Hindu rites of passage

Hindu:

Rites Of Passage

• •samskaras: “mental impression”
• serve to purify the soul and mark the various stages of life
• considered essential for members of the three higher varnas (twice-born): Brahmins, Khsatriyas, and Vaishyas.
• total of sixteen samskaras.
• Four popular sets of rites: birth, initiation, marriage, and death.

Birth:

The Ceremony of The Sacred Thread

Upanayana

• means "sitting close by," referring to the boy's taking shelter of the guru (spiritual teacher)
• the boy would move away from home to the teacher's ashram, called "gurukula."
• essential to the members of the three higher classes
• marks a boy's official acceptance into his varna.
• The boy symbolically accepts a spiritual teacher as father and the Vedas, as mother.
• He shaves his head and receives the jenoi (sacred-thread), usually worn for his entire lifetime.
• The unadorned Thread is symbolic of the interconnectedness of all things.

• It consists of seven strands, each of which represents a different virtue or quality.

Marriage

• arranged by the parents but children also have to be happy with the decision
• marry within the same caste (same social ranking)
• is one of the most colorful and important ceremonies in the Hindi religion
• they are joyous, momentous celebrations, rich and decorated with lots of food
• some weddings last as long as 3 days!

• is centered around a scared fire, a manifestation of the god, Agni
• family and friends gather around the soon to be married couple with the priest and chant Sanskrit verses
• next he leads the bride and groom around the flames which burn the fire pit
• bells are then sounded and many offerings are made :)

• finally the bride and groom take seven steps around the flames. These steps are the most significant action in a hindi wedding as it symbolizes their strength and loyalty of being together

Death

• the bodies are cremated
• it is a practice that has been done for centuries in the Hindu custom
• just like marriage the right of passage into death centers around the sacred fire
• the funeral begins when the body is wrapped in cloth and carried away on a stretcher
• family and friends recite prayers on their way to the ceremonial grounds
• prayers and offerings are made in the belief that the deceased is going through a process of rebirth, cleansed by the fire into new life
• it also protects the relatives from evil/spirirts
• THE CEREMONY CONCLUDES when the ashes are thrown into the river

THE END :)

Jatakarma

• welcomes the baby into the world and recites prayers to protect the baby from illness or harmful spirits
• The father places a small amount of ghee and honey on the baby's tongue and whispers the name of God in his ear.
• On about the eleventh day after birth the parents celebrate the name-giving ceremony (namakarana)
• The name is chosen according to the position of the moon in the birth chart.
• Hindu girl has an ear-piercing ceremony
• Both boys and girls have their hair cut, symbolic of renewal and the shedding of wrongdoing in past lives.