My Bratabandha in Nepal
Earlier this year, my family and I went on holiday to Nepal for forty days. Excitedly, we left to meet family and relatives there. A huge highlight during our trip was my and my brother's Bratabandha, a traditional Hindu ceremony that transitions a boy's journey into adulthood. During the Bratabandha, a sacred thread, known as a Janai, is placed across my left shoulder. This thread represents both spiritual and intellectual growth. Throughout the whole ceremony, a teacher, or Guru, showed me what to do; he taught me a special prayer called the Gayatri Mantra. Now that I’ve shared about what a Bratabandha is, I’ll tell you about my experience with it.
Still sleepy, I woke up at five to get ready for the big day. I showered and put my clothes on. We left in an SUV, coated in metallic bronze. Soon enough we were already at, White Durbar Party Palace. After my mama (Ashok mama) came, he started to cut pieces of my hair with scissors. My sister (Ibaani) started collecting my hair on a plate before it fell on the ground. After cutting a few more pieces, my mama handed over the scissors to the professional barber. Guess what happens next to my head? Correct, I was bald as you can see in the picture.
After this my sister started putting yellow stuff around my face called, Haldi in Nepali. When my sister finished putting Haldi on my face. I took a quick shower, dried off, and put on my orange clothes; at that time the guru put my Janai on. I had to stay in the pujja corner for a few hours. After the Guru told me the mantra, I went to change into my clothes and went inside the hall to get blessings from family, relatives and visitors. At that moment I was starting to get hungry because we hadn’t eaten anything since the morning. Slowly but surely, we could see that the line was getting shorter and shorter. After the line had ended, we took some photos with family and relatives. Now that the day was over, I could finally eat. After fasting for the day, the food tasted better than ever.
This Bratabandha was a really special experience. I felt proud to follow my Nepali (Hindu) traditions and values. I am so thankful to my family and grandparents for making this all happen in Nepal!
