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| Vidyarambham in Mangaluru,Karnataka mangaloretoday.com |
The 9-day Hindu festival called Navaratri commences soon and it is dedicated to the goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. It coincides with the Durga Puja in West Bengal. Associated with Navaratri celebration is ''Vidyarambham''. a popular, but an essential ritual that introduces the kids for the first time to the world of letters (characters of syllabary).
Children's' education gets priority in the Indian society regardless of faith, caste and financial status. It is a must to progress in life and gain respect and prosperity. Vidyarambham, an important Hindu tradition of initiating children into learning. The initiation ceremony is m eant for the young kids to write the alphabet in his native tongue. In Tamil Nadu it is called ''Mudhal Ezhathu''.
Normally, this ritual is held on the auspicious Vijayadashami day in many states, including southern states. Children who want to learn music, dance, arts, etc., begin their first lesson on this holy day that is the tenth and final day of the Navaratri celebrations that gall in the Tamil month of Purattasi (Sept. - October). Closely related
to the Ayudha Puja ritual, on the Vijayadasami day, Goddess of learning
Saraswati gets prominence, so are the gurus - teachers. Hence, the initial step in the process of learning coincides with this day.
The family members worship God Vishnu, Goddess Saraswati and God Ganesha. Invocation of the last deity is a must to initiate the arduous learning process. The child's educational journey will be a smooth one under his grace. Generally, children aged 3 to 5 are introduced to the world of knowledge, music, etc.
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| Vidyarambham in Kerala timesofindia.indiatimes.com |
Vidyarambham (vidhya meaning "knowledge", aarambam meaning "beginning') is an
important event for the child - both male and female. The ceremony is
normally held either in a temple or in the house. Many people would
prefer taking their kid to the temple for the initiation process, be it
in language, dance, etc. On that day the child takes bath in the morning and wears traditional dress and after initial prayer at home, he goes to the temple along with his parents and relatives.
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Vidyarambham, Coimbatore Ayyappan temple.scoopnest.com |
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| Vidyarambham ceremony in TN temple youtube.com |
The very first step is the mantra is written on sand or in a tray of rice grains by the child, under the direction of a Guru or priest. After this, the Guru/priest writes the mantra on the child's tongue with gold. These acts have their own significance. 01 Writing on sand: it denotes practice, 02. Writing on grains: it implies acquisition of knowledge and most importantly 03. Writing on kid's tongue with gold: it implies invocation of the grace and blessings of Goddess of Learning; this is essential for the child's welfare, growth and prosperity. Besides, invocation of God Ganapati is very important because in all Hindu families the auspicious rituals and holy functions begin with invocation to Ganapati, the god of wisdom who wrote the Mahabharata as dictated by sage Vyasa. Ganapati is believed to protect the devotees by removing the impediments on their way (Vinayaga meaning venai theerpavan). It is to be borne in mind that one should not forget offering ''Gurudakshina'' to the Guru or priest, a sort of samphavana . This includes a few betel leaves, Areca nut, with clothes - a dhoti or Saree plus money. It is an expression of family members' gratitude to the Guru for his services and blessings. In some families, the child is encouraged to distribute the stationary items such as slate/writing pad, pencils etc., to other children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidy%
http://www.mangaloretoday.com/main/Thousands-of-Kids-initiated-into-world-of-letters-on-Vijayadashami.html
