Symbolism

As we mentioned before, school is out for winter. We now have a lot of time to sit, relax, and reflect on the things that we've found interesting over the last year and a half in India. Coming from North America, one thing that was a bit surprising about India was the prevalant use of the swastika.

The swastika is actually an ancient symbol that has been used in India for thousands of years. Today it is a symbol of harmony in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and is often found tattooed on the various Hindu deities. In the West, it is often looked at with disdain after being appropriated by the Nazi party in Germany. Here, though, we've been struck by just how mundane of a symbol it is. We've seen it embroidered on aprons, painted on temples, and even molded into bricks.

It's amazing just how much culture informs the ways that we view different things.

Dave and Beth