Being brought up in hinduism

    Eleven or twelve days after the birth of the baby, (depending on which tradition the family follows, the naming ceremony must be after the 10th day of birth but before the first birthday) the baby will have its naming ceremony which is also known as “nama-karana” or “namkaran samskar”. The mother and baby prepare for the ceremony by taking a ritual bath. During the ceremony the father whispers the chosen name into the ear of child and the name of the child is revealed to all the guests. These days, names can be chosen from various places. A baby can be named after the family’s guru or deity or after a parent or grandparent. It is not that important what the name actually, but the naming ceremony is significant for Hindus.  Having said this, in some traditions, according to the date and time of birth, a letter is taken from the Sanskrit alphabet which would prove to be lucky for the baby. This letter will then be the first letter of the baby’s first name.

     Between 3-7 months after the child is born, it will go on its first outing. It is known as “nishkarma samskara” and is performed when the child is taken out of the home for the first time. The baby is taken to the temple for the first time and given “darshan” or vision of the sun also for the first time. The reason for this samskara is to show obedience to the sun, moon, fire, water and wind. It is also performed to protect the child from any evil forces that are considered to exist outside of the home. The ceremony is also supposed to enhance the age as well as the physical and mental development of the child. As the sun is the source of all life on earth this ceremony is considered significant and is an important part of the growing up of the child.

     The next important ceremony as part of growing up in the Hindu religion is the head shaving of the baby. In the Hindu religion the first haircut of a child is significant. When the child is around the age of 1-3 years old, it will have its first haircut. This ceremony is known as “Chudakarana”. As the hair from birth is associated to past lives (where bad sins would have taken place), the hair is considered impure and Hindus believe that this hair must be shaven off to give freedom from the past and movement into the future. The ceremony also acts a sacrifice to the Lord as the child is sacrificing its hair and possibly its beauty. This ceremony is performed at the child’s home. The entire head is shaven apart from a few tufts of hair which are left on the crown. The number of tufts left depend on the family tradition, but the reason why tufts are left on the crown (area towards the back of the head) is because an artery joins a critical nerve juncture and damage to this area could be fatal. Therefore some hair is needed to protect this area.

     Some Hindus also mark the first time the baby eats solid food as significant. A ceremony is performed where this happens and it is similar to all the other ceremonies a baby has after its birth. It usually takes place before the head shaving ceremony.