Why Hindus Shave Off Their Baby’s Hair in ‘Mundan’ Ceremony
why does Hindu shave baby head?
Meaning of Mundan or Tonsure for Babies
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| Tonsuring a baby’s head |
why shave baby's first hair
Tonsuring a baby's head is to shave his first hair. Baby's first hair removal ceremony is commonly known as "mundane" in India and is widely practiced by Hindus and Muslims around the world.
"Mundan" is a religious ceremony during which the hairdresser shaves the first hair of a child. In Islam, this is between 7 and 40 days for reasons of hygiene, and Hindus do it at any time after 4 months, but mostly around 9 months, 1 year, and 3 years. Some communities practice only boys and not girls in the family. So, traditionally tonsure and time differ from one community to another or even from one family to another.
But one thing is certain, it is a widely accepted ceremony that is celebrated for infants. Extensive historical research suggests that it was a practice followed by all religions and also practiced by Native Americans.
The Scientific Reasons for Shaving Baby's Hair
After delving deeper into this, we discovered that vitamin D is produced faster and in greater amounts in the baby's body when exposed to the sun without clothing or hair. When a tonsured head is exposed to the sun, it absorbs better the sunlight.
The Religious Reason for Tonsure Baby Hair
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| indian baby's head shaving tradition |
baby's first hair removal ceremony
Hindu babies have shaved heads because they are part of Sanskara. Sanskara is the rite of human passage and begins with birth. It is thought that the hair of birth contains undesirable traits of the past life and the Mundan is required to remove impurities to move forward.
The ancient writings also stated that shaving hair at birth stimulates brain and nerve growth, protection against disease, strength, health, and vigor.
Some Others Believe to Shave Off Baby’s Birth Hair
- The natural growth of hair on the baby's head is uneven. Shaving the baby's head of hair contributes to the healthy growth of the hair.
- The purpose of the "mundan ceremony" is to give children the freedom to contract diseases, to give them strength, health, and vigor.
- Some ancient writings say that it helps to stimulate the growth of the brain and nerves.
- Many people believe that mundan helps to get rid of the negativity of past life and that he leads a long life with good fortune.
- It is helpful to keep the baby's head cool during the hot summer, which is why many people prefer Mundan for the summer.
There are innumerable traditions and beliefs, but it depends entirely on what you want to believe. Follow what your heart says and be careful because you certainly do not want to hurt your baby.
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