Indian Traditions
Vrat and Upvaas - Upvaas is mainly about food; vrat is done for a more wholesome change in personality. There are 3 types of vrat: 1) nitya-vrat - is connected to the daily/regular routine; 2) naimittik vrat - is done to get rid of specific sinful karma; 3) kaamya vrat - is done to improve one's life.
Tulsi plant (holy basil) - helps with any problems related to father, wealth, and reputation apart from helping in removing vaastu and illnesses. Bring it in your home on Sundays, it's the best day to worship Tulsi as it helps strengthen your Sun.
Candles: When we light a candle/deepak, then that fire has some energy, this affects our chakras, which in turn helps us become stronger. So when you feel weak, put 75 candles around you and then pray, you will feel the energy rise in you.
Traditionally, Hindu priests keep a pony tail while the rest of the hair is shaved off, this it so their energy does not get stolen/dissipate into the surroundings. This pony tail also keeps the person's eyes strong, provides a long life, and keeps the person healthy.
It's said that one must always worship the Peepal tree in Vedic Hindu culture. There's a scientific reason for this. All the parts of the tree, including, branches, roots, bark, fruits and leaves are a good source for increasing life-force. This is why it's believed that the different parts of the tree house different Gods and goddesses. The trunk of the tree is considered to be the place of Vishnu. So doing remedies such as, typing a thread in the trunk or marrying the tree removes obstacles in one's married life or if someone is unable to get married then such remedies help find them a good partner.
Why should one walk around the temple after praying in the temple? This is because it strengthens the bond between you and God. It also gets rid of fear.
It's not a good sign if holy-basil is drying up in your house. Make sure you get a new one in the home before the first one dries up. Start doing Gayatri yag every Sunday and donating wheat every Sunday too.
Why is prayer called "upasana"? It is made of "up" - this means close to God, "asana" - to sit. So the full word means "to sit close to God".
Sesame seeds are used on ekadashi as it's the preferred choice of Vishnu bhagwaan due to its energizing effects on the mind and body.
Flowers should never be burnt when doing yag, so make sure you never throw flowers in the yag when doing any kind of puja.
TEEJ/Haryali Teej:
Teej celebrates the union of Shiva and Parvati. It took 107 rebirths by Parvati to get Shiva.
The fast done on Teej can help young women get their desired husband, while helping married women improve the relationship with their husband.
Married women should fast on this day and wear the clothes and jewellery given by their parents. Husbands should gift their wives something on this day and respect them.
After cleaning the place of worship in the home with gangajal, one should make a shivling and idol of Parvati with the help of pure clay and gangajal. Only then should they continue with the Shadopchar (16 step) worship and the "aarti". They should give food to young girls and priests on this day. The prayers and worship done on this day will help get rid of the problems between the husband and wife throughout life. This will ensure that both will prosper and be with each other in good and bad times.
Why do we Wear Threads on Wrists:
Many people are told to wear threads of different colors in their wrist. A thread is as good as an expensive stone in many cases when it is worn after chanting specific mantras.
The wrist has the 3 nadis that affect "vaat" "pitta" and "kapha". These "nadis" are sometimes called "aadi", "antya", and "madhya" or "ingla", "pingla", and "shushuma". So wearing the different threads on the wrists affects different nadis differently.
For instance, the color red represent energy and strength. It's also the color of Hanuman. The color red is very beneficial in any psychic problems or in improving one's health.
Sun, Moon, and Jupiter are also on the wrist, so if one can wear some threads to keep these planets positive, then that can prove highly beneficial in achieving success in life.