Pasni
Pasni is the rice feeding ceremony celebrated in the Hindu tradition. At 5 months for daughters and 6 months for sons, the grandfather will feed the child rice for the first time. This calls for a big celebration, and I was fortunate to be invited to this ceremony by my boss Narayan on behalf of his brother.
Historically Pasni ceremonies were much smaller, celebrated with just close family members, but today large parties of not just close relatives, but also colleagues and friends are invited for the event. The guests partake in a wedding-style banquet under tents, which are often catered by commercial catering agencies. Guests will bring gifts for the child, a new custom that has become more popular with the commercial rise of clothes, toys and other gift items targeted towards children.
I spent the majority of the celebration with my favorite kind of people –– that is children under 12 years old –– while yearning for a bigger trampoline.