When the girl enters the eighth month of her conception,
the Athmaasa ceremony is performed to ensure the safety of the child in
the moment. Relatives assemble at the girl's residence and pray to the
family deity for the safe delivery and they go to the temple of their
Istyadeva (favourite deity) to seek his blessings. This is an occasion
for night-long music session and the most interesting part of this ceremony
is that the expectant girl is treated as the queen of the family. She
is invited to lavish dinners by relatives and she is the virtual heroine
of the community for at least one month.
