G = Godh Bharai

The Godh Bharai ceremony or literally ‘the lap-filling’ ceremony maybe considered equivalent to the Western concept of a baby shower. The ceremony is typically held in the seventh and ninth month of pregnancy. Usually, the first one is hosted by the in-laws and the later one, by the girl’s parents. In both ceremonies, the mother-to-be is blessed by the elders, showered with gifts and fed with food of her choice. Men are generally excluded from this ceremony.

However, in certain regions of India, particularly North India, a Godh bharai ceremony is also held before the wedding. The ceremony, conducted by females from the groom’s family, symbolizes the official acceptance of the girl as the daughter of their family.

https://weddingcarnivals.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/asih-sister1.png
Rather ironic that I am able to recognize everyone other than the bride and the groom. Sad but true. Even the page on the internet has expired. Perhaps one of you could help? Pic link

The pic was just to up the glam quotient (for the uninitiated and interested – that’s Amitabh Bachchan second from the left with his wife and son and on the right is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with her parents) and cover up the fact that I don’t know much about the custom. Not that I know much about Bengali weddings – like my professor would say, your English is worse than your Bengali, which you don’t know…

Anyway to get back to the topic at hand, in this ritual (as gleaned from the internet and some hearsay evidence) the bride-to-be typically wears a sari and sits cross-legged on the floor with the free edge of her sari (pallu) held up above her lap (godh). The groom’s family brings gifts, jewellery, doll, make-up items, clothes and sweets, which are placed in the bride’s pallu. The doll symbolizes their wish and blessing that she bear many children in the future. The girl respectfully accepts all the gifts and takes the blessings of the elders by touching their feet.

Thought for the day: “The only gift I have to give, is the ability to receive. If giving is a gift, and it surely is, then my gift to you is to allow you to give to me.” ― Jarod Kintz

Hence, my gift to you is leave to leave me a note and on this note, I take your leave 😉

 

 

 

Published by

Dahlia

Email me at mysilverstreaks@gmail.com or tweet me @mysilverstreaks

17 thoughts on “G = Godh Bharai”

  1. Godh bhari what I have learnt from my elders in the family is to bless the girl with a full life with children and all the luxuries . In our tradition girl is given the 5 mevas that are gola coconut, almonds, raisins, cashew nut, figs, etc.

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  2. These occasions seem so much more formal than in the West. If it’s truly equivalent to a shower, I know many people would show up in jeans and a t-shirt for that. Your ways seem like a better way!

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  5. I never understood (nor tried to understand) what a ‘baby shower’ was. Was it so that the bride’s (or the mother to be) wish (if at all) to be showered with babies could be fulfilled or was it to shower the bride with gifts for the baby! Of course, it is clear now. The bride in the picture is Shrima who is married to Aishwariya Rai’s brother, Aditya Rai. And no, I am able to clarify this not because I have any deep interest in their clan but because I am possibly a better googler! Oh yes! Just one more thing! I take umbrage to the use of the term ‘females’ in ‘the ceremony conducted by females’. I have never heard of a man being called a male.Why should then a woman/lady (or women) be referred to by her gender so explicitly! ” The ceremony conducted entirely by women/ladies..” sounds, so much more, well.. gentlemanly! (Please read this: http://bit.ly/1VcTrYY)

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    1. I stand corrected and educated…finally a gentleman 😉 But will let it stand for now, as a red flag. I am fan of Shakespeare …what is in a name but then I guess we need to move with the times and be ready to defend our rights apart from being grammatically correct 😀

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  6. I often wondered if any other countries have a similar custom as our American showers which are to shower the newlyweds with gifts for their new home or to shower the new mother/parents with gifts for their new baby. Beautiful photo (whoever it is:)
    Good luck with the rest of the challenge.

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    1. True…reminds me of an incident when on a bus a guy was complaining to the conductor about a broken window and the bitterly chilly wind coming in through it – the conductor just said – kha le kha le, garmi main kaam aayega 😀

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  8. What’s in a name, Shakespeare said. I wonder. What will the younger generation think if they are told that Romeo and Juliet was written by Wills? I am sure most will think that it was written by Prince William (Wills) at least in the UK where an another famous William Shakespeare was also born.

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