After the previous article titled ‘What is the Etiquette of this Place?’, if you have been turning grey wondering what the etiquette of this place or the other is, let me continue a few articles to try and take you out of your misery.
I started the year with a full blown pilgrimage and was appalled by the behaviour of my fellow citizens at these places of worship. Irrespective of your religion, your belief and faith, mankind finds inner peace, sanctity and wish to disentangle themselves from other everyday events when they visit a religious place. So let’s be mindful of these purposes when we visit temples, churches, mosques, kovils and the like, shall we?
01.Be silent and keep your phones at the lowest decibel
02.Don’t harass others by making remarks and cat calling
03.Avoid disturbing the peace the others are creating for themselves
04.Leave your things in order and let others’ things be
05.Dress for a religious event not a fashion parade
06.Remember that it is a place of worship – not a studio
07.Don’t hum songs or worse, pour out lyrics of songs that are not religious (this really ticked me off)
08.Don’t crack improper jokes or use language that is not suitable for a religious institute
As I always say, your etiquette and your good behaviour, is all about you and not the other person. If you behave, act or carry yourself in a manner that bothers others, it reflects poorly on you. If you want to stand out, minding your manners, is the best way to do it! On top of all of this, a religious place requires respect for the religion and the religious leaders that we believe in and follow. Don’t ruin a day of devotion for everyone by being a menace.
In my annoyance, I insisted on creating this write up about religious places and one request that came my way was to publish it in Sinhala as well for a broader and more relevant viewership – and so I shall! Stay tuned for the verbal tirade in Sinhala, exclusively on fullofetiquette.com
Full of Etiquette 
Leave a comment