Your baby boy has grown up! It’s time to celebrate his entry into the next phase of life; it’s time to celebrate his thread ceremony! This traditionally and culturally rich ritual signifies the purest and most majestic form of religious enrichment of a Brahmin boy as he steps into adulthood. The motive of this exquisite and gracious Janeu is to shower your little one with our long-adored values, discipline, and blessings with the holy assistance of those three sacred threads.
However, with all the rituals, parents often spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make the thread ceremony unique and fun for all. What about the shy child in the corner? Or the playful child dancing around for attention? From the wallflower to the wild child – each kid wants to feel included in this exclusive thread ceremony, and you sure wouldn’t want to break their hearts. So here are some heart-warming ways to throw a unique thread ceremony while still ensuring that all your young guests have a blast!
Have an inclusive Kumarabhojan
The Kumarabhojan, performed right before the Upanayana Homam, is a ritual to teach your child to have meals in a Shastric manner. Whether you have a wallflower shying away from the crowd or a wild child running around the Homam, food is what will bring them happily together.
The wallflower and wild child takeaway:
Bhojan can be an excellent opportunity to gather all the kids together – from the wallflower to the wild child! Not only does it teach children the importance of eating together as a community but also lets them have lots of fun by indulging in a delectable meal. Add another twist with some fun-shaped food items on their plate to get them excited!
Allow Bhiksha Karanam for every little one
‘Bhiksham Dehi’ – this is the exact phrase the child says when he goes around asking for rice from the women present in the ceremony. Bhiksha Karanam is like an exclusive trick or treat, minus the trick, session for the child. This ritual is meant to free the child’s mind from ego so he can ask for help without hesitation. He should be able to borrow knowledge and wisdom from others.
The wallflower and wild child takeaway:
Include all the kids in the Bhiksha Karanam. The rice can also be replaced with other gifts for all the little ones. This way, you don’t leave behind even the shyest child, while teaching all the kids a valuable lesson.
Place the Twig in the right hand and let others tag along
This part of the ceremony is an extremely distinct and interesting one! To shower the divine grace of devatas – Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh on the child in a very unique form while entering Brahmacharya, some grains and laddus are tied to a twig and placed in the hand of the child. Once the child is given the twig, he is asked to embark on the journey of learning by walking away. As soon as the child starts to walk away, his Mama asks him to come back to first prepare himself before embarking on the journey. This mini ritualistic act unfolds in a very dramatic and exciting way.
The wallflower and wild child takeaway:
All these things are so dramatic and striking that no one will return home without having a pretty cheerful time. But, how can you possibly modify this custom of tiny giggles while making it inclusive enough? Right after the ritual is completed, you can ask all the kids present in the ceremony to tag along! Every child can play the ‘twig game’ for an extra dose of fun!
Do you know what would give the kids even more joy? Being able to run around and play in large open spaces or splash around in a pool. Because thread ceremonies don’t have to be restricted to rituals only. Guests (especially the tiny ones) love it when we give a non-traditional twist to traditional ceremonies… Invite the wallflower, the wild child and everyone else, and let everyone have a gala time at your son’s thread ceremony!
