Five Inhuman Traditions Indian Widow Have to Do

VIVA – Becoming a widow in India is the hardest thing to pass. Indian widow is rejected by their communities and abandoned by their loved one. Also, for Indian women, losing their husbands is more than just scary.

Despite coming a long way from the time when social evils dominated society, Indian widows still have to abide by dehumanizing practices. These practices not only turn them into social outcasts but also affects their lifestyle on a day-to-day basis.

Here are some inhuman traditions for Indian Widows have to do, as quoted from various sources.

1. Prohibited from Participating in Events

In India, widows are considered to have a lower social status. So, they are kind of ostracized. Many religious rituals are not allowed to be followed. It is even forbidden to come to weddings. Because it is believed to be a resistance to bad luck that might come to the bride and groom.

2. Must Self-Isolation

After the death of their beloved husbands, Indian women generally have no choice but to live in vidhwa ashrams run by the government, private companies. This follows the Hindu tradition that a widow cannot remarry. She must stay at home, remove her jewelry, and wear clothes with mourning colors.

Some of the most afflicted Hindus in India believe that a woman whose husband dies is no longer alive. This is because she is believed to have failed to retain her soul.

To symbolize their social status as a widow, these women must wear white clothes or saris for the rest of their lives. White clothes in India symbolize the meaning of mourning, as a sign of grief for their husbands who hid them.

Not only do women have to wear all white, but widows are forced to leave everything related to marriage, such as sindoor, mangalsutra, and in extreme cases even jewelry. In addition, their accessories must also shave their hair as a symbol of the crown on their body.

For widows in India turns out that hair can be disastrous. Hence, this community on Vrindavan Road contains widows with short hair.

Because of the sacredness of marriage vows to Indian society, widows in India will perform a tradition of burning themselves known as Sati (Suttee). In the Sati tradition, when the husband dies, the wife will also lose her life. One way to do this is by setting herself on fire.

According to Culture Trip, based on ancient Hindu beliefs, Sati closes a marriage. This tradition is done voluntarily, without coercion which means that the wife wants to be a devoted spouse and follow her husband into the afterlife.

Unfortunately, over time, this tradition has become 'forced'. Reportedly, if the widow is left dead by her husband and has no children, she will be 'pressured' by the community to carry out this sati tradition.