Samskara #7 of 16 · Childhood (Bālya)
अन्नप्राशन
Annaprashana
Annaprāśana
Timing: 6th month after birth (boys) / 5th month (girls), or when teeth begin to appear
Purpose
To ceremonially feed the child solid food for the first time — typically cooked rice with ghee — marking the transition from milk to solids.
The ritual
Family gathers; priest performs a small homa; mother/maternal uncle feeds the first morsel of payasam (rice + milk + sugar) with a gold or silver spoon. Symbolic items (book, gold, pen, mud, food) are placed before the child to predict inclination.
Key elements
- ●First solid food (payasam)
- ●Gold/silver spoon
- ●Choosing-symbols ritual (mukhe-bhat in Bengal)
- ●Maternal uncle’s role
Performed by
Parents + maternal uncle (mama)
Modern relevance
Celebrated as "mukhe-bhat" in Bengal, "choroonu" in Kerala, "annaprashana" pan-India — completely living tradition.