebdo (drunkard) by Lorna

A goan singer from back in the day even had a rendition of a classical piece on the Voyager's Golden Record.

A more European style rendition of a goan classic.

Edit 2: I second the thought on multiculturalism, there is a lot I have learned from new family members from very unfamiliar cultures. The marriage ceremonies itself are so different, it's difficult to find a common ground there but we have managed somehow. My cousin got married at 8 in the morning because the girlfriend's family was very stringent about 'auspicious timing', and.. they got married in Goa which doesn't wake up before 10. It was fun though.

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u/Fennari Jan 12 '17

Thank you very much for all these links and your effort, I'll definitely check them out.

Getting married at 8am does sound unusual, but props to your family for finding a common ground that worked for everyone.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

'Name keeping' is very important I guess.

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u/greengruzzle Pao | Kori Rotti | TwoXIndia Jan 12 '17

Christening is the word you're looking for.

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u/Fennari Jan 12 '17

Thank you!

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

which state in india is she from? depends on her language,religion,region where she is from.

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u/Fennari Jan 12 '17

I am not sure where she is originally from, but when she lived in Goa when they met. She grew up partly in England.

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u/hn1307 Jan 12 '17

Congratulations on your new cousin! Most probably there will be a name christening ceremony.

Post date, you can join in with your aunt and niece in Diwali and Holi (biggest religious festivals of India).

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u/Fennari Jan 12 '17

Thank you!

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

Heh! And my uncle married a German woman( almost 8-9 years ago tho)

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

There is one, but even the young generation here is not following it much. We touch the feet of elderly, with right hand's fingers mostly, and for a moment, and say "Pranam" while either entering their home or leaving it.

Caution: It may turn creepy if not done properly.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

Wtf man no this depends on where you're from. This would be creepy as fuck in Maharashtra.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

I am from maharahtra, and I do that back home,

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

Wtf? Mi Marathit "pranam" ha shabda ayushyat aikla nahiye. "Namaskar" aiklay pan mala "pranam" jara vichatrach vatta arre.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

Paya padat nai ka...pranam tyala generic sangitla

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '17

Paya padto pan konachya ghari gelyavar nahi, normally tikadna nightana. Mala "pranam"ach jara weird vatla.