Annaprasana.

VIDEO:

My grandson Ch. Atharv’s Annaprasana was performed two months ago on Thursday, 26th May 2016. It is one of the Hindu Samskaras like Namakarna - Naming Ceremony which was celebrated on the 11th day after his birth. Annaprasana/ Annaprasanam or Annaprashanam is a tradition/ceremony performed by us on an auspicious day when the baby is in the sixth month of its birth. Anna means rice/food and Prasana means to enter/beginning. So this is a ceremony celebrating the infant’s first intake of solid food, a transition from liquid diet of mostly milk to solid food.

Extended family, relatives and close friends are invited to this ceremony followed by a traditional lunch. The baby is blessed and fed with Paramannam – Sweet Jaggery-Rice Pudding by the grandparents, parents and the relatives. A tiny bit of the sweet is fed to the baby once by all elders using a gold ring as a spoon, as you can see in the attached pictures and video.

This ceremony is followed by a fun game where a number of symbolic objects are placed before the baby, and the family and friends have a great time cheering the little one as he makes his choice. It is believed that the object the baby picks up represents his area of interest in future. We placed before him books, stethoscope, gold jewellery, calculator, pen, money and a measuring tape.  As you can see in this video my grandson touched the calculator. This I think suggests multitude interests and occupations! And then of course he grabbed almost all the items placed in front of him!!

May GOD bless him richly.