Dhoti Ceremony vs Upanayanam: Do You Actually Need Both?
If you have grown up in a South Indian Brahmin household, you have probably attended at least one ceremony where you were not entirely sure whether it was a dhoti...
Occasion Guide
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Half Saree Ceremony vs Puberty Function: Same Occasion, Different Question
If you ask this question in a Telugu or Tamil household, the answer you get depends entirely on who you are asking. Ask a grandmother and she will tell you...
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Nobody Said the House Has to Be Yours
The most common assumption about a Griha Pravesh is that it is for families who have bought or built a home. That the ceremony is tied to ownership. That moving...
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The Question Most Families Are Afraid to Ask Out Loud
Can a girl have an Upanayanam? If you ask this in a traditional household, you will likely get one of three responses. A firm no. A long pause followed by...
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The Dhoti Ceremony Age Question Has More Than One Answer
If you ask five families from different South Indian communities at what age the dhoti ceremony should be performed, you will get five different answers. All of them will be...
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Three Ways India Celebrates a Pregnancy. What Is Actually Different Between Them?
Most people have been to at least one of these. Many have been to all three without ever being entirely clear on what separates them. They are all celebrations centred...
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How Do You Tell Your Guests Not to Bring a Gift Without Making It Awkward?
The honest answer is that there is no way to do it that feels completely comfortable. Mentioning gifts on an invitation, in any direction, crosses a social boundary that most...
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Second Baby. Can You Still Have a Baby Shower?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that it depends on who you ask in the family, and everyone in the family will have an opinion. The idea...
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Nobody Told Me There Was an Age Limit for the Thread Ceremony
There is, though. And depending on who you ask in your family, you may have already heard about it. The Upanayanam, the sacred thread ceremony, is one of the oldest...
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The Half Saree Ceremony: What It Actually Is and When It Happens
Ask a grandmother in a Telugu or Tamil household what the half saree ceremony means to her and she will not give you a dictionary definition. She will tell you...
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Griha Pravesh, Vastu Shanti & Bhoomi Pooja — What's the Difference?
Most people have attended at least one of these ceremonies without being entirely sure what it was for. Someone in the family organised it, a priest arrived, a fire was...
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Namkaran, Baptism, Aqiqah — Three Ways a Name Becomes More Than Just a Name
A name is the first gift a child receives. Before they can hold anything, before they know anyone in the room, they are given one. And across almost every religion...
