hinduism key facts Flashcards
What are most Hindus because they believe that God is in everything and all living things should be respected?
vegetarian
What do Hindus believe is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth?
life
What do Hindus call the effect that every action we take has on our life?
karma
What do Hindus believe will effect how we will live in our next life on earth?
karma
If we live a really good life on earth, Hindus believe that we will be freed from the cycle of rebirth and become one with what/who?
God
Hindus worship millions of gods and goddesses, but how many gods do they ultimately believe in?
one
How many aspects/qualities of the one God do Hindus believe are represented in the millions of gods and goddesses that they worship?
millions
What name is given to a Hindu Temple?
mandir
Over how many years old is Hinduism?
4000
‘Hinduism’ is a collection of different religious traditions and practices from which country?
india
How often do many Hindus worship God at home?
everyday
What name do Hindus give to the one true God?
brahman
How many different qualities does Brahman have?
millions
What name do Hindus give to images of the different gods and goddesses?
murtis
Who do Hindus believe they are meeting with when they visit a murti?
god / brahman
Where can you find Hindu murtis, other than in Hindu homes?
the mandir
Who do Hindus ring a bell to awaken when they arrive at the Mandir?
god/brahman
What do Hindus bow down and pray to in the Mandir?
murtis
What is a Hindu doing when they ask God for something, or thank God for something good that has happened?
praying
Hindus often choose to worship a god, or goddess, that their family has traditionally worshiped, or that has qualities that they what?
admire
Name one of the gods that Hindus believe is responsible for creation:
shiv
What is the name of the monkey god that a Hindu might worship if they wanted strength?
hanuman
What is the name of the elephant god that a Hindu might worship if they wanted intelligence?
ganesh
How many gods, or goddesses, (qualities of Brahman) do Hindus often choose to worship?
one
What name is given to the Hindu worshiping ritual?
aarti
Aarti ceremonies often help Hindus feel what to the god, or goddess they are worshiping?
closer
How often is aarti usually performed in the morning and evening?
every day
Other than in the Mandir, in what place is aarti usually performed?
the home
Are murtis in the Mandir usually more, or less, decorative than the murtis in Hindu homes?
more
What do Hindus treat as it they were God?
murtis
As well as putting markings on it, what else might a Hindu do to a murti to perform aarti?
bathe it
What do Hindus often feel like when they go to a murti shrine?
peaceful
What feeling between brothers and sisters does Raksha Bandhan celebrate?
love
What does ‘Raksha’ mean?
protection
What does ‘Bandhan’ mean?
tie
What is the name of the bracelet that a sister might tie to her brother’s wrist as part of Raksha Bandhan?
rakhi
What is a Hindu brother supposed to offer his sister over the coming year if she ties a rakhi around his wrist at Raksha Bandhan?
protection
What is the name of the mark that a Hindu sister might put on her brother’s foreheard at Raksha Bandhan as well as give her brother a rakhi?
tilak
Tilaks are made of water, rice and what coloured powder?
red
What does a tilak represent?
good fortune
What do Hindu sisters say, asking God to keep their brother happy and healthy in the year ahead, when they tie a rakhi to their brother’s wrist?
a prayer
What do Hindu sisters feed their brothers after they have given their brother a rakhi?
a sweet
What do younger brothers touch out of respect when their older sister gives them a rakhi?
their sisters feet
What do Hindu brothers give their sisters in return for a rakhi?
a gift
Other than a friend, who might Hindu girls give a rakhi to at Raksha Bandhan if they don’t have a brother?
a cousin
What type of karma do Hindus believe people receive when they act kindly?
good
What type of karma do Hindus believe people receive when they act selfishly?
bad
Which part of us do Hindus believe changes in each life?
our physical matter
Which part of us do Hindus believe stays the same in each life?
our spiritual matter
Name something that Hindus believe someone might be reincarnated into other than a human being or animal:
tree
Potentially how many times do Hindus believe a person’s soul might be reincarnated before it has learned everything that it is meant to learn?
thousands
What name is given to the end of the cycle of rebirth?
moksha
What do Hindus believe people reach if they always try and be the best they can be?
moksha
When people reach moksha, who do Hindus believe they are one with?
god
What do most Hindus prefer to do with someone’s physical body when they die?
cremate it
Cremation symbolises the quick release of what into the next life for a Hindu?
the soul
Where do Hindus prefer to scatter ashes after a cremation?
in a river
In which river in India are ashes traditionally scattered?
ganges
Which river do Hindus believe is the most sacred?
all of them
Hindus believe a soul puts on a new body a bit like a person putting on a new set of what?
clothes
What do many Hindus believe bathing in a river can wash away?
bad karma
What is the name of the most famous Hindu bathing ceremony?
the kumbh mela
In which river in India does the Kumbh Mela take place?
ganges
How many million people take part in the Kumbh Mela?
40
What is the largest gathering of human beings on earth?
the kumbh mela
What natural entity do Hindus believe life flows like?
a river
Name a Hindu pilgrimage
the kumbh mela
What name is given to a journey that people take in order to feel closer to God?
pilgrimage
How many times do Hindus hope take part in the Kumbh Mela in their lifetime?
at least once
Other than the Kumbh Mela, rivers and temples, where else do Hindus go on pilgrimage?
mountains
What do Hindus need to do to fulfill a duty within Hinduism?
get married
What is the name of the party a bride has before the wedding with her friends and family?
a mehndi party
What do guest have drawn on their hands and feet with henna at a mehndi party?
patterns
What name is given to the canopy under which Hindu weddings take place?
mandap
What is thought to keep good energy in and bad energy out at a Hindu wedding?
the mandap
What is hidden so that the groom doesn’t see the bride before a Hindu wedding ceremony?
his face
What is the name of the traditional Indian dress that a bride wears at a Hindu wedding?
sari
What does a priest light at a Hindu wedding ceremony?
a holy fire
How many times do the wedding couple walk around the holy fire?
4
What is the name of the red mark the groom draws on a Hindu bride’s forehead to show that she is married?
sindoor
What do the red and white on a Hindu wedding sari represent?
purity and fertility
Other than a sindoor, what does a Hindu groom give the bride to show that she is now married?
a necklace
What Hindu festival marks the start of Spring?
holi
What do people throw at Holi?
powdered paint
Holi celebrates the overcoming of what?
evil
What do Hindus believe is purified of evil through the lighting of bonfires during Holi?
the air
What do Hindus understand as the image of God that people can see?
fire
As well as chickpeas and coconut, what offering do Hindus put into the fire at Holi?
popcorn
Which Hindu god, that appeared as a playful boy and threw coloured water over milkmaids, is Holi thought to originate from?
krishna
What does red paint represent at Holi?
power
What does orange paint represent at Holi?
purity
What does green paint represent at Holi?
love
What does Diwali celebrate?
light
What does Diwali remind Hindus will be ‘lit up’ if they let God into their lives?
their lives
In which season of the year is Diwali celebrated, and the Hindu new year begins?
autumn
Hindus clean their homes, wear new clothes and exchange gifts at which Hindu festival?
diwali
What is the name of the Hindu goddess of wealth that Hindus invite into their homes at Diwali so that they will receive good fortune in the coming year?
lakshmi
What is the name of the patterns that Hindus decorate their doorsteps with at Diwali along with lights to guide Lakshmi to their homes?
rangoli
Hindus decorate homes and streets with rows of what at Diwali?
lights