Traveling around India without leaving Moscow

India is a unique state with a fabulous colorful culture and a mysterious history. India is unlike any other country in the world, there is nothing predictable and ordinary in it. In the rich history of the country, legends and reality are closely intertwined, At all times, India has attracted travelers with its bright colors and flavor of life, history and various architectural monuments of past centuries.

A trip to India will give amazing fabulous discoveries and vivid unforgettable impressions. For everyone who wants to visit a magical land without leaving Moscow, the Day of India festival has opened in the Dream Island park. It will last until August 14th.

At the entrance to the park there is a brightly decorated Vedic platform – a combination of spiritual communication and a rich cultural outdoor recreation is expected here. Guests are waiting for live communication with sages and yogis, because the history of yoga in Indian culture has more than 5 thousand years.

There are concerts, lectures and workshops on vegetarian cuisine and crafts, astrological consultations, regular yoga classes and even yoga in hammocks, mehendi, learning to put on a sari, flash mobs with Indian dances and tea ceremonies. Also here you can try Indian massage, as well as learn what vastu is. In the evening, everyone can dance at the Indian disco. By the way, especially for the holiday, a group of DJs gave traditional Indian songs a modern sound.

We often refer to the people of India as Hindus, which is not correct. A Hindu is a person whose religion is Hinduism. And since India also has a significant number of Muslims, Christians and representatives of other religions who are not Hindus, it is correct to use the term Indian.

On the Vedic site you can watch feature films about the spiritual and cultural heritage of India. India is the most multilingual country on the planet with more than 400 languages ​​and dialects spoken. India is also the most multinational country – more than 400 ethnic groups live in it. The official name of India in many Indian languages ​​is Bharat.

Magic aromas, fantastic colors, national dishes and mountains of fragrant ripe mangoes – the food court will surprise the most sophisticated gourmets! Here you can taste traditional Indian dishes and sweets. Approximately one third of the population of India are pure vegetarians, excluding even eggs from the diet. In this regard, restaurants serving exclusively vegetarian food are popular. In India, they love spicy food very much, they can enjoy something just hellishly spicy and at the same time have a bite with chili peppers!

The Indian Goods Fair is a celebration in itself! As in fairy tales, natural Ayurvedic cosmetics, oils and incense, health products, cashmere and silk shawls and stoles, bags with intricate embroidery, original ethnic-style jewelry, precious stones and silver, clothes and traditional tunics appeared before the guests. Take a closer look, in the light of import substitution, India is cordially ready to offer us its best products! For your information, India exports software to more than 90 countries, and 70% of all spices in the world are also exported from India.

Indians practically do not smoke and do not drink alcohol, it, like cigarettes, is sold exclusively in stores specially designed for this.

Indians are very clean – the poorest house is always clean. Women love beauty treatments, especially hair care. Did you know that shampoo was first invented in India as a hair care product? The word “shampoo” comes from the Sanskrit “champu” which means to massage.

India is cinema! The movie is funny and touching, always with songs and dances, a movie in which everyone dances! Bollywood is a sacred word for lovers of Indian cinema and culture. Films with characteristic songs and dances gather millions of viewers all over the world. The name Bollywood is a combination of the words Hollywood – the world center of cinema, and Bombay – the city where films in the Hindi language were and are mostly filmed and filmed. Every evening, visitors will have the opportunity to watch Bollywood movies at the open-air cinema. Our mothers and fathers remember the most popular musical melodrama Disco Dancer, the film is considered a classic of the genre, this year the film turns 40, and this date will be celebrated at the festival.

If you were lucky enough to attend an Indian wedding, you have been in a fairy tale in reality! An Indian wedding is a grandiose event in its significance, an incredible combination of splendor and brightness of the celebration. Marriages in India are for life. And even after death, according to Vedic beliefs, the souls of the spouses remain together. Numerous rituals that the newlyweds perform are designed to forever seal their union so that no forces can destroy the family. Interestingly, even in the modern world, 70% of young Indians prefer to marry by agreement of their parents, instead of choosing their chosen one on their own.

Do you know that India is the birthplace of chess? Chess was invented in India in the 5th-6th centuries AD. Traditionally, a tournament for children will be held at the festival for chess lovers.

There are many festivals in India, including religious ones. Ratha-yatra or “chariot procession” is one of the most important holidays of Hinduism, associated with the deity Jagannath. Ratha-yatra comes from two Sanskrit words: ratha, a chariot, and yatra, which means journey or pilgrimage. This holiday is held annually all over the world, it will also take place in Moscow. The colorful procession, according to tradition, is accompanied by songs and dances of believers dressed in festive national clothes.

Here are some more interesting facts about the amazing distant country beyond the three seas:

In India, cows are considered sacred animals. Therefore, they are completely free to roam the streets of Indian cities. In East Bengal, every cow is required by law to have a photo ID.

– Sometimes, as a gesture of “yes”, some Indians can shake their heads from side to side, which can confuse foreigners who mistook this for denial.

– There are 6 seasons in the Indian calendar: Spring, summer, rainy season, autumn, winter, early spring.

The numbers we use now were invented in India. Also in India, the concept of zero was coined.

There are no time zones in India. The whole country lives at the same time.

– If you saw the swastika symbol in India, which in the modern world is strongly associated with the Nazi regime, do not be alarmed. Since ancient times, it has been used in India as a symbol of life, happiness and prosperity. To this day, the image of the swastika can be seen everywhere on the streets of Indian cities.

The Indian airline GoAir employs only women on its planes, as they are lighter than men, which saves more than half a million dollars a year on fuel.

-It is assumed that by 2050 India will come out on top in terms of population, overtaking China.

-Indian women love gold jewelry! According to statistics, beautiful ladies wear 11% of the world’s gold reserves on their hands, on their heads, on their fingers, on their legs, on their necks and even in their noses, which is more than the gold reserves of the United States, Switzerland and Germany combined.

India has the third largest army in the world (after the US and China).

– Renowned holy city Varanasi – one of the oldest cities in the world, it is believed that it is more than 3000 years old.

India has a huge stratification of society by income. It is home to about one million millionaires, while 35% of the country’s population lives on less than $2 a day.

Mikhail Kovalev.

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