ually rice. Other rites are the first haircutting, for a young boy, and for a girl, the purification after the first menstruation. Marriage, the blessings upon pregnancy to produce a male child and a successful delivery, and the funeral ceremonies, which is usually cremation and, if possible, the sprinkling of the ashes in a holy river, and offerings to ancestors are among others.The daily ritual of a Hindu usually consists of making an offering, or puja, of fruit or flowers before a small shrine in the house. This is usually done by the wife because he is believed to have more power to intercede with the gods. She also makes offerings to snakes, trees, or obscure spirits in her garden or at a crossroad in the village.Many villages have small temples where priests perform ceremonies Throughout the day. Sunrise prayers are said to awake the gods. The god is bathed, clothed, and fanned and even fed while the remains are fed to the worshipers. Songs are also sung, holy texts are read aloud and sunset rituals are performed. There are also thousands of local temples in existence. These can be anything from a small stone box enclosing a "formless effigy swathed in cloth", to a "slightly more imposing edifice with a small tank in which to bathe". India also has many large temples as well as "complex temple cities". There are many holy shrines that many people from all over India take pilgrimages to. Some shrines are local and others are only visited on yearly special festive occasions.In Buddhism, worship and everyday ritual is a little different. Since the beginning, the followers of Buddha were organized into the monastic sangha. Their shaved heads and robes of unsewn orange cloth could identify the members. The bhikkus, the early Buddhist monks wandered from place to place staying in one place for a while only during the rainy season. They believe enlightenment is only possible for humans.The goal of the Buddhist path is to ...
