Simantonnayana means “the upward parting of the hair” (simanta is the parting, unnayana the drawing up). It is the third of the sixteen samskaras and is performed during pregnancy, when the mother-to-be is celebrated, protected with prayer and given gifts and food she loves. Of the samskaras before birth, this is the one that survives most strongly. It is held across India under many names, and it has a close modern relation in the baby shower.
The rite that comes before it is pumsavana, and after the child is born the sequence continues with jatakarma. For the whole list, see the samskaras overview.
What the rite is
In the Grihya Sutras the husband parts his wife’s hair, from the front towards the back, with a ritual implement. The texts name items such as a bunch of fruits from the udumbara (cluster fig) tree, a porcupine quill and darbha grass, with differences between schools. Accompanying verses ask that the woman be well, that the pregnancy go smoothly and that the child be healthy. The parting of the hair is a sign of the woman’s marital status and of her fullness as a mother-to-be, and the rite honours her at a point of vulnerability.
The Ashvalayana, Paraskara and other Grihya Sutras describe it with variations. We describe the general outline and do not claim to reproduce a single version.
When it is done
The texts give the fourth, sixth or eighth month of pregnancy, with the seventh and ninth in some regions. Generally the rite is held once, in the first pregnancy, though some families repeat a gathering in later ones. The day is chosen with the panchang: a favourable tithi, weekday and nakshatra, avoiding the days families treat as unsuitable. Today a family usually fixes the date in consultation with the doctor so that the mother is comfortable and not close to delivery.
The steps as families perform them
A typical Brahmin household ceremony runs through the following.
- The mother-to-be bathes and dresses in new clothes, often a silk sari in the family colour, and sits with her husband.
- A priest chants verses, with Ganesha invoked first, and a small homa is done.
- The husband parts her hair three times with the implement, drawing it from the front to the back, while verses for the health of mother and child are chanted.
- Women of the family apply sandal paste and kumkum and bless the mother. Bangles are put on her wrists; glass bangles are the popular gift in many regions.
- A feast is held with the foods the mother likes. Gifts and blessings are given.
Many families now keep only steps four and five, and treat the earlier steps as optional.
What the Dharmasutras and Grihya Sutras say
Gautama counts simantonnayana among his forty samskaras, and it appears in the sixteen of the later standard list. The Grihya Sutras describe the hair parting and its prayers in some detail, and the later digests give the month for each caste and community. We have not tried to give every variation, because they are long and differ between schools.
Regional names and customs
- Seemantham (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada): the Vedic form, often held in the seventh month with a homa, music and the gift of bangles.
- Valaikappu (Tamil Nadu): the bangle ceremony, held in the seventh or ninth month, where the woman is dressed in a silk sari and many bangles are put on her wrists by the women of the family.
- Godh bharai (north India, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh): “filling the lap”, where the mother’s lap is filled with fruit, coconut and sweets by elders.
- Dohale jevan (Maharashtra, from “dohale”, the cravings of pregnancy): a feast of the woman’s favourite foods, held in the seventh or ninth month.
- Shaad (Bengal): a feast for the pregnant woman, held in the seventh month, with a mother’s gift of the food of her childhood.
- Seemanta or Seemantam (Gujarat and other western families): a ceremony held in the seventh month with the family priest, and gifts for the mother.
These names are used loosely, and their details vary by family. If your family has its own form, follow it.
How families adapt it now
The old rite is the parent of the modern baby shower, and many families now hold both, or merge them. A few adaptations that keep the heart of the rite:
- A short puja at home, with Ganesha and the family deity, a lamp, and a few verses.
- A gathering of women of the family with music, blessings and the gift of bangles.
- A meal with foods the mother enjoys, chosen with her doctor’s advice on what is safe to eat in pregnancy.
- Inclusion of the father and of men in the celebration, which the old rite did not stress.
- Timing that avoids any travel or long ceremony late in pregnancy; a doctor can advise on this.
The mother’s comfort should rule the day. A long ceremony on a warm day in the later months is not a benefit to anyone. If she would rather skip any step, the rite is better without it.
Related guidance
A date for the gathering is easiest to choose with a panchang. For a family wishing to know the nakshatra of the Moon on a certain day, the nakshatra calculator gives it. When the baby arrives, the family will want a name, and the baby names section lists the naming syllable for each nakshatra.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is simantonnayana?
It is the third samskara, the parting of a pregnant woman's hair by her husband with prayers for her health and the child's. Today it is celebrated under names such as seemantham, godh bharai and valaikappu.
↳ In which month is simantonnayana done?
The texts say the fourth, sixth or eighth month, and many regions hold it in the seventh or ninth. A family should choose a date with the doctor so the mother is comfortable and not too close to delivery.
↳ Is a baby shower the same thing?
It is a modern relation. The baby shower is a social celebration of the pregnancy, while simantonnayana is a religious rite with a priest, but many families now combine the two.
↳ Is the rite done for every pregnancy?
Traditionally it is done once, in the first pregnancy. Some families hold a smaller gathering for later pregnancies, according to local custom.