I am going to take an Indian foreign teacher out to Foshan in a few days. But I don’t understand their customs.

First of all, confirm a statement that after Indians use the toilet, they do clean it with their hands - (only the left hand. Please remember this). At first I couldn't believe it when I saw the relevant statement online, thinking it was vilifying Indians. Now it has been certified by multiple parties. Prove this statement to be true.

Secondly, let’s talk about their methods. It's not as unclean as we thought. Indian toilets do not have toilet paper like our public toilets, but they all have a sink next to the toilet. It's within reach. Designed to help clean up afterward. Even the most luxurious hotel bathrooms are like this. Therefore, friends who go to India must carry toilet paper with them in addition to their passport. Otherwise, you can only learn from the Indian model.

In India, the issue of hand cleaning has nothing to do with culture, quality, education, or class. Even white-collar workers still follow this custom. Therefore, the most inconvenient thing for Indians traveling to China is that there is no sink next to the toilet pit, which makes it awkward to use the toilet.

Indians eat with their hands. So do Bengalis. All right-handed. Absolutely no one uses their left hand. Therefore, if you are eating with Indians, it is best not to extend your left hand to the table.

Finally, let’s talk about what you think of this way of going to the toilet. I don't think there's any need to make a fuss, let alone despise it. It's just a different lifestyle. But it's full of misunderstandings.

Indian marriage customs

During our trip to India, our tour guide Xiao Ke asked us this question: "Do you know why India's population is growing so fast?" Everyone's answers varied. Sticking to their opinions, some said that the family planning system was not implemented, some said that the publicity of birth control knowledge was not enough, and some said that traditional Indian concepts were at play. Xiao Ke shook his head and said that none of them were completely correct. He was very eloquent, and he told us an interesting story about strange marriages in India.

According to him, it is a headache for parents of Indian daughters to get married, because Indian custom is that the woman has to prepare a large amount of money as a betrothal gift for the man. The more gifts given, the higher the woman's status in her husband's family. On the wedding day, the man can invite many relatives and friends to join in the fun, and the guests attending the wedding do not have to give gifts. On the contrary, they can also receive a red envelope, which of course is given by the woman. If the man has a large team of relatives and friends, the burden on the woman's parents will be staggering. Therefore, once a daughter is born in an Indian family, it is necessary to raise a large amount of money for the daughter. On the contrary, when a new son is added, it is an additional opportunity to make a fortune. This custom of favoring sons over daughters has affected Indians’ views on fertility. Some parents were unhappy after giving birth to a daughter for the first time and decided to have another child. If the child was a daughter again, they would work hard to have a third or fourth child until they gave birth to a son.

This kind of marriage custom is different from that of the Chinese. When a Chinese has a son, he has to buy a house and have a banquet, which costs a lot of money. On the contrary, if you have a daughter, you can spend less money. Besides, China now implements family planning, and the new concept of "boys and girls are born the same" is quite popular among young people, which is much more advanced than India's concept of fertility.

However, Xiao Ke added: "Divorce in India has preferential conditions for the woman. If she gets divorced, the woman can set conditions. The man has to give as much as she wants. The decision lies with the woman. . So although a man beats his wife, he is afraid that his wife will get divorced because the loss will be too great. "The law in India is biased towards the woman. It makes sense when you think about it. Whoever pays more will of course get more." When he saw us laughing, he said: "This is also the strange concept of Indians on marriage!"

I think every country and every nation has its own strange marriages. However, some old concepts will be replaced by new advanced concepts. In the final analysis, it is a question of education. Xiao Ke also agreed with this, because India currently does not implement compulsory education, and tuition fees are relatively expensive. As a result, many Indian teenagers cannot receive more and better education, and of course they cannot accept advanced concepts. This will of course slow down social development. It is inevitable that the country's productivity will be restricted.

Clothing: Indian men’s traditional clothing, the lower body is a totti, which is actually a piece of wide white cotton wrapped around the waist. It can also be made of linen or silk. The length is generally 3.6 to 4.5 Rice, wrapped around the waist, hanging down to the knees or feet, and some even have piping. Wearing a fat "Gurda" top that reaches to the knees.

The scarves come in different colors and are wrapped in different ways. The Rajasthani turbans and Sikh turbans are famous and sometimes feathers are inserted into the turbans.

In rural India, men generally don’t wear shirts, but only put a sweat towel on their shoulders, or use a piece of cloth as the main upper body with one end draped on their shoulders. People call it "Chadar".

The national costume of Indian women is the "sari". A sari is usually made of a piece of cloth about 6 meters long and 1.1 to 1.3 meters wide. The saree is worn from the waist up and finally draped over the shoulders or over the head. Sarees are generally divided into cotton, silk, yarn and nylon.

The clothing in India is related to the local climate. In summer, the temperature can be higher than 40°C, and in winter, it is also above 20°C. Therefore, clothing needs to be breathable and refreshing. Nowadays, most of the residents in the city wear Westernized clothes. Men also wear shirts, trousers, and usually wear suits and leather shoes. Most women still wear saris, but many also wear jeans. However, the ethnic groups in each region still maintain their own ethnic characteristics. Many Muslim men like to wear a Persian lambskin Turkish hat. Sikh women usually wear a long blouse that covers their knees and a wide skirt called a shalwar-mazi.

Indians like to wear all kinds of jewelry, with many names, such as hair jewelry, ear jewelry, forehead jewelry, nose jewelry, necklaces, brain jewelry, wrist bracelets, upper wrist jewelry, rings, etc. Most of them are Articles of gold, silver or precious stones. People in some places even regard jewelry as clothing. According to traditional customs, it is considered an obligation for Indian men to give jewelry to women. Women regard wearing jewelry as an important part of life, but widows cannot wear any jewelry. A headdress is a product that is fixed to the top of the head and forehead with small chains and small hooks. Nose ornaments are mostly made of gold and silver and are a decorative symbol for married women. The necklace in the necklace is used to ward off evil spirits and is worn by the groom to the bride during the wedding. As long as she does not get divorced, the wife has to wear the chain for a lifetime. This custom is still present in rural India.

Diet: Due to the influence of ethnicity, history and culture, the Indian diet differs greatly between the north and the south. In the north, influenced by Islamic culture, cooking is often Mughal-style, characterized by lots of meat, grains, and bread. The South is mostly vegetarian, characterized by rice and spicy curry. The only thing that all Indian dishes have in common is the love of spiciness.

Indian meals often start with a soup, usually a thin curry, and the rest of the dishes are usually served by colleagues instead of being served in separate dishes. In addition to the main meal, there are supplementary foods, the most common of which are curdled milk or yogurt, curry mixed with vegetables, curdled milk mixed with vegetables, vegetable puree and chutney. After-meal foods usually include nut ice cream, rice pudding, cream cheese balls flavored with rose water, pancakes with sugar water, Tanghe fresh fruits made with cream cheese and milk, etc. After a meal, Indians often serve guests a carved product wrapped in betel leaves made of betel nut, slaked lime and spices to aid digestion.

"Dunduli Chicken" and "Butter Mutton" are famous Indian dishes. Creamed lamb is made by adding almost equal amounts of yogurt to the lamb. In the past, this dish was only available to the royal family, but now it is more common. "Dunduli Chicken" is a chicken that has been plucked and coated with spices, then placed on a clay stove and roasted slowly over a slow fire. The aroma coming out of the oven is mouth-watering.

Eating sweets is a hobby of Indians. There are dozens of kinds of sweets in India. A kind of sweet is made differently in different regions. "Lajeda" and "Sheligende" made with kefir are very popular among people. Desserts are generally made with flour, milk, cheese, almonds, walnuts, cardamom and saffron.

Hindus are most taboo about eating vegetables on the same plate, and there are many vegetarians. Generally speaking, the higher the level, the fewer meat eaters; only those with lower levels eat meat (mutton).

Beverages in India are diverse. In the south, people like to drink strong coffee, and in the north, people like to drink tea. Both drinks are always served with milk and sugar. If you don't put milk and sugar in your tea, ask for "clear tea". While other drinks in India vary by place and season, fresh fruit khan is a universal favorite among Indians.

Indians usually do not use tableware when dining. In the north, people eat with the fingertips of their right hand, and it is impolite to hold food above the second knuckle. In the South, people use their whole right hand to stir rice and curry and knead them into balls before eating. Indians eat with their hands, but they cannot touch other people's dishes or take food for themselves. Otherwise, they will be disgusted by the people who eat with them.

There is always a public water container for water supply when dining. When drinking water, you should not touch the water container with your lips, but pour it into someone's mouth. After a meal, Indians usually bring a bowl of hot water to the guests and put it on the table for them to wash their hands.