In India, why do people give money on weddings or birthdays in?
money is considered as a way of blessings just to make the sum indivisible as it thought to be auspicious, they sum is added with one rupee to make it a prime number amount for some kind of permanent blessing. Another theory goes - an amount that ends in zero suggests the end of a transaction. But the additional rupee connotes continuity and the hope of future exchanges. Heres how - the lone rupee is a symbolic sign of debt to the receiver. On future social and religious occasions the receiver is expected to attend and return the shagun, complete with the outstanding Rs 1 loan. Another tale is that the while the bigger amount of the shagun, (i.e. the 500 rupees in a Rs 501 shagun) is for spending, the additional rupee is to be wisely invested, or given in charity, to attract more wealth, or good karma whatever your priorities are. While the one rupee notes may make a comeback, make no mistake that the rupee coins too are here to stay. Metal, or dhatu comes from the earth and is a form of Lakshmi. And it has always been considered very auspicious to slip in some metal rather than paper in this game of shagun exchanges.