Hinduism Hinduism is said to be the oldest existing religion, making it the third largest religion in the world. Hinduism originated in the Indus Valley, near the Indus River, which is present-day Pakistan. Hinduism is rooted in India, 80% of Indians consider themselves Hindus. Hindus have a sacred text known as Veda and most of them have a common value system known as dharma. They also believe in concepts such as karma (reincarnation). Hindus celebrate many festivals, it is fair to say that they have occasions every month. Their main festival is known as Diwali, Festival of Lights. They also believe in the caste system and are polytheists. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion but they believe in three main gods who created the world. Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma are the three creators of this universe. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer. Brahma grew into a lotus from the navel of sleeping Vishnu. Brahma begot his nine sons from his body and made himself a goddess. Brahma created women whom he called Gayatri, but made a mistake by falling in love with his daughter. Instead of having five heads he lost one due to lying to Vishnu, which made Shiva very angry. Hindus also have gurus whom they call teachers. Gurus are highly revered and can become the focus of devotion (bhakti). Gurus also have many disciples across a lineage, so when a guru dies, he is usually replaced by a successor. The cult is practiced every day by a Hindu. Visiting a temple every day is not possible for everyone, so most Hindus create a room just for prayer where they can perform puja. They can't wear shoes in that room and do anything that can't be done by... paper... by your husband. On the second day they have pithi/sangeet. This ceremony is very joyful and musical, family and friends apply a paste of turmeric on the bride and groom so that they can shine long before the actual wedding day. They also play music all night and dance a lot. Finally, on the last day, they adorn the bride with expensive jewelry and heavy wedding dresses. The groom and bride then exchange many gifts and make saat pheras “seven vows”. In each vow the groom and bride promise to support each other, honor and protect, respect and keep the family happy. Finally the last ritual is when the next day the girl visits her parents' house which is called Pag Phera. The bride's brother goes to her husband's house and takes her home for a few hours or a few days. The girl's husband then comes to pick her up and her parents give her gifts and blessings as she returns home.