We humans are driven by our dreams and aspirations. We all have goals and want to achieve them as fast as we can. Thus we put all our energies in working towards it. But in some cultures people believe that besides hard work they also need some divine intervention and so they look towards the gods. In India the offerings made to God in hope for their wishes to come true are so unusual and at times bizarre that you'll have a hard time believing it(specially the last one).
1. Hair
At Balaji Temple Tirupati people from all over the country shave off their heads to offer their hair to the deity. The temple auctions off the hair to wig makers and uses the money for charitable purposes. The annual auction revenue is close to US$21 million, so that should give an idea how prevalent this custom is.
2. Miniature Aeroplanes
At this Sikh Temple in Jallandhar Punjab, people wishing to go abroad to work or study offer miniature aeroplanes.
3. Whisky
People offer bottles of whisky at Kal Bhairav Temple in Ujjain(M.P.) with a hope to please the gods.
4. Wall clocks
At Bramha Baba Temple in Jaunpur, on average 100 people offer clocks in hopes for their wish to come true.
5. Toss the the baby
This one is really bizarre and may even appear outright cruel. At a Muslim shrine in Maharashtra babies are dropped from a 50ft height to be caught in a sheet by men below. People believe that this brings good health for the children.
I know it's hard to believe, so here's a video.
So do you have any wishes you want to make ?
One from Hong Kong:
Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree is the focus of a tradition where people from all over the modern metropolis gather during the Chinese New Year to throw oranges with wishes ties to them onto the tree. If the orange is caught in one of the branches then the wish is destined to come true.
Unfortunately because of the annual abuse, the tree was effectively being strangled to death. The HK government in its infinite wisdom had relocated the real tree and replaced it with an artificial one and, to prevent injuries caused by heavy real oranges, only permit light fake plastic oranges.
And so now every Chinese New Year we will have thousand of people gathering in Lam Tsuen to throw plastic oranges at a fake tree, hoping their wishes will come true while the real tree are ignored and left unmolested it the background...
Interesting! I am assuming you're from HK?
Isn't there some custom where dead are showered with high street brands fakes at the time of cremation?
Kind of like that. Effigies of items and valuable are incinerated and it is belief that the destruction of such things, turning them to ash will transport them to the afterlife where they can be enjoys by the deceased.
wow, amazing
thanks
thanks