What is the significance of 40 days in hinduism

That being said, Catholicism mixed with local cultures and customs around the world to create the 40th-day tradition that is still in practice today. In Filipino Catholicism , the 9th and 40th days are significant after the death of a loved one. For 9 days after the death, the family recites prayers. Because the Spanish colonized the Philippines, there was a lot of mixing of beliefs and traditions.

Today, most Filipino families follow Catholic funeral traditions. During this time, the family gathers for prayers and a celebratory meal in honor of the deceased. On the 40th day, a rosary is said. This is a way to protect the soul of the departed as they finalize their place in the afterlife. All of these traditions are a way to help with mourning the loss of a loved one and you'll see them displayed at some Filipino funerals.

The Russian-Orthodox tradition has strict beliefs around the days following a death. It is important for memorial prayers to be said on the 1st, 3rd, 9th, and 40th days after the death of a loved one. Why are these numbers significant for Russians in particular? In the Russian funeral tradition , families gather on these days to say prayers and enjoy a meal. Families enjoy a delicacy known as kolyva. This is a dish made of fruit and wheat. Because many Russian traditions have their basis in folk traditions, other unique practices go along with the 40th day tradition.

First, candles are placed in the koylva, then blessed before meals. Next, the family leaves a towel and a cup of water by the window. At the end of the mourning period, the family shakes the towel into the cemetery to release the soul from the home. Finally, the family places bread and a glass of water in front of religious icons to help ancestors remember the deceased.

The family replenishes this bread and water over the full 40 days. Greek-Orthodox memorial services are similar to other Orthodox sects. How long does a Hindu funeral last? What to wear to a Hindu funeral? What to bring to a Hindu funeral It is not common to bring gifts or flowers to the funeral, instead, they should be given to the family ahead of the ceremony.

What happens after a Hindu funeral? What happens at a cremation service? Step by step guide. There are several steps in the Funeral Planning process you will have to consider.

Further Reading: Arranging a funeral. Read about how funerals are arranged and what services you can expect to get. Next Article. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.

We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Many believe good or bad actions in life leading to positive or negative merit , determines the atman's rebirth.

Some Hindus believe that humans may be reborn in animal form, and that rebirth from human to animal form only occurs if an atman has repeatedly failed to learn lessons in human form.

Living life according to teachings in the scriptures will eventually lead to moksha. This is so mandatory for the departed soul as this soul will carve for this food. Being so important, just to avoid non-compliance by unforeseen events like death for the kartha , it is been offered 16 set of stuffs like rice, vegetables, jaggery etc as donations.

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. What is the significance of 3, 16, or 41 days after the death? Ask Question. Asked 7 years, 4 months ago. Active 3 years, 8 months ago. Viewed 58k times. And my question is, what do these numbers signify in case of death?

Improve this question. Sukan Sukan 1 1 gold badge 2 2 silver badges 8 8 bronze badges. Can you specify what particular Hindu tradition you are from? I am not familiar with anything special happening at 3, 16, or 41 days after an event, and am having difficulty finding any information about this on the internet. Hindu Ezhlava.. From south India.. Irrespective of tradition,most of the people follow this practice widely in South India — Sukan.

Sukan: It is a nice question, hope somebody can answer it with good explanation.