Baby shower or Godh Bharai is a very important and memorable event of a lady’s motherhood journey. The nine months journey of the mother and the baby needs to be celebrated giving her a sense of appreciation that she has done a great job and she is going to be an amazing mother. Love and care with blessings needs to be bestowed upon the mother and the child. Now, this occasion is celebrated in different ways around the globe. Today, we are going to explore a few of the same. Godh Bharai rasam, when and how it is celebrated? What’s Godh Bharai in English? What is actually done in Godh Bharai etc?
So let’s get started,
What is Godh Bharai actually and what is it called in English?
Godh Bharai or Indian baby shower is a traditional way to celebrate and the bless the mother and child. Different traditions have different ways of going ahead with the celebration. But in the gist of it all it mainly focuses on the health and well being of the mother and the baby.
When is Godh Bharai celebrated?
Godh bharai is celebrated in the seventh month of pregnancy in some cultures while it is celebrated in the end of pregnancy in some. While other cultures do not indulge in this celebration altogether and celebrate it after the child is born. Some of the customs celebrate it as all women occasion while some involve both men and women in it.
How is godh bharai celebrated?
Let’s discuss about the godh bharai rasam:
Coming to the most interesting part about godh bharai rasam, godh bharai is celebrated in various different forms and ways. In the south the godh bharai is begins with the mother getting all dressed up in the saree and jewelry she is then seated at the center of the event. The event begins with the woman’s mother putting couple of bangles in her hand. The main focus in the bangles here are they are made up of different kind. Bangle made of neem leaves and string is to protect her from evil eyes. Then there is a Bangle made up of different metal which is implied to give her strength during the process of giving birth. Also, the glass bangles are worn in abundant. It is believed that the baby could recognize it’s mother with the clattering of the bangles and it would make them happy. So some of these godh bharai rasam are same in many states of the country. Also the menu in the event is tailored according to the taste buds of the mother and the month in which the celebration takes place. So if the celebration is done in the seventh month the mother gets a feast of seven different savories or seven different kinds of rice to feast on, similarly if it takes place in the ninth month she gets to enjoy nine different flavours and tastes. Amazing customs around different places in the country.
Tips for getting prepped for your Godh Bharai ceremony
- If you have been having a history of sickness and or swollen legs post sitting for a longer period, choose a right chair for yourself. Even one can fix the timing of the celebration so that it doesn’t get the mother very worked up.
- Be well rested before the celebration begins because meeting guest and having a smile on throughout the occasion can definitely take a toll out of you. Might lead to mood swings at that time. So it is better to be relaxed and well rested
- Choose an appropriate dress that you would be comfortable in for a couple of hours. Also see to it that the dress is comfortable if you would have to reach the toilet in between the ceremony. The dress shouldn’t mess up your trip to the toilet.
- Keep yourself hydrated and well fed or else it would lead to a tired and agitated self and that wouldn’t be very good thing to deal with at the time of the celebration.
What’s the English version of Godh Bharai?
Traditionally in the western culture, there is a celebration called baby shower which is kind of godh bharai in English. But, the customs and the rasam that they have are quite very different. The occasion poses kind of like a small scaled party. And the celebration ends with the parents trying to reveal the gender of the mother. So it’s more like a baby shower and a gender reveal party combined. Its fun to watch the innovative ways that the parents choose to reveal the gender of the baby.
What are the 5 creative ways to celebrate godh bharai ?
Themed Godh Bharai: This can be done according to the interests of the mother, floral theme with one chosen flower decoration like tulips or lilies. Or it could be chocolate theme with chocolate decoration and different savories made out of chocolate.
Educational Baby Shower: The mother and her friends could attend a lamaz class which would help the mother with her labor proceedings and she would love the support of her friends.
Traditional baby shower: Follow all the step by step rasam and customs and enjoy the event with all the elderly, friends and family.
Outing or destination baby shower: After the seventh month the mother wouldn’t be allowed to travel a lot so she could be taken to a place of her interest like a hill station or beach front and the celebration could take place in one such locations.
Games and fun themed party
Mixing the traditional godh bharai with western touch the event could start with actual godh bharai and end with fun activities like guessing the gender of the baby, playing godh bharai songs and dancing to it etc.
Fun godh bharai songs in Hindi:
- Meri duniya tu hi re by Shaan
- Dikhtana dikhtana by SP Bala
- Meri ghar ayi ek nani pari from the movie Kabhi Kabhi
Folks, I hope these ideas and rasam, godh bharai song would be of great use when you plan to throw your dear one the celebration of their life time.