Nilam's Godh Bharai

September 14, 2014

Godh Bharai is the Hindu baby shower celebrated during pregnancy to welcome the unborn child to the family and bless the mother-to-be.

Traditionally, the ceremony begins by having the future mother decked up like a bride. She wears a special saree for the occasion:

In Hindi, godh bharai literally means to 'fill the lap' with abundance.

Also traditionally, this celebration is a women-only gathering. That explains why I've never witnessed it before. But it doesn't explain all the the rituals that follow and involve mostly men:

I couldn't find out what these rituals are called or what they mean, but this is what happens: Nilam's brothers lay down 2 pieces of cloth in front of her, one white and one green.

Then, they place a small bag with seeds, nuts, sweets and money in the middle of the cloth. After that she can take a step and advance:

Until she arrives in front of a little shrine:

This is the part where she transfers the coconut and rice from one lap to another and back.

Another mystery ritual I wish I knew about when my sister-in-law was pregnant. Nilam's brother-in-law dips his hands in a red water:

And he slaps her cheeks. He seems to enjoy this particular part of the ceremony:

The enjoyment fades away when he finds out that she gets to do the same to him:

This is a fun game where the parents-to-be pass a little child from one to another and each time they do that, the future parents have to come up with an excuse why they don't want to take care of the baby. They are laughing now...