Tuesday 9 October 2012

Manjal neerattu vizha

Manjal neerattu vizha


Manjal Neeratu Vizha is a tradition in the South of the India. Although less practiced (especially in cities), it remains an important feast in the popular media and in the villages. This day celebrates the puberty of a young girl, she was once used to announce that the daughter of a home was ready to be married. On this occasion, the fathers of potential husbands came to see the girl and if they deemed it fit to marry their son (and had the same caste), they were demand to the family.

Today, is no longer question of marriage but it still celebrates the arrival of the rules of a young girl and a big party is organized. This is the opportunity of a ritual which here are the details...

You should know that here, a woman who is menstruating is considered unclean and, even now, women must sometimes isolate themselves in a corner of the House during this period and they are not cooking (risk of staining food). In a tribe that lives to Ooty, in the South, the Todas, there is outright a place outside the village where women spend the time of their rules before returning home.

When a young girl announces to her parents that it has its first rules, we isolate it. For three days, she will be alone beside the family home surrounded by a sheet of banana, a sheet of neem and a plate and a glass that will serve as this period where it is considered dirty. It brings him to eat and drink and at the end of this period of isolation, the family announces the news to friends, relatives and neighbours. Women then gathered around the girl for the ritual bathing. In a bronze pot, mix water with saffron and turmeric (or turmeric), then adding a pulp obtained from rice and neem. There is poured all over the girl through a sieve, as a cleansing shower. After this shower, she takes off clothes she wore for 3 days and dons her first sari. Tradition has it that the uncles and aunts have a very important role in the ceremony, they are indeed aunts that lead the ceremony and (paternal) uncle who offers the sari.

A first party is held the third or the seventh day, the entire village is invited. Uncles and aunts are gifts: saris, makeup, panties and BRA... A pooja is given by 15 people, it comes to bless the girl with a container of water with the turmeric, saffron and rice and neem paste (which always is the purification). Prayers are said, then celebrating the goddess, the woman who now has the ability to give life.

Three months later, a big party is given, this time of thousands of guests, it is interesting to note that for a modest family, this festival is a huge expense, however parents don't skimp because it is important to show that there's money, in order to find a good party for her daughter. It is indeed during this festival that once the marriage proposals were, so it was critical to spend the maximum. the neighbors bring as gifts and fruits: bananas, coconuts, potatoes... symbols of energy since the blood lost during the rules represents the energy loss. It also offers saris, jewellery, bindis, mirror...

In the villages, this ceremony is festive and cheerful, it much more austere in the city and in the richest circles. 

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