Namkaran Samskar
Namkaran is the Indian naming ceremony that is most often held on the
twelfth day of an infant's life and is the first Hindu ceremony in the life of
the child. The Namkaran may be held from the tenth day until the child's first birthday. The twelfth day is also the time that the baby's first horoscope is
drawn up.
Kajal is a Mixture of Sandalwood, Soot, and Ghee.
According to Hindu tradition, the birth mother and her infant are
considered to be ritually impure until the tenth day after birth. On the
twelfth day postpartum, mother and child are given a ritual bath. At this time,
the mother swathes the baby in a new cloth and applies a beauty mark to his
cheek with the cosmetic known as kajal, which is also known as kohl; a mixture
of sandalwood, soot, and ghee.
The baby is then placed in his father's lap and receives a blessing. The
priest offers prayers to all of the Hindu gods including Agni; considered to be
the god of fire and purification, as well as prayers to the elements and to the
spirits of the forefathers. The priest asks all of these to bless the child and
to protect him. He then places the sheet with the baby's horoscope in front of
the deity for its blessings.
The father then leans toward the baby's right ear and whispers the
baby's name. This is usually done with the aid of a betel leaf or some blades
of grass rather than directly into the baby's ear. The Rig Veda, a Hindu
religious text, sets forth a set formula for names consisting of four parts: the
Nakshatra name which is a Hindu-based astrological name, the name of the deity
of the month, the name of the family deity, and the popular name by which the
child will be known. However, modern practice dictates that the baby is given a
formal name as well as a nickname.
Some have the practice of combining the parents' names to create a name
for the baby. Others name after the paternal grandparent, whereas still others
have the custom of naming the first child after the father. Sometimes a baby
will keep only the Nakshatra, or the name of his birth star. In other cases,
the baby is named only with the name of the family deity or guru.
If the Baby Should Smack His Lips, This is a Moment of Supreme Joy.
Relatives and friends bless the infant and touch sugar or honey to the
baby's lips and watch for him to smack his lips, a moment of supreme joy.
