We Indians adore festivals and celebrations, no matter how small or big! So how can we miss out on commemorating the arrival of a new addition to our family?
Traditionally, baby showers in India were a ‘women-only’ affair hosted by the parents or in-laws of mum-to-be on an auspicious date. But now, in post-modernization, Godh bharai is either replaced or blended with the western concept of the baby shower.
Godh bharai- Fill the lap with abundance!
Godh bharai is the traditional baby shower celebrated among the northern states of India. The Expectant mother’s family hosts the event to welcome the unborn baby and bless the mum-to-be with all the abundant blessings of motherhood.
Food – adds soul to the event!
A puja is performed before the festivities begin. Usually, a priest or elders in the family, begin the event with religious chants and prayers.
The pregnant mom-to-be is anointed with herbal oils and dressed up in traditional attire with mehndi on both hands and feet.
The guests then bless the mom-to-be by filling her lap with fruits, sweets, and rice.
Elders in the family bless the pregnant mum by putting a tika on her forehead and adorn her with flowers, glass bangles, traditional attires, accessories, sweets, and herbal drinks as a token of invocation to her journey into motherhood.
As the event progresses, more singing, dancing, and fun activities slowly unfold one after another.
The day ends with a sumptuous meal, primarily vegetarian with lots of sweets and fruits.
Shaad – A wish!
Bengali women celebrate the pre-birth tradition as Shaad. The idea behind this custom is to make the expectant mother feel special, happy, and positive as she anticipates her journey into motherhood.
Traditional beliefs coupled with contemporary ideas!
Giving baby gifts on the occasion of shaad is discouraged, as it is believed to bring bad luck.
The pregnant mom-to-be is dressed up in the traditional red Banaras saree with customary Bengali accessories like shaka pola and mukut for the day.
Shaad emphasizes delicious food as an important part of the celebrations. The traditional Bengali dish Shukto (the slightly bitter vegetable dish considered to have medicinal value) is served as the main course with rice, followed by Gohona bori or noksha bori (dried black lentil dumplings), Nolen guur er paayesh (a sweet milk pudding with jaggery) and other indigenous dishes.
As for the nonvegetarian, the regular Bengali fish head curry is ineluctable.
Valaikappu – Vibrant glass bangles!
The south Indian version of a baby shower is generally termed valaikappu.
The baby in the womb listens to mom’s bangle chimes
The pregnant mother’s hands are adorned with colorful glass bangles as a part of this celebration. The bangle sound is believed to induce the baby’s senses even while in the womb.
The valaikappu attire is usually a traditional silk saree with accessories and jasmine flowers.
The guests gift garlands, flowers, and bangles, and bestow well wishes and prayers for safe delivery. Flower petals and uncooked rice are sprinkled on the pregnant mother as a blessing.
Elderly women sing hymns and songs while applying a paste of sandalwood and turmeric on the hands and feet of pregnant moms-to-be to reduce body heat.
Seven types of variety rice like tamarind rice, coconut rice, tomato rice, curd rice, mint rice, vegetable rice, lemon rice, sambar rice, and citron rice are served to the mom-to-be along with sweets like Bengal gram laddu, palm jaggery halwa, etc.
Assorted tropical fruits like jackfruit, mangoes, guava, pomegranates, and bananas in odd numbers are gifted as an expression of honor.
Dohale Jeevan – Honor pregnancy cravings!
Dohale Jeevan is the Maharashtrian custom that celebrates the impending arrival of a little one to the family.
Aai, kaki, maasi, atya, mami, tai – Epitome of our Indian family
All the guests assemble at the venue on an auspicious day for the special puja. The mom-to-be is adorned in a new traditional saree (red, yellow, or green color preferred) with accessories such as flowers instead of jewelry.
Traditionally, she is seated in a swing or jhoola and the guests take turns to bless her by applying kumkum and haldi on her forehead. The reason for seating her in the swing is to bring waves of happiness to her life.
The elderly woman in the family starts filling the expectant mother’s saree pallu with coconut, and rice grains thrice. Others follow by offering her fruits, flowers, betel nut leaves.
Once the puja and rituals are done, the fun element, singing, dancing, and games activities take over the event. One such fun pursuit is guessing the gender of the unborn baby by the choice of kheer (sweet rice and milk pudding) the pregnant mother favors.
A typical Marathi meal is served with traditional dishes like sabudana vada (fried snack made with tapioca pearls), Puran Poli (sweet flatbread recipe made with wheat flour and sweetened stuffing), Koshimbir ( veggie yogurt salad ), Dalimbi baht ( sprouted beans pulao), ukadichi modak (sweet stuffed dumpling), etc.
As a land of diverse cultural ethnicities and traditional belief systems, these baby shower rituals have different names and varied practices of observance throughout the country. Even though underlying traditional rituals differ, the essence remains the same – to bless the unborn baby and shower the pregnant mum-to-be with all the blessings for life ahead by upholding our strong credence in family bonding.
References
https://www.indiaparenting.com/significance-of-godhbharai-an-indian-baby-shower.html]
https://www.momjunction.com/articles/godh-bharai_00355576/