Untold Story of Gifting Culture

 

 

Ding Dong! The doorbell rang.

Ma’am/Sir, there is a parcel for you!

-------- 

It's your anniversary tonight

Your honey is back home with a surprise wrapped. 

Whenever such instances happen, your heart pumps faster in excitement and gets eager to know what’s the gift all about. 
Gift, be it any, never fails to bring a smile to our face and make us feel special. Giving gifts is an extremely old custom. It comes naturally for people to give gifts to those they care about the most.
The choice of gift and how it is offered reveal a lot about the givers and their ties with the recipients. An ideal present for a loved one is driven by emotional, social, and psychological considerations.
Nowadays, we give and receive gifts to mark various occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, festivals, and other special days. The goal of gift-giving is always to transmit joy and happiness, regardless of the diversity of people and their tastes in gifts. 
However, gift-giving does not draw its roots from the modern world, the traces of gifting culture can be found in history as well.

History of Gift Culture

Ancient Egypt 

During the Egyptian era, gifts were mostly presented to the pharaohs who constructed enormous pyramids to preserve their wealth for the afterlife. In the Roman era, people would exchange good luck charms, a practice that persisted for ages and later had an impact on the rest of Western civilization.

Ancient Greece

The history of gifting culture is incomplete without mentioning about greeks. The Odyssey by Homer emphasises how important gift-giving was in ancient Greece. The Greek word for hospitality, "Xenia," refers to the practice of giving gifts to strangers. The celebration of "birth," which was first practised by the Greeks and is now practised universally across the world, was also initiated by them. Present-day birthday gifts are given as well wishes and to spread joy and happiness to the individual celebrating their birthday, same as people gave gifts of religious importance to the newborn in ancient Greece to fend off evil.

Medieval Times

Medieval history also mentions giving gifts as a way to obtain favours from religious and political authorities in return. During the Medieval Age, doweries were a significant type of gift intended to strengthen marriage ties. In exchange for the promise that his daughter would be cared for after marriage, the groom was offered costly presents from the bride's father. The engagement presents were used to be cash, cattle, or real estate.

Gift Culture In India 

Giving presents is customary in India on special days like Diwali, Holi, Eid, etc as well as joyful occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, religious initiations, thread ceremonies, etc. Dry fruits, sweets, flowers and holy idols are regarded as excellent  festive gifts in India. 

The majority of Indians prefer to begin new endeavours with sweetness. This is the reason why sweets are frequently offered to celebrate the opening of new businesses or places of business or the beginning of a new chapter in someone's life, such as passing a test or starting a new job.

The customary way to provide a present when visiting an Indian home is to bring a little box of candy or an arrangement of flowers for the host or hostess. 

Popular Occasions and Festivals for Gifting in India

In today's busy environment, gifts are the best way to show one another that you care about them. Gifts are a great way to strengthen your interpersonal bonds and grow mutual trust.  You probably still recall receiving your first gift as a child, which may have been a toy from your parents or other close family members. The memory of it takes back you to the time when you joyfully clutched that gift and even took it to the bed so that nobody else takes it away from you while you are asleep:) 

Happy memories aren’t they?

Here is a list of some popular occasions and  festivals for gifting in India:

Birthday and Anniversary Gifts 

Birthdays and Anniversary presents are a way to show the other person how much they mean to you and the important place they have in your life. To make their day special even more special scroll through the amazing  birthday gift ideas and  wedding anniversary gift ideas at Itokri and surprise them. 

From birthday gifts for her to anniversary gifts for him we have a great collection of gift items to offer your loved ones.

Wedding Gifts

Presenting wedding gifts has always been a special occasion that the newlyweds look forward to. This is an opportunity for loved ones and friends to express their affection, joy, and support for the newlyweds.

Festival Gifts 

The joy and passion of shopping, getting together, giving gifts, and celebrating are all part of a festive season. Gathering with family and friends and exchanging gifts are important aspects of our culture.

The most celebrated festival gifts in India are Dussehra gift. This day marks the victory of good over evil, and on this day younger ones in the family seek blessings from elders, in return receive gifts from them. 

Another essential festive season in India counts for Diwali. Being celebrated countrywide with great fervour this festive season needs no explanation on why one should pick the  best Diwali gifts for family and friends. You can check out the  unique Diwali gift ideas at iTokri and shower love and blessings on your loved ones. 

Similar to Diwali, the next big festival India observes is Holi. People meet and greet each other with  Holi gifts and play with colours. Holi is around the corner, get your amazing  Holi hamper from iTokri.

Who doesn’t love laddoos, this sweet is relished by almost all and if the occasion is Ganesh Chaturthi, we bet you don’t want to eat an extra one too. Alongside laddoos, the  best gift for Ganesh Chaturthi calls for a Ganesha Idol, get one for yourself from iTokri.

Last but not the least, traditionally Christmas gifts are a representation of the homages paid to the infant Jesus by the Three Wise Men in the Nativity account following his birth. In modern times, It's the occasion to surprise and enchant those we care about with gifts.

New Year Gifts

Gifts for New Year are frequently given as an expression of love. It is customary to give gifts to friends, relatives, and influential people on New Year's Day. Most  New Year’s gift ideas represent money, success, fertility, or luck in the practice of sending well wishes and beginning a brand-new year.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Gift

Of course, there shouldn’t be a single day to appreciate the efforts and blessings we are showered upon by our mother and father. But to make it more memorable and meaningful, mother’s day and  father's day gifts are important. 

Choosing a  mother’s day gift lets you express honour, gratitude and love you have towards your mother. She works selflessly for you and for that matter she deserves best than the rest. Scroll through some amazing  mother’s day gift ideas for your brave mommy from iTokri!

He is your first love, your strongest pillar and a superhero you always look up to. Make your father feel special with fantastic  father’s day gift ideas from us.

Valentine’s day

Making your partner feel special on Valentine's Day by telling them how much you love them and giving the  best Valentine’s day gifts are the best ways to express your love towards them. The choice of best  Valentine’s day gifts for her and unique  Valentine’s day gifts for him remind them of how fortunate you are to have them in your life.

Importance of Diwali Gifts in India

The festival of lights is one of the most loved and celebrated festivals in India. The festival commemorates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. This holy day is celebrated with great fervour all around the country and gift exchanging makes it more delightful. 

However, the practice of exchanging gifts on Diwali is not new. Even back in the old times, when the only sources of income for Indian households were farming and raising cattle, people used to gift their farm produce to their near and dear ones on this day. In present times people offer sweets, flowers, dry fruits, Lord Ganesha idols, etc to their loved ones on this auspicious day.  

The fundamental purpose of the Diwali gift-exchanging tradition is to foster feelings of love, devotion, and appreciation. By giving gifts to their loved ones, people show them respect, happy Diwali wishes, blessings, love, and appreciation. Sending Diwali gifts represents one's prayers to the almighty for the prosperity and well-being of the recipient.

Common Gifts Given on Diwali

Diwali is a time for enjoying time with loved ones, making new friends, and strengthening existing relationships. Diwali's celebration has a lot to offer in terms of culture and traditions, it's true. It is also that time of the year when you shower happiness, love, blessings and warmth on your loved ones. 

Diwali gifts are the simplest way to accomplish this. So this Diwali, make your loved ones feel extra special with iTokri festival gifts online. With us access to one of the most exquisite and exclusive collections of  Diwali Gifts online.

Sweets and Chocolates 

As the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, what’s a better way to celebrate victory other than sweets? That is why sweets and chocolates take a centre stage during Diwali gifting. Sweets and chocolates are a way to strengthen relationships with loved ones. 

Dry Fruits & Nuts 

There are many health advantages of eating dry fruits. They contain a variety of vital nutrients, proteins, vitamins, and other minerals in abundance. According to experts, a small amount of dry fruits like almonds, cashews, raisins, and pistachios can prevent heart attacks and strokes. Since dry fruits have several health benefits for our bodies, it makes sense to gift them to our loved ones for whom we care a lot. In fact, over time, dried fruit platters and boxes have grown to be associated with warmth, tenderness, caring, and love and have found a special place in the  Diwali gifts list.

Lakshmi Ganesh Idol 

Gold Silver Coins 

These precious metals are the most sought-after present choices for Indians who are infatuated with gold. Gold and silver are considered to bring great wealth, good fortune, and abundance in people’s life, hence it is offered to our dear ones as a matter of wishing them happiness and prosperity.

Wall Hangings 

Giving a festive gift that your loved ones will cherish forever has to be something thoughtful and unique. iTokri brings you beautiful wall hangings that you can gift to your loved ones.

It can be conferred that  gifting culture is an indispensable part of our tradition and festival gifts are something we all cherish receiving and giving to our loved ones. iTokri brings to you a wide array of  festival gifts online to shop for and shower your loved ones with blessings and love. 

blogs you might also like

Indian embriodery and its great history
History of Pottery art in India
Five things to know about Madhubani art