HINDU RITES AND RITUALS

HINDU RITES AND RITUALS

1.  Ceremonies may be performed during pregnancy to ensure the health of the mother and growing child.

2.  The father may part the hair of the mother three times upward from the front to the back, to assure the ripening of the embryo.

3.  At birth, before the umbilical cord is severed, the father may touch the baby's lips with a gold spoon or ring dipped in honey, curd and ghee.

4.  The word is whispered three times into the right ear, and the mantras are chanted to ensure a long life.

5.  A number of rituals for the infant include the first visit outside to a temple, the first feeding with solid food (usually cooked rice), an ear-piercing ceremony and the first haircut (shaving the head) that often occurs at a temple or during a festival when the hair is offered to a deity.

UPANAYANA

The thread ceremony which takes place for young males between the ages of six and twelve to mark the transition to awareness and adult religious responsibilities.

** Only Brahman, Kshatriya and Vaishya were allowed to wear the thread.