Annapraashan (First Feeding)
When a child of six months old, the Annapraashan ceremony
is held. As the child is able to digest food he is given cooked rice,
curd, ghee and honey as his first meal. In some families, the child is
given kheer i.e., rice cooked with milk and sugar. The child is fed by
his mother while Vedic hymns are recited and oblations of ghee poured
into fire. Yagna is performed on this occasion and sweets are distributed
to friends and relatives. The locality gather to sing ceremonial songs
and the family members worship the family deity. |