There are quite a few answers here already. Before answering I would like to point out a few things:
Most traditions and superstitions followed are not the same as when they were made. The thought behind it is changed and also been varied to sometimes become unnecessarily complex. I have noticed that the simplest ones have if not scientific but at least logical reasons behind it.
Coming to reasons, most of these were created by our Elders and we love to listen to our Elders. We can catch a glimpse of their wisdom if we are keen enough to see it.
And I find the tags on the question thoroughly ironical. I mean tagging a question where answers show people’s pride in their culture with “collective narcissism”, “rationalization”, “pseudoscience” and “superstitions” just seems to me like setting up a fight between 2 very headstrong groups. (I just find this situation hilarious.)
Coming back to the question in hand here are some that have some logic and some science behind them.
Neem and Tulsi - Both of these plants have medicinal properties. Not just that both are very effective as insect repellants. The tulsi being a shrub is suitable as an indoor plant and sits well with the architecture of having a central court yard. The neem tree is generally grown on the outskirts of the property. In fact some houses also have their door and window frames made of unpolished neem wood. (Neem is very bitter to eat and might have led to the conclusion that all things bitter are healthy, something my mom told me as a kid to get me to eat bitter gourd J)
Turmeric - Again another plant with a lot of medicinal properties. Infact a very potent spice. Used in limited quantities in cooking because the taste can be overpowering but also because the small quantities are enough to take effect. Turmeric is a very strong antibiotic and has been documented to be a treatment for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, arthritis and other chronic illnesses.
Drinking Lassi, tender Coconut water - It is so wonderful to drink a glass of lassi or a tender coconut on a hot summer day. The reason is that it helps cool your body and refresh you from the heat of the day. I remember drinking a tender coconut every day after college during those hot summers. Plus lassi has quite a few proteins coming from the milk and some nutrients from other ingredients like ginger and coriander. Tender coconut also has numerous nutrients and most of them help cope with the summer heat. (Just make sure you drink one on your way to home and not from home.)
Storing water in earthenware - For this 2 words: natural refrigeration. Its basic thermodynamics that you study in school.
Surya Namaskar in the morning - While everyone says yoga is good for a healthy living, I point out this particular exercise because of my personal experience with it. Any exercise in the morning is useful not just as physical activity but also because early morning sun is best for vitamin D generation. The next thing is that this routine stretches each and every muscle in your body, it prepares you for a day of activity. What better way to start off a day than with some good stretching.
Cutting nails in the dark - As a lot of people have pointed out before that cutting nails in the dark can cause unwanted accidents. It is a really simple logic that can be extended to using any sharp objects as well.
Washing hair on certain days - This can be attributed to water management. More water is used to wash hair so women wash on certain days, men on others and on the days no one washes is the day people clean out the drains of all the hair. Also no hair cut on Tuesdays is because barbers also need a day off in the week.
Why worship the cow - Well traditionally India is an agrarian state. We have depended on agriculture for a long time. Also the horse is not a native animal of India. What is a native animal is the cow. The cows were used as beasts of burden. Not only did they help in manual labour on the field they also helped in transport and provided a source of milk for dairy products. And with all these factors the animal is in our homes from birth and they become part of the family. We not only worship it for how much use it is to use but also love it as part of our family (and how we love our families).
While there are a lot more, these are a few that I know.
Most traditions and superstitions followed are not the same as when they were made. The thought behind it is changed and also been varied to sometimes become unnecessarily complex. I have noticed that the simplest ones have if not scientific but at least logical reasons behind it.
Coming to reasons, most of these were created by our Elders and we love to listen to our Elders. We can catch a glimpse of their wisdom if we are keen enough to see it.
And I find the tags on the question thoroughly ironical. I mean tagging a question where answers show people’s pride in their culture with “collective narcissism”, “rationalization”, “pseudoscience” and “superstitions” just seems to me like setting up a fight between 2 very headstrong groups. (I just find this situation hilarious.)
Coming back to the question in hand here are some that have some logic and some science behind them.
Neem and Tulsi - Both of these plants have medicinal properties. Not just that both are very effective as insect repellants. The tulsi being a shrub is suitable as an indoor plant and sits well with the architecture of having a central court yard. The neem tree is generally grown on the outskirts of the property. In fact some houses also have their door and window frames made of unpolished neem wood. (Neem is very bitter to eat and might have led to the conclusion that all things bitter are healthy, something my mom told me as a kid to get me to eat bitter gourd J)
Turmeric - Again another plant with a lot of medicinal properties. Infact a very potent spice. Used in limited quantities in cooking because the taste can be overpowering but also because the small quantities are enough to take effect. Turmeric is a very strong antibiotic and has been documented to be a treatment for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, arthritis and other chronic illnesses.
Drinking Lassi, tender Coconut water - It is so wonderful to drink a glass of lassi or a tender coconut on a hot summer day. The reason is that it helps cool your body and refresh you from the heat of the day. I remember drinking a tender coconut every day after college during those hot summers. Plus lassi has quite a few proteins coming from the milk and some nutrients from other ingredients like ginger and coriander. Tender coconut also has numerous nutrients and most of them help cope with the summer heat. (Just make sure you drink one on your way to home and not from home.)
Storing water in earthenware - For this 2 words: natural refrigeration. Its basic thermodynamics that you study in school.
Surya Namaskar in the morning - While everyone says yoga is good for a healthy living, I point out this particular exercise because of my personal experience with it. Any exercise in the morning is useful not just as physical activity but also because early morning sun is best for vitamin D generation. The next thing is that this routine stretches each and every muscle in your body, it prepares you for a day of activity. What better way to start off a day than with some good stretching.
Cutting nails in the dark - As a lot of people have pointed out before that cutting nails in the dark can cause unwanted accidents. It is a really simple logic that can be extended to using any sharp objects as well.
Washing hair on certain days - This can be attributed to water management. More water is used to wash hair so women wash on certain days, men on others and on the days no one washes is the day people clean out the drains of all the hair. Also no hair cut on Tuesdays is because barbers also need a day off in the week.
Why worship the cow - Well traditionally India is an agrarian state. We have depended on agriculture for a long time. Also the horse is not a native animal of India. What is a native animal is the cow. The cows were used as beasts of burden. Not only did they help in manual labour on the field they also helped in transport and provided a source of milk for dairy products. And with all these factors the animal is in our homes from birth and they become part of the family. We not only worship it for how much use it is to use but also love it as part of our family (and how we love our families).
While there are a lot more, these are a few that I know.
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