Becoming a Woman - manjal neer-attu vizha (turmeric bathing ceremony)

So when a girl comes of a certain age she gets celebrated! Family and friends give gifts and money, and mother, aunties and Gran perform a ceremony with lots of laughing and carrying on.

A lot of this is about stocking up your dowry for when you get married mind you. (despite Dowry's being illegal now).

The ceremony I don't really understand, I asked a couple of people but they didn't really know either!

So thank you internet. It is a ritual only still celebrated in southern India, mostly Tamil Nadu. I didn't see this part of course, but for three days the girl is secluded and faces many restrictions. 

Then the celebration, your family comes bearing gifts. Platters with bananas and coconuts (with a sandalwood paste and red ocher dust dot same as the forehead bindi) on three sides, Sari's, jewelery and brass pots and buckets.

She is dressed up beautifully, reminds me of bridal dress actually. Huge beautiful thick rope garlands of flowers.

During the ceremony her female family stand around her and recite some verses- there's the part where biscuits are placed and need to be balanced on both shoulder, hands, head and feet, then are taken off and put on again (and repeat one more time) then they are flicked off and broken.    

Why?! 

Then you hold a leaf, water is put on the leaf and you delicately fling it to the north, more water, east, more water south, more water , west.

Why!?

Internet, you're not helping.

So I'm super lucky and have been taken along to two ceremonies now! 

Nagarathinam took me along to her distant relations celebration, will add photo's later. Below are some photo's of a huge celebration of Dheva's cousin.

It started off with a procession of silk sari clad family, behind a band and bomb like crackers that made me squeel and wince every time. These guys had English drums and trumpet, as well as ye olde English red coat army diggs, but were playing Tamil music. ...was great.....

 

We walked through town, traffic had to stop for us! I was surprised it did, but I guess a procession must be important enough :)

On arrival at the large full reception hall, Mina was in her Green Sari, and there were greetings and all the gifts were placed in an area in front of her.

Then she changed into a gifted sari from her uncle and the biscuit/leaf ceremony commenced.

After this another sari change!

Now everyone came up and gave her gifts of money (unless they had done that and filled in the register at the door (Dheva's job for the whole day....). She would touch their feet, then when she stood up the family member would press sacred white powder of her forehead- the official photographer and video camera man got really good shots of everybody doing this.

Gifts of gold jewelery were also put on her, the photographer making sure to get good shots of the goodies, Mina and the gift giver. Thanks so much to Dheva for sharing this with me!