Why do we do that?
क्यों?
Short, sourced answers to questions you may never have got to ask. Each one says how we know, and what’s still argued about.
Original analysis
Why do Lakshmi Puja timings differ from site to site?
We worked out each rule ourselves, and checked what sites publish against it.
Calendar
- Why does the Hindu calendar add an extra month?CalculatedFolk belief
- Why is Diwali on a different date every year?CalculatedPractical
- Why do people fast on Ekadashi?CalculatedTextualPracticalModern myth
- What is Rahu Kaal and why do people avoid it?CalculatedFolk beliefPracticalModern myth
- Why do tithis sometimes repeat or vanish?CalculatedPractical
- Why does my family say Kartik and my friend's say Ashvin?CalculatedPracticalHistorical
Customs & greetings
Festivals
Family
How we label what we know
Every answer carries these labels, so you can see how firm each part is.
- Calculated
- Worked out from astronomy. The numbers are shown, and you can check them.
- Textual
- Stated in a named text. We say which one, and quote it where we can.
- Historical
- Traced through history: when it appears, and how it changed.
- Practical
- A plain social or everyday reason that makes sense on its own terms.
- Folk belief
- Held by families and communities, and passed down by word.
- Modern myth
- A recent claim, often dressed up as science, with no real evidence behind it.