Torrential Rain, Gusty Winds, Tsunami Warning
Sunday attended a Valaikappu-Seemandham ceremony of a Tamil couple. This religious ceremony is performed during the 6th or 8th month of pregnancy of a first child.
This family has been living in USA for more than 25 years. I was very pleased that they follow these customs and perform these ceremonies.
Valaikappu is a bangle ceremony. All women put bangles in the hands of the pregnant woman.
Seemandham is a religious ceremony done for the well being of the mother-to-be and the fetus. The sastrigal (priest) chants the mantras. At the end of the ceremony, the husband drops the banyan tree essence into the pregnant wife’s nose. It is supposed to go all the way to the mother’s womb and becomes like a protective mask for the stem cell.
(Sanjay and Mathruka)
An important part of the seemandham ceremony is that the function should end with a veena recital. The people in Los Angeles followed this tradition also.
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Heard this conversation in our host’s house in Los Angeles.
(Patti in Tamil means grandmother. Thatha means grandfather. The child’s name is Lucas. He is 3 years old. Even though he does not speak Tamil, he calls his parents “amma” and “appa” and grand parents “patti” and “thatha”.)
Living Room
Child: Patti, I want milk.
Patti: Go tell your thatha you want milk. He will give you.
The child comes to the Family Room.
Child: Thatha you want milk
Thatha: No
The child goes to the Living Room.
Child: Patti, thatha says no
Patti: Go tell your thatha I want milk. Then he will give you.
The child comes to the Family Room.
Child: Thatha, patti wants milk
Thatha: Ask patti to get it herself
The child goes to the Living Room.
Child: Patti, thatha wants you to get it yourself
Patti: Thatha did not understand you. Go tell him Lucas wants milk
The child goes to the Family Room
Child: Thatha, Lucas wants milk
Thatha: Come with me to the kitchen. I will get it for you.
ohhh this was adorable...i like Lucas..cute kid !1
ReplyDeleteOh sad about the rains and the winds. I hope that didnt spoil your plan.
ReplyDeleteIts really surprising to know a family who has lived in US for more than 25 years, still follow tradition. Hope there are many such people.
Thanks for your comments Sulagna. Yes, Lucas is very cute.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Insignia. Yes, you are right. Many Indian-origin Americans follow the Indian tradition and customs.
ReplyDeletehaahaaa SG havinga hungry troubling amn around at 8:30 in the night when you are cooking , is a lot of patience, after a days work :) i usually shoo him away and tempt him with ESPN or Star Sports for 1 hour :)
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to see the people still following traditions.
ReplyDeleteand this conversation shows a unique side of Indian men in a humorous way:)
hahahah can't stop smiling after reading that conversation. It was so adorable :)
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, they followed all traditions, eh? That's nice :)
Thanks for your comments Sulagna. Give a man a sports channel. He will forget the world.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Samvedna. Yes, they still follow our traditions. That conversation was very humorous.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Titaxy. I am glad Lucas' conversation with his grand parents brought you smile.
ReplyDeletehahahah that was so sweet :D lolzzz
ReplyDeletethe food looks yummy too :D
Thanks for your comments Rajlakshmi. The food was yummy.
ReplyDeleteAdorable Lucas :) ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Disha. And, welcome back. Yes, Lucas is adorable. Very sweet kid.
ReplyDeleteSG, did you click Lucas's pic? aww he is so cute.
ReplyDeleteand the food definitely looks yummy.
Seemandham in US. I'm glad it wasn't called 'baby shower'!:D The mother-to-be looks different in both pics.(maybe b'cos she wasn;t wearing glasses in one).
ReplyDeleteDid Lucas manage to confuse everyone this way?:-)Cute kid.
Am smiling to myself after reading that conversation.
ReplyDeleteI've often noticed that people who've lived outside India for a long period of time tend to cling to the customs and traditions that they left behind much more than the people who live here do.
it feels so nice to see people still following the age old traditions..for them the place does not matter..they still have not forgotten their roots.. :)
ReplyDeleteThe photographs are beautiful. It is nice to know that people who had been living there for so many years, are still following our rituals. Great.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Shruthi. I should have put his picture in this post. Sorry it did not occur to me. The food was yummy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments lostworld. Yes, the mother to be looks different in these pictures. One reason, as you said, is because of not wearing glasses in a picture. Another is she is in different saree style - 6 yards for Valaikappu and madisaar for Seemandham.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Jayashree. You are very correct. People who have been living here for a long time cling to the old traditions.
ReplyDeleteYou can guess who is who when you go to a temple here. A woman in a saree is born in USA. A woman in a pant or short is an FOB (Fresh Off the Boat).
Thanks for your comments Neha. Yes, they still have not forgotten their roots.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Sandhya. I am glad you liked the pictures.
ReplyDeletenice child story.. sweet.. idhukku tamil layae keturkalam..
ReplyDeletefirst 2 pics look a little comical..
nice post on the whole..
Thanks for your comments Vishnu. First 2 pictures look a little comical? I don't know what is comical about doing the Valaikappu and Seemandham ceremony even after settling in USA long time ago. We should be proud they still follow the Indian tradition.
ReplyDeleteHA HA HA - That conversation was super cute ... Luved it. I too was in the bay area from 1999 to 2002, then moved to the NY. Quit the US in 2007 and now happily living in INDIA :)
ReplyDeleteLiked the seemandam description with photos. The bangles are worn by the pregnant woman as the child gets to listen to soothing cling.. cling music always.Nice customs. This is the description a lady to gave me when I asked her the significance wearing dozens of bangles.
ReplyDeleteLoved the little conversation by the little Lucas.
Nice Pictures u have added
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Satish. And, welcome to my blog. I am glad you liked the conversation.
ReplyDeleteSatish, please visit here as often as you can. Thanks.
Thanks for your comments Chitra. And, thanks for informing us about the meaning valaikappu.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Abhishek. And, welcome to my blog. I am glad you liked these pictures.
ReplyDeleteAbhishek, please visit here as often as you can. Thanks.
Hi SG !! I loved the description as well as the pictures of this ceremony.What a nice old tradition to share the happiness with the family and friends.The conversation between Lucas,Tatha and Patti is very interesting.Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy best wishes for the family .