'Cultural Misunderstanding': Indian family's house warming 'havan' in US had firefighters rush to the scene

An Indian family in Texas, US was performing traditional rituals as part of their housewarming ceremony. However, the twist in the tale was when the sacred fire ritual known as havan invited firefighters to the scene after they saw dense smoke. A family member posted a video of the ceremony on Instagram, captioning it: "Cultural Misunderstanding 101: Hindu Puja is not a fire emergency." When you're having a Hindu housewarming puja, and the fire department pulls up.

The visuals posted on social media show the family participating in the ceremony, which is a common ritual practised to celebrate auspicious occasions of new beginnings. In this case, it was the latter. Probably an unusual occurrence in the vicinity, and so the Bedford Fire Department showed up to investigate the matter. They arrived at the smoke-filled garage, which may also seem strange for those unaware of the significance of seeing people dressed in ethnic attire and standing in smoke. That may be a sight to behold if unaware of the cultural relevance.

As part of the investigation, the officials were seen talking to the family. There is no update on whether action has been taken, and even on the bit if the family was violating fire safety regulations as per local authorities. As the video went viral, netizens have been weighing in on the matter. Many are looking at it with amusement, as what is normal in India can trigger such a reaction in a foreign land. This particular episode has many laugh at the reaction a puja garnered. Diversity of opinion on social media is widely noticed, and so there were many who criticised it as well.