The First Haircut In India

In many traditions across the world, child’s first haircut is a significant event. In India, it’s considered even more important. It’s done when the child is 1 or 3 years old. In the Hindu tradition, hair from birth is believed to be associated with the past lives. So, in a way the first haircut (known as Mundan), gives freedom from the past. So the whole process involves a lot of rituals. Hair is generally completely shaven (tonsured). In some cases, a tuft of hair (known as choti) is left to protect the brain. According to some believe, mundane is associated with the long life of the child and it provides protection from evil. In most cases, this shaving is performs by the priest who chants the mantra and performs other rituals to complete the procedure. The shaved hair is offered to God. Offering to holy rivers is also a common practice. Some people even go to the holy places like Tirumala Venkateswara temple or places like Rishikesh to get it done. The rituals associated with the first haircut are also common in other religions. …show more content…
In those cases it’s sometimes fun and sometimes challenging to get it done. Not all barbers are equipped with the required skill to give a haircut to a one or three year old. Parents need to be careful when choosing a place to get this first haircut done. Other than the skilled barber, it should be a place where hygiene is maintained. Also, the salon must have special seating arrangement for the kid. It can be either separately designed and built or it could also be some add on that can be placed on a regular barber chair so that the kid can be seated