Hinduism, its  religious  doctrines,  traditions  and  observances  are  very  typical  and  inextricably linked to the culture and demographics of India. Hinduism has one of the most ethnically diverse bodies  of  adherents  in  the world. For some, it is hard  to classify  Hinduism  as  a  religion  because  the  framework, symbols, leaders and books of reference that make up a typical religion are  not  uniquely  identified  in  the  case  of  Hinduism. Most commonly it can be seen as a "way of life" which gives rise to many civilized forms of  religions. Large tribes and communities indigenous to India are closely linked to the synthesis and  formation of  Hindu  civilization. Peoples of East Asian roots living in the states of north eastern India and Nepal were  also  a  part  of  the earliest Hindu civilization. Immigration and settlement of peoples from Central Asia and  peoples of  Indo-Greek heritage have brought their own influence on Hindu  society. The  Indus  Valley  Civilization  is  often  taken  to  represent  the historical continuum of Hinduism. The roots of Hinduism in southern  India, and  amongst  tribal  and  indigenous communities   is  just  as  ancient  and  fundamentally  contributive  to  th e  foundations   of   the   religious   and philosophical system.

Ancient  Hindu  kingdoms  arose  and  spread  the  religion  and  traditions  across South East Asia, particularly Thailand, Nepal, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and what is now central Vietnam. A form of Hinduism particularly different from Indian roots and traditions is practiced in Bali, Indonesia, where Hindus form 90%  of the population. Indian migrants have taken Hinduism and  Hindu  culture  to  South  Africa,  Fiji,  Mauritius  and other countries in and around the Indian Ocean, and in the nations of the West Indies and the Caribbean.

Many New Age Movements have adopted variants of Hindu practices.

Linguistics of Hinduism:- Although  the  Vedas, the  Mahabharata  and  the  Ramayana  were composed and recorded  in  language  Sanskrit,  several  other  important  religious  and  philosophical  works  were  written in languages like Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, Hindi, Nepali, Kannada, Assamese,  Punjabi,  Malayalam,  Telugu,  Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Bengali and Maithili.  Many  modern  discourses,  essays  and  analysis  of  Hindu  religion  and society, as well as retellings of its greatest epics, are published in the English language.

Hindu ceremonies, observances and pilgrimages:- Hinduism is also very diverse in the religious ceremonies performed by its adherents  for  different  periods  and  events  in  life, and  for death. Principal  Festivity of  the Hindus also vary from region to region which include Diwali, Shivratri,  Ram  Navami,  Janmashtmi,  Durgapuja, Holi, Navatri, etc.

Initiation:- Many  Hindus, may perform initiation ceremonies like Upanayana or Janoy or 'Bratabandha'. These ceremonies have variants depending on the caste, the culture and the region. In  a ceremony  administered  by a priest, a coir string, known as Janoy or Poonal, is hung from  around  a  young  boy's  left  shoulder to  his  right waist  line  for  Brahmins  and  from  right  shoulders   to   left   waistline  by  Kshatriyas. The   ceremony  varies from region to community, and includes  reading   from  the  Vedas  and  Special  Mantras  and  Slokas. Young females (prepubescent until married) do not have similar ritual passage as young  males. However, some  young Hindu females, especially those from southern India, may follow annual Monsoon Austerity Ritual of Purification by not eating cooked food for one or two  weeks,  depending  on  age  of  child. This  is  known  as "Goryo" or "Goriyo".

Generally  speaking,  Hindus  are  free  to  join  an  order  or inner circle, and once they have joined it they may submit to its rites and way of living. But this type of joining  is  voluntary  and  has  the  possibility  of  leaving the order at any time without serious objection  from  fellow  followers  as long as one says and does things without associating them with the order which he or she has left. It is a social form of co-option of life style. It  is  said in Sanskrit that, "dharmo hi hato hanti, dharmo rakshati rakshitah", which  translates to "Dharma, when  destroyed, destroys; dharma protects when [it is]protected", meaning the path of righteousness will protect  one  as long as one  upholds  and  follows  it.  The   initiation   (diksha),  a   sort   of   purification   or  consecration  involving  a transformation  of  the  aspirant's  personality,  is  regarded  as  a  complement  to,  o r even a substitute for, the previous initiation ceremony rite of consecration that preceded the Vedic sacrifice  in  ancient  India; in later and modern Hinduism, the initiation of a  layman  by  his  guru  (spiritual  guide)  into  a  religious  sect. In  the  soma sacrifices of the Vedic period, the lay sacrificer, after bathing, kept a day-long (in some cases up to a  yearlong) silent vigil inside a special hut in front of a fire. Some Hindus will give offerings to their gods  by  placing  rice  or flowers in a bowl above the stove every morning before they eat, and behind this bowl may be a picture  of one of their gods. Along with giving offerings they might also pray to the god they gave an offering to.


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