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Re: Red Mark on Forehead
In article <ghenDs999M.1x6@netcom.com>, AFedel <afedel@aol.com> wrote:
>I'd like to post what I hope is not an insensitive question: can someone
>tell me what the red dots on some women's foreheads mean? I've been told
I think they signify that the woman is married. It is common in
Indian tradition for a married Hindu woman to always have the
red 'kum.kum' on her forehead and in the start of the partition of
her hair. Unmarried Hindu girls usually would wear a dot
on their foreheads, but usually this will be of some other colour,
and will not be the authentic 'kum.kum' powder. Similarly,
widows would not normally wear anything on their forehead; atleast not
the red 'kum.kum'.
>alternately that they have to do with devotion to Shiva, and that they are
>a caste mark. Are one or both of these true? Are there some additoinal
>cultural things that don't "offically" go with the mark but everyone
>understands?
I have not heard of it having to do with devotion to anybody (except
maybe the husband), nor related to any caste system.
>--
>------------------------------------------------------
>Mail your posts to: ghen@netcom.com
Hope that helps.
Shiva.
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