My Brahmin Ceremony: Watch My Head Get Shaved!!!!

This is the ceremony part of my Janeo. This is the puja. I felt like a grown up during my Janeo, and later as well.

This is me playing with a leaf, daddy sitting there, and mommy in a weird red scarf that was from her wedding.

In the puja, we had to do certain things. One of them was holding rice.

We also had to wear the sacred thread. This is daddy tying my sacred thread around my wrist.

Daddy is currently holding rice and I am holding his wrist while the priests reads Hindi prayers.

This is daddy tying my saffron dhoti around to see if it fits for the later activity, which is exiting.

There are also many tools recommended for this ceremony - p.s. we only used two sticks and a wooden yoke.

For my future, I will have to wear this sacred string around my shoulder and under my arm and all the way back around.

This is me doing the namaste to the god.

Right now, I will do the exciting activity - beg! I have to wear a saffron colored dhoti (piece of cloth), and another dhoti around my neck and drooping down both arms. You'll see it in the later pictures.

This is Santosh cha-cha putting the sacred thread holding up the sacred thread to put on my body.

I am presently wearing the string.

This is daddy tying my dhoti.

I'm now doing puja, and I gave flowers and rice to the priest to put next to the god (a.k.a. bhagwanji in Hindi)

Now this is me with my sacred stick, my saffron dhoti around my neck and arm, and my dhoti for pants, and my sacred thread and a begging pot.

This is me holding my pot making an awesome Indian face.

I have to say "Bikshan dehi" which means I'm begging, please give. People give money to me in my pot.

I am having a stick and a pot with a very serious look in my eyes.

This stick is actually a bow.

This is me holding out my pot for tons of money.

Now they will start the fire puja.

This is Sheila Phua giving me some food.

This is the barber who will be shaving my head. I was not scared, actually.

This is a tiny slit he's cut in my hair (not my head)

This is the half point of my head shaving.

Now it's almost done, but I have an annoyed look on my face.

Finishing touches

They actually left a small pony tail p.s. they shave it completely off a little later

The women gave me some laddu, an Indian sweet, mixed with yogurt to eat.

This is Guddu cha-cha showing me a picture of what I look like with my head shaved

This is me touching my bald head for the first time! It felt spiky!!

This is mommy seeing me for the first time with no hair!

This is me sitting next to the puja fire with my bald head.

Now everyone is showering marigold flowers on me, and I'm wearing a marigold garland.

Now the women are rubbing yogurt all over my head. Boy, did it feel cool!

Now it's time for the bath!

This is Muna cha-cha and Sheila Phua giving me my first bath.

After the bath, the women are giving me more plain laddu to eat.

This is one of the priests giving me laddu too!

I look half American and half Indian with my San Francisco cap and my Indian kurta pajama!

Now another blessing with rice

This is some of the family in a group picture

After the temple we had a big lunch in a restaurant called Candle Light.

This is Kullu, me, Santosh cha-cha and daddy in a group photo.