- Ukrainian creator Sandra On contrasted Indian and European housewarming parties
- Indian events start early with prayers, unlike European evening celebrations
- Indian rituals include Hindu priests praying for prosperity and peace
A Ukrainian content creator, Sandra On, has caught social media's attention after highlighting the difference between Indian and European housewarming parties. In an Instagram post, On detailed that before coming to India, she believed that housewarming parties were 'basically the same everywhere' around the world. But once she attended an Indian event, she was left pleasantly surprised by how tradition was married with gratitude and modernity during such a pivotal time in an individual's life.
"I thought housewarming parties were basically the same everywhere. You buy a new apartment. Invite your family and friends. Eat, celebrate, show everyone around. Then I went to one in India. And wow, a completely different world," said On.
On explained that the festivities start early in the day, compared to Europe, where the party gets into motion late in the evening.
"First of all, it starts at 6 am not 6 pm. 6 in the morning. Before anyone even thinks about breakfast, everyone gathers for prayers. The entire focus is on blessing the home first," On said.
"The family invites Hindu priests to perform a puja and pray for protection, prosperity, peace, and happiness in their new home. Only after the prayers comes breakfast."
After the rituals are performed and the lunch is consumed, the party slowly starts to build up as people start engaging much more freely.
"Then everyone comes back for more rituals, devotional music, and chanting together. After that, lunch. Only then does it slowly turn into what I'd call a 'housewarming party,'" she said.
"Back in Europe, it's almost the opposite. You usually invite people over in the evening. Everyone eats first. Chats. Looks around the apartment. Maybe opens a bottle of wine. And that's pretty much it."
Though she grew up in Europe, On said she found the housewarming rituals in India 'beautiful' and the emphasis people put on it.
"What surprised me the most wasn't the rituals. It was the priorities. In India, the celebration starts with gratitude. The house isn't just a new apartment. It's a place where a family is about to build their life. And honestly, even though I grew up in Europe, I found that really beautiful."
Check The Viral Post Here:
As of the last update, the post had garnered over 1.5 lakh views as social media users provided more insights into how performing housewarming rituals was a big thing across India.
"This is because we Indians (Hindus) believe that it is the blessings of God that we were able to get our house," said one user, while another added: "It smells divine after the housewarming pujas. The agarbattis, melting ghee in havan."
A third commented: "It is a very big ritual in South India and more religious and a lot of rituals are performed, like milk boiling in a new brass pot, Homa, Vastu puja followed by Satyanarayana vratham, and in some homes like ours (South Indian Banias) we do Srinivasa and Padmavathi kalyanam as well. It usually starts around 4 am, and those who perform puja would not touch food till all the rituals are performed."
