Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

BBC News – Hindus flock to marry on auspicious day

KyaemonMay 16, 201012min1590

Reminds me of the “yet yaza’s” (auspicious days), “pyat thadar’s” (inauspicious days), and “nagar layt” (facing dragon) in Myanmar calendars. “Don’t move towards a dragon facing in the opposite direction and waiting to swallow you up”  is the idea behind this direction finder. Fortune tellers especially love to couple their advice with certain days.

Like the Indians, Chinese also have an almanac based on ancient astrology and sold all over the world even in Vietnam and L A Chinatown.

However, over dependency on “Bay din” (fortune telling, astrology) can prevent people from doing what they should be doing normally. Sitagu Sayadaw made a video that essentially said Dumb people rely on Bay Din, instead of relying on their intellect. Than Shwe had it banned. He took it rather badly as an inference to him, an ardent believer in “Bay Din.”

Buddha’s Vinaya monk rules prohibit monks from studying or discussing about Prediction (fortune telling), Magic, making charms, amulets, .. as low animal like knowledge which are doubtful or deceiving…

BBC News – Hindus flock to marry on auspicious day

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8682170.stm

Thousands of Hindus across the world will be tying the knot on Sunday 16 May. BBC Asian Network’s Catrin Nye investigates the phenomenon.


“I’ve hardly slept, everything is just clashing all at once. We’ve had to use new companies to source the flowers, cars, favour boxes. Once Sunday is over I think it will be time for a nice long sleep.”



Those are the frantic words of wedding planner Rita Yadav who is severely under pressure ahead of a weekend of great importance in terms of Hindu matrimony.


She is planning three Hindu weddings taking place on Sunday 16 May in west London, but that is only part of a bigger and amazing picture.


The day and date in question is one thousands of Hindu couples across the world have been waiting for to get married because it is said to be blessed.


And, this year, with it following months of unsuitable dates, a backlog of brides and grooms has built up.

Some estimates say that in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay), which is dominated by Hindus and is the centre of Bollywood, 50,000 weddings have been planned for the day, including that of Indian cricketer Pragyan Ojha.


In the UK, the Hindu Council has approximately 250 priests and they have all been booked for the day, with many having had to turn down some requests to conduct weddings.


Dr Raj Sharma, president of the Hindu Council UK, is one of those as he will be travelling to the Netherlands to marry a Hindu couple at The Hague.


Foundation


He says that there are four or five times the usual number of bookings on this particular day.

“Hindus believe a union between two souls is very important and choosing that auspicious date is incredibly important,” Dr Sharma told BBC Asian Network.


“It has been particularly inauspicious between February and 16 May – our scriptures telling us that this would be a period of calamity, and so it has caused this backlog.


“Most Hindus, even if they are marrying non-Hindus, would want to marry on an auspicious date to build the best foundation possible for their relationship.”


He added: “Sometimes people question me because I come from a medical scientific background and ask, ‘How can you believe these things?’…