Yesterday we witnessed a Hindu infant head shaving ceremony known as Mundan. We were visiting Batu Caves, a large Hindu Temple built atop a hillside, outside of Kuala Lumpur.
There were the typical souvenir stands outside it selling an interesting combination of shiny stuff and religious offerings. One shop stood out since the sign boldly stated “Head Shaved Bald.” Michael was intrigued by having his head shaved (he probably should just stick to having it examined) so we went over to check it out.
Families wait outside as babies get their head shaved.
The barber was busy preparing to perform Mundan on a two-month old baby. Hindus must shave their heads at least once in their life as part of a cleansing for the gods. It is easier to perform this task on infants: imagine trying to tell a 15-year old girl it’s time to have her head shaved?
With the family lined up around a squirming baby, who is likely thinking back fondly to their carefree days in the womb, it reminded us of a Jewish bris or Christian baptism.
In the seat of honor, an uncle holds the baby during the ceremony.
So there we were, in a barber shop with an Indian Malaysian family as their 2-month old son Anish (who had a whopping head of hair that Michael quite envied) got his head shaved. The boy’s grandfather, Mr. Das, stood off to the side and provided us with a running commentary on the ritual.
The barber used a straight-edge razor and had an amazingly steady hand. The little boy was held in the lap of an uncle, which is custom, while his parents looked on. His mother videotaped the whole thing on her Samsung Galaxy (tradition meets technology.) Anish was quiet through the entire experience (with the help of a pacifier) and only cried at the end when they washed his head. After the shaving was finished a pleasant smelling sandalwood solution was rubbed on his head to keep it cool and soothe any irritation.
Afterwards, mother, baby, grandfather and Little Rocky were all fine.
Little Anish did get the final word on the whole experience. As his grandparents leaned over to change his diaper he let out a prodigious stream of pee onto his grandfather’s shirt. The entire family cracked up over that one, a story we are sure will be told at Anish’s wedding someday.
Siblings and cousins celebrate the mundan ritual with Little Rocky.
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With Little Rocky's help, Larissa stops traffic in Saigon.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Wonderful! What a privilege!
It certainly was interesting. Also, being on the road for so long we miss family interactions so it was nice to be a part of this.
What is the significance of the dot on the forehead of the women?
There seem to be many reasons for this symbol of the Hindu religion. An online search will provide you with more detailed information.
That is facinating; you were guests at this very important ceremony.
The more we understand each other’s cultures, the better off we all are.
And Rock gets to make new friends, too
We have found that as different as people around the world seem, we have more in common than we think.
Hello
Was there something called a jatakarma or a Mandan that happened
Thank u please reply soon
Ame Kay
As far as we know the ceremony is called mandan.