Indian custom: Gifting sweets when returning from travel
I would be grateful for an explanation of a custom that I have observed among colleagues from India - good Indian etiquette that seems to be extend to co-workers at my new workplace (outside India) where a small number of them work.
I have observed that when said colleagues return back to work after a visit to their home country, they bring "Indian-style" sweets, which are offered around the team/office. Some seem to be home-made and some come in what looks like store-bought packaging - not necessarily cheap either.
Part of the problem is that we have a slight language barrier. The office lingua franca is English, but this is spoken as a home language by very few people in the office (a number of foreign co-workers from different countries, and the local country is multicultural, too). So we (mostly) get along regarding the technical matters around work to be done, but things like cultural practices are more difficult since people are not always able to convey the correct nuanced meaning in English of what they try to explain, sometimes due to a limited English vocabulary. Cultural backgrounds often contain unspoken, ingrained expectations which one isn't always aware one carries, and thus does not take the effort to explain...
In short: I could ask themselves about the sweets, but am afraid to come over as ungrateful, or rudely questioning good manners, when I'm simply curious.
- So, why are sweets handed around the office? And what are the expectations around this custom?
- What sort of foodstuffs are generally given in such situations?
- Should I/other recipients reciprocate in some way? Or is a "thank you" and/or "welcome back" sufficient?
- Is there a religious significance/connotation?
- May I decline? May I ask for another one?
This happens at other times than Diwali, so I guess this question about Diwali gifts does not apply.
Best Answer
Sweets (typical Indian recipes cooked at home or brought from market, not the candy you buy in stores) are an integral part of Indian culture. Distribution of sweets can happen for a variety of reasons:
- Festivals.
- A happy occassion in the family (wedding, birth, engagement).
- Religious ceremony (Prasadam)
- Other than this, coming back empty handed from your native place is considered bad form in India. So people bring local sweet delicacies as parting gift with them.
The person handing out the sweets will probably tell you if they are for a special occassion or just a part of parting gift from people back home.
A thank you would be considered appropriate response on your part.
You may decline or ask for other one.
Pictures about "Indian custom: Gifting sweets when returning from travel"
Why do Indians give sweets?
As a tradition, Indian temples believe in the concept of purity or satvik. There is a belief of first offering prasad to the Gods and then to everyone else. Only pure food is offered to the Gods. Thus Indian mithai which has ghee, sugar and milk as its primary ingredients (all satvik ) is often the chosen one.What kind of gifts are popular in India?
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- Sarees and kurtas.
What should I buy my friend in India?
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- Mithai Box | Haldiram.
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Answer 2
This seems to be integral to every culture, not just India. I wonder where the original poster is from? It is common practice to bring edibles from any vacation spot or trip home, or work conference, back to work colleagues. Standard practice, in fact. Where I work, people do this from Europe, from China, from Japan, from Australia, from middle-eastern countries etc etc etc. You reciprocate by bringing things back for everyone when you go on a vacation. And so the cycle continues.
Answer 3
I've noticed this too, growing up with Indian parents my dad would always come how with boxes and boxes of sweets after each business trip and we woudl keep some for ourselves and distribute most of it to family and colleagues. oh and i remember always bringing sweets whenever it was birthday to share it with my classmates throughout elementary school. when i was younger i thought it was normal and thats what everyone does but as i grew older i realised thats not always true. I don't exactly know why but when it comes to gift-giving Indian sweets are a staple in Indian culture no matter which side you're from. ig thats something both south and north have in common lol but now that i think about it i think its cause sweets are usually something eaten during joyful occasions so ig its to spread your happiness with others ??? doesn't sugar like stimulate dopamine in your brain which makes one feel elate so maybe its got something to do with that idk
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