Infant Temple Ceremony

On our way to the rural village of Vaikom we stopped at a large Hindu temple.  Coincidentally this was a day that astrologically it was right to bring your six-month old baby to the temple to receive his or her first solid food.   It is tradition that the infant is brought by his parents and extended family for a ritual.  The priest gives mashed banana presented on a banana leaf to the father who is seated on the ground holding the baby.  After the father puts some of the banana in the child’s mouth, the mother and grandparents do the same.   While we were not permitted to photograph the actual ceremony, afterwards the families were very willing to allow us to take pictures.   They were all so happy and proud and it was special to be able to share this event with them.

During the ceremony that Dads all removed their shirts.

Also note how the baby's eyes were decorated.