[Luckywoman]

Why is it a hindu child's head will be shaved at the age of 1 or 3?
My friends in Jodhpur have had a shaving ceremony recently and sent me the before and after pictures
Poor little chap.
 pic2.jpg   44.99K   10 downloads  ayush_now.jpg   46.92K   10 downloads

[noflylist]

Here is what I got from Sulekha.com


ARRANGING MUNDAN or CHUDAKARANA


Chudakarana also called Chaula or Chudakarma, this is the ceremony in which a child's head is shaved for the first time, leaving a tuft on the crown. 'Chuda' refers to this tuft .This ceremony is also commonly called 'mundan' in the north.

This sanskara developed for reasons of physical hygiene. Usually performed when the child is approximately three years old, it is believed to have the power to cleanse the body and soul. The hair on a child's head when he emerges from the womb is considered impure and must be shaved off to make way for the strong, clean hair that grows thereafter. In addition, to shave the head, a razor or other sharp instrument was required. Chudakarana is also a symbolic release of the child from his mother. Usually by three, the child is no longer being nursed by the mother, and is no longer physically dependent on her. During the Chudakarana, even the hair that he was born with is removed. Therefore this ceremony is believed to mark the point in the child's life when the mother's influence is reduced, and the influence of the father becomes dominant. With the father's influence, the child's education is also believed to begin.

[YETI]

In HP, people often shave their head when a relative has died. My mate in Manali had this to say on his shorn locks - 'Yesterday Sai Baba - today Buddhist monk'. He was making light of it, obviously, but it's actually a sign of respect for the deceased and a sign that you're grieving.

Is this common in the rest of India? I don't recall seeing it anywhere else.

[noflylist]

Yes, Hindus shave their head when a close relative dies.

[priya]

A widow's head isn't shorn these days, is it?

I watched the movie Water the other day and, although the movie depicted the time as 1938, I was wondering if the shaving of a widow's head is still carried out - in rural areas maybe?

OT - A brilliant movie - highly recommended.

[batistuta]

LM, I would  say Many Hindus who shave their children's hair don't  Know why they are doing it. But here is what the Trusted(Or Mis-trusted) Wiki says about that.

In Hindu tradition, the hair from birth is associated with undesirable traits from past lives. Thus at the time of the mundan, the child is freshly shaven to signify freedom from the past and moving into the future. It is also said that the shaving of the hair stimulates proper growth of the brain and nerves, and that the shikha protects the memory.


Dr, That is a common Practice among the Hindus. They shave their head after the demise of a close Relative.

Priya, I think that the Practice is not followed as much as it used to be. The widows also used to wear white saris etc. That is also not strictly followed. The thing that still persists, in some places, is widows are not encouraged to attend Marriage or other occasions that are considered auspicious. That aspect also needs to change.  Rural areas, I am not so sure if it is followed or not. But looking at reports on atrocities against dalits, I would not be surprised if that is followed there.

Here in South India, Men and sometimes even the Women shave their hair when they visit the temple of Lord Vishnu in Tirupathi and also few other temples in Karnataka( Dharmasthala).  The major beneficiaries are the wig industry. It is said that India exports lots of wigs due to this.

Edited by batistuta, 04 July 2007 - 01:30 PM.

[priya]

Thanks for that comprehenive reply batistuta - Now for another question... (I hope I'm not off topic here, but it does have to do with Culture & Etiquette.)

Widow's do not normally attend their late husband's funeral?  Similarly, the husband does not attend his late wife's funeral if he has intentions of re-marrying?

[Luckywoman]

Thank you Noflylist and Batistuta for the clear explanation.
My friend told me the hairceremony was held in his native village, the village of his father, grandfather and greatgrandfather, and all relatives were invited, also a goat was sacrified.
Here's one more picture.  men_singing__all_medium_men_direct_contact_with_higher_one_up_in_heaven.jpg   50.26K   7 downloads
The subscription of the photo (made by my friend) is:
Men singing, all medium men, all in direct contact with higher one up in heaven.

Edited by Luckywoman, 04 July 2007 - 03:21 PM.