Three Claps in Shiva Temples: Have you ever wondered why devotees clap three times after the Aarti or Abhisheka in a Shiva temple? Is it merely a tradition, or does it hold a deeper significance?

When praying at a Shintō shrine, it is customary to bow twice, clap twice, and then bow once more at the conclusion of one’s invocation—nirei, nihakushu, ichirei in Japanese. By contrast, the accepted ...