Valaikappu & Seemantham

Dear Sowmya,
Thankyou very much for joining this thread !
SAfter a long time in my forum ??!!
Love,
Chithra.

Originally Posted by honeybee

Dear Chitra
Lovely pictures and vivid description. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Regards
Sowmya

Dear chitra madam,
Just now watching ur valaikappu fotos( also rasichitu iruken). Niraya aachariyam, how many samprathayams,..... Nice and interesting to read. Though came across my valaikappu b4 3 years, i feel surprised to hear all these rituals. Pls do continue the thread with other samprathayams after child birth and all. I'm eager to know all those.(Though all these are entirely different from my community).

thanks
karthiga

Dear Chithra

It so nice of you to share the photos of you and your daughter with us. you are giving us a sweet surprise day after day. Thank you chithra

Love
vidhi

Dear Vidhi,
Thankyou for the feedback.
Some things are better understood only with photos ! Hence this decision to post photos, though I was reluctant & self-conscious !
Love,
Chithra.

Originally Posted by vidhi

Dear Chithra

It so nice of you to share the photos of you and your daughter with us. you are giving us a sweet surprise day after day. Thank you chithra

Love
vidhi

hi Chitraji,

nice photos, but i couldn't read as script was in tamil but got it that it was related to functions during preganancy. i am interested to know south cultutre. so please these functions u mention in english so that i can read not whole but short lines to make me understand.

bye
padma

Dear Padma,
I am posting both Valaikappu & Seemantham in english.
The translation was done by
Gayathriar
I wish to thank her profusely for helping me in translating these to english.
Love,
Chithra.

Valaikappu:

Valaikappu is performed either on the fifth or the seventh month of pregnancy. This is calculated from the month of the last periods. Usually this ceremony is performed in the girl's parental home. If it is performed along with the Seemantham, then, it is usually performed in the sixth or the eighth month.

It would be ideal if the Suklapaksha panchami( the fifth day after the new moon ) is a suitable day as per the star of the girl. This is the most preferred.
The girl should have a head bath in the morning. It is customary to adorn her with 9 yard saree and then arrange bangles.
In some families, the girl is made to wear the saree specifically bought for Valaikappu.

In olden days, it was customary to buy a black saree for the masakai. These days, they buy it for Valaikappu. So, it is all upto ones preference and convenience.

Light a lamp next to a wooden plank on which kolam is drawn and then, keep a tray ready with betel leaves, betel nuts, turmeric, fruits, sugar and sugar candy( kalkandu ).

Seat the girl facing east on the wooden plank.

If the sister-in-law( the girl's husband's sister ) is available, make her garland the girl.

In some families, the Valaichatti( bangle vendor ) is asked to arrange the bangle on the girl's hand. That day, he is considered equivalent to the girl's mama( maternal uncle ). Otherwise, the girl's mother arranges the bangles in one hand and the mother-in-law in the other hand. If both elders are not available at that time, any elderly person can arrange the bangles in the girl's hand.

To start with, keep aside 5 green bangles and 5 red bangles in front of the God for the Kula Deivam( family deity ) and then for the amman in the temple. In some families, if there are young girls who passed away even before obtaining puberty, it is customary to keep aside bangles in their remembrance.

Arrange odd number of bangles in the left hand and even number of bangles in the right hand( 14, 15 - 21, 22 ).

First Neem leaf kaapu should be arranged, followed by gold and silver kappu. Try to arrange a thin anklet kind of bangle or Arakku bangle at the end to prevent the other bangles from gliding out.

When the girl gets up from the plank, ask her to perform one namaskaram common to all elders in the sabai.

In the same plank, it is customary to arrange bangles to another married woman without issues. This is called maru-manai.

After this, it is customary to perform Etri-Irakkudhal.
Fill a large measuring tumbler( padi ) with paddy( nellu ) and top it with a small lamp which is lit.
Place a silver coin each on the girl's head, 2 shoulders, 2 palms, 2 feets, stomach and hip. And then 5 sumangali's one after the other should give the keep sandalwood and kumkumam in the forehead, nalangu in the leg, flower in the hair and then with the measuring tumbler from head to toe perform the ethi irakkudhal. Then perform harathi.

It is customary to give bangles to all the woman attending the ceremony.

5 kinds of sweet/savouries are to be made. Besides a pair or paruppu thengai, varupayaru( pori kollu or varavarisi ), thiratti pal, a savory and another sweet can be made.

It is customary to give varupayaru along with betel leaf to all the attendees.

For the food, chitranam is to be cooked. When the girl sits down to eat, a young boy and a young girl is made to sit on her lap and a little of the rice varieties are given in an appalam to her.

In the evening, the girl can be seated in a manai and ladies can sing. This is upto the individual's convenience.

To the mother-in-law or any other relatives from the in-laws' side attending, money and blouse bit is given. It is upto individual's capability.

Love,
Chithra
( courtesy Gayathriar for translation)

Seemantham:

This is usually performed on the sixth or the eighth month of pregnancy and is usually performed in the husband's place. Choose an auspicious day and start it with mangala snanam.

If Valaikappu is performed on the same day, perform valaikappu early in the morning.

It is customary to buy a 9 yard saree for Mooku Pizhidhal ceremony. But, these days, some people think the koora pudavai is good enough. It is upto the individual's choice.

A vadyar( priest ) is required for this. Homam is performed and Udaya Shanthi is chanted. This water is poured on the girl's head later. Banyan and agathi-keerai buds are placed in a ural and are asked to be ground by Kanya girls( young girls yet to attain puberty ) saying "Aambalai petha, pombalai petha". The ground mixture is placed in the new saree and knotted and squeezed into the girl's nose. A red cloth called 'Thombu thuni' may also be bought and used for this purpose. The girl children who ground the buds should be rewarded with gifts.

From the girl's parents' side, a 9 yard saree for the girl and a silk dhoti and uthareeyam for the boy is usually bought. A silk mattress( pattu pai ), kudam, kuthu vilakku are also bought. Including paruppu thengai, 5 different varieties of bakshanam are kept as the girl's parental side seer. Thirattipal, murukku, athirasam or appam are a must. My MIL used to say that murukku and thirattipal are 'sutrodum suzhaiyodum serndha bakshanangal'.

For Seemantham, the Etri-irakkudhal is performed in the husband's house and the achutham is sprinkled at the end. For food, White pumpkin kootu is prepared. While eating, the girl's sister-in-law should sit next to her and place a little kootu in the girl's mouth and say "Poo" in her right ears. It is ok to do this, only if it is a practice in the family.

From the girl's parental side, betel leaf, betel nut, fruits and flowers are to be brought. In the evening, the Naathanar Poochoottal is performed. This is a ceremony performed by the sister-in-law for her brother's wife. The reciprocation of the Poochootal respects for the nathanaar is done by either the girl's parents or in-laws.

In some families, it is customary to do appam, kozhakattai madiyil kattaradhu. For this, appam and kozhakattai are made and the mother-in-law keeps it in a plaintain leaf and places in the daughter-in-law's lap and says "Naan suttu tharen, nee pethu thadiyamma" and ties it in the pallu of the girl's saree. The girl should perform namaskaram for all elders without untying it!
In the boy's house, ethir seer is done to respect the seer from the girl's parents.

If the girl is to be taken to the parent's house the very next day for delivery, then the auspiciouness of the day need not be considered. To the girl leaving to her parents' place for delivery, the mother-in-law gives coconut( unpeeled from the outer shell/mattai thengai ) along with thamboolam, places a neem leaf in her hair and blesses the girl saying 'Urundu thirandu, pethu pizhaithu vadiyamma'.

Love,
Chithra
(courtesy Gayathriar for translation)

This is so sweet...
Just like a mom giving child whatever he/she asks for, you and Gayathriar gave the English translation when asked for !!

:)
Pavithra

Dear Friends,
My young friend
kb 2000
has converted valaikappu-seemantham posts to pdf file.
I am attaching it here !
I cannot thank her enough !!
Love,
Chithra.