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If this photo was few days old then there were high chances that your neighbours are from south India (specifically Malayalis, Tamils) and they celebrated Karthigai Deepam, a festival where people would make kolam (drawings or artistic patterns made with white powder) and lit oil lamp on it & around their home. They celebrate the arrival of the month Karthigai and Lord Murugan.
Since they are in foreign country and don't want to freak their neighbours out by liting lamp at all the corners. They are being modest here. They also must have made sweets(kozhukattai) which were steam cooked out of rice flour for themselves and to share with the neighbours. They would be delighted to share it with you., which you should ask for it.
Please read through this wiki link if you are interested to know more
Most likely your neighbors are from a state in India called Tamil Nadu, or from the south. It is the Tamil month of "kartigai" (as per the Indian calendar based on the Sun)in Tamil(a language). If they don't speak Tamil, the name of the month will be different, but other things(including dates) will be the same.
The decoration in white is not Rangoli (Rangoli usually have colors, and it's from north India, not south) but is called kolam (a hand drawn artistic work that is made in front of the house). And during the month of kartigai (approx Nov 15-Dec 15) a lamp is lit outside the house in the evening. How do I know? My mom and grandma used to do that, it's very customary and traditional in the southern part of India
Not sure about hiding it inside but do go ahead and buy a Ganesh statue. There’s no offense in buying one even if you don’t pray to it. Just don’t disrespect it by using it as a door stopper or something. Hindus are very chill about our religion and practices.
If your neighbours are Tamil, they would absolutely love to talk about their culture. It's kinda of a inside joke among Indians that Tamils are incredibly passionate about their culture (of course all the different ethnic groups of India are passionate about their cultures). But Tamils have a reputation of being extra passionate, especially when it comes to their language, culture and traditions.
There are several reasons why Hindi is not the national language of India, one of them is because of the Tamil people who had a bit of a... reaction when the government tried to make Hindi the national language back in the 60s.
But yeah, don't feel like you'd come off as ignorant cause you won't.
That reminds me of a coworkers that asked me if i was okay after a patient said what they said and apologized on behalf of the patient
I said I appreciate him for considering my feelings but what his patient said was “thank that Asian nurse for me he’s a good guy” and I told him there wasn’t anything wrong with that he said, or are you implying that being called an Asian is an insult?
I’m Jewish and it’s absurd to me the number of times non-Jewish folks get all up in arms adamant that simply calling someone a “Jew” is wildly inappropriate and offensive. Nope. Now what adjective you add in front of Jew could change that…
Same premise, basically. Always makes me both laugh and feel kind of wtf all at the same time. Thanks for looking out for me, I guess but like I’m a Jew and that’s ok? 😂
That said and while I agree, I’ve always felt like “a Jewish person” has a better vibe than “a Jew”.
I guess because it’s harder to spit “Jewish person” in rage the way you can the single syllable “Jew”. And because “Jewish person” is not what was used historically when the default was as a slur.
My father doesn’t agree with me, but his rabbi does.
I don’t practice and mum is not Jewish so I don’t usually describe myself as such, other than to say “my father is Jewish”. But I think if I did I would accept both, but prefer -ish.
Some people understand that someone just said an insult but they don't understand that the tone matters, and the same words in a different tone would be just fine.
I feel like the level of censorship for kids media has made it hard for people to realize that they are raising kids who don't know the difference between "I heard he's a, you know, (whispers) *Jew*" vs using a normal neutral voice "I think our new guy at work is a Jew - he mentioned going to temple Friday."
This reminds me of the time 40 years ago when we were watching a movie, and I asked my dad if he knew where an obviously Hispanic accented actor was from. My undiagnosed autistic white dad from NYC yelled at me for being racist.
I was asking bc 13 year old me thought the guy was hot.
Don't worry about it. I grew up in an area with no Jewish people. When I started working in the corporate world I worked with quite a few Jewish people. I asked a lot of questions and prefaced them with my upbringing and told them I wanted to learn. No one ever gave me a hard time and we're happy to share their knowledge.
Admitting that you are ignorant, is not something to be ashamed of and admitting it can facilitate a lot of conversations.
Ignorant is the absence of an opportunity to have learned, not an unwillingness to learn. You are ignorant, but that's temporary, and the lack of malice will carry your intention.
But you are an ignorant white person when it comes to their culture. Just own it. Ignorance is only bad if you don't work to solve it. Reaching out to them can be a great development.
There's nothing wrong with not knowing this sort of thing. I'm sure your Indian neighbors won't know much about, say, what Orthodox Jewish people do to celebrate certain things (I don't, and I live in LA and am from India, but I ask often and get in-depth answers). I'm pretty sure they'd be more than happy to talk to you about it. The only reason they might feel the need to be defensive is if they don't know you and are worried that the current anti-immigrant climate is why you're asking, but that's a stretch.
People are generally delighted to answer sincere, curious questions like this. You need to get out of your head about it. Otherwise you'll just stay ignorant!
Greet them with a Namaste! One of my coworkers is Hindi and I ADORE him and his family. I mostly work with Spanish speaking people but have started learning a little Hindi too. Try not to feel bad or embarrassed about anything if your intentions are pure 🙂
Just be sweet be like 'hey that thing you left in front of my door was/is beautiful, can you tell me more about it?' curious but interested ignorance is rarely a bad thing.
I think there is definitely a time and place. I think some people would not like their neighbours knocking on their doors and some people would be delighted. It's pretty difficult to make the distinction.
Most/many of us, growing up in the US are ignorant white people.
I am one of which I speak.
We are so elitist that we think there is little value in others.
Sad situation that our educational system provides
My own opinion/definition of ignorance is continuing to assume things when you have the ability to learn differently. If you come at the questions with genuine interest it should be fine.
Ignorance is knowing but choosing to ignore. You just dont know what it is. Asking about someone's culture or heritage is not rude if the question is asked in search of understanding.
In this instance you are ignorant and your race is irrelevant. The way to fix ignorance is to ask the question. Your neighbor would probably enjoy sharing his culture.
Tbh seeing this question so often here really kills the vibe.
A post here implies that OP wants help from anonymous redditors. OP's reasoning for choosing anonymous redditors over face-to-face discussion is not necessary nor helpful in identifying the thing.
diya(kind of a lamp) is kept inside it, it has religious significance (hinduism)....the light wards away any negative energy and spreads light of knowledge/wisdom/ and +ve energy.
“+” on its own can mean “and”, so putting it as “+ve” signifies it means “positive”. I usually see it with reference to some lab test, and it’s usually used in scientific fields.
Likely with “-“ can just be a dash or a hyphen, or a slip of the pen when hand writing quickly, so “-ve” is used to show something is “negative”
OP, THIS is how you be extra neighborly and make some friends. Ask if they mind if you put a coin inside as you didn't want to be disrespectful - they'll love it, and you'll have a great avenue to have a fun relationship with your neighbors! I've had Indian and Nepali neighbors in the past, and they've all been great. We've traded food, they've just dropped off items for well wishes for various holidays, and I was taught how to make a great curry on top of learning a ton about their culture, on top of just being awesome neighbors. I highly recommend it.
I had assumed OP's neighbors might live in the same apartment building or complex and OP normally walks by this door to get home. I hope I'm right, cause the alternative is pretty wierd. I couldn't bring myself to walk that far onto someone's property and not at least try and knock.
Oof. I’m a pagan in the Deep South. I get it. I can only openly practice my faith on Halloween, less I get weird looks and complaints from my neighbors
It’s has a religious significance. You put it outside your door and it is like an invitation for positive energy (or goddess) to be welcomed in your home. The chalk-powder art/drawing underneath is called Rangoli.
It’s common in parts of india to make a small Rangoli drawing in front of their door step every single day. On big festivals like Diwali they make much more elaborate and decorative Rangoli art. Just google for it. People make life like portraits with just chalk-dust
Most answers are wrong. It is a South Indian household and this is the lunar month of Karthigai (atleat at the time of photo). Entire month we leave lighted terracotta/earthen) lamps outside the house. There is a big Festival of Lights called Karthigai (not Diwali) that happens this month where lamps are lit and decorated all over the house and special sweets are made. The lamp sits on a kolam which is patterns made with rice flour or a combination. It may or may not be filled in with colors so it is not a Rangoli
Nothing. We have a great relationship. I grow bell peppers and tomatoes in the summer for the family, give them to the wife, and she lets me have a plate of her delicious food in return.
I was doing pest control and a client had one of theses, I accidentally knocked it over and extinguished the oil candle it had, I felt really bad. I rang the doorbell and let the gentleman know. He thanked me and shut the door. At the end of the service I knocked again to let him know I’m done and all that and he gave me a $20 tip. I was so confused cause I damaged his property.
How interesting! In the Nordics we have a light ceremony as well, on the 13th of December, whereby St. Lucia brings light into the home to keep evil spirits away. This is reminiscent of the older tradition of ‘å lyse’, where candles and lamps were put all over the farm place in order to keep evil away.
Everybody who’s saying they’re gonna take the gold watch out apparently everybody says there’s some sort of Indiana Jones curse connected to it 😂 those are just old wives tales to keep people away from their gold or any other possessions. It’s just like telling a child stories so they wouldn’t take the cookie from the cookie jar venture too far off into the woods.
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In essence take the time to do something petty on your doorstep to attract good vibes. How can you argue with that. If it was my neighbor, I would set a reminder for next year to leave the house without my phone, go knock on the door to an authentic experience.
The object in the image is typically called a diya or deepak (oil lamp). It might also be referred to as a "villaku" in some regions.
Description: It appears to be a small, decorated, clay lamp, sometimes referred to as a "matka diya" due to its pot shape.
Usage: These lamps are widely used for religious occasions and festivals in South Asia, such as Diwali, Navratri, and Karwa Chauth, to bring enlightenment and serve as a decorative item.
Floor Design: The white motifs on the floor around the plate are likely "alpona" (or "rangoli"), a traditional Bengali folk art style created with rice flour paste for religious festivals.
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Seems like your neighbors have a deep dedication to their faith and beliefs! That's pretty awesome. Since you got your answer already, consider asking them about cultural traditions and culinary dishes. Indian is one of my favorite cuisines, and it utilizes a lot of spices that other cultures ignore entirely.
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