Once again, we are back this year to perform our traditional Thread Exchange Ceremony. To sound as a proper TamBram - "Avani Avittam". The Function is named so due to the fact that it fall on the tamil month Avani and the start being avittam. Kudos to the Naming conventions that our ancestors had. It falls on August 16th. Every year, this day all the brahmin junta renew their thread(Poonal).
For some, it is the day, when they devotionally do all the upaakarma and exchange the holy thread. These prime people, get ready for the d-day and boast about how they have upkept their holy traditions till date.
For some it is the time of the year which reminds them that there is some thread hanging around across their shoulders, which is dirty to the core and needs a new one to scrub their back.
And then there are some, who search for the thread that they misplaced the very next day last year!.
Okay, for me, i do not fall into the latter two, nor the first one. I pretty much try to do the nithyakarmas, but that does have some exceptions based on my mood and the project deadlines :-) Now i know that there are lots of such software nerds who want to join my group, in order to give the same excuse! My father being in the first category, promptly conducted my first upakarma function when i was 10. And ofcourse, he expected me to do all the nithyakarma's and follow his footsteps. Dad, Java & .Net was not ur way of life :-(
Now more to the ceremony. Its conducted in two parts
1. Avani Avittam
2. Gayathri Japam.
Day 1.
All the Pattars get up early in the mornig take bath and do their Pratha-Sandyavandanam. Followed by Kamokarisheeth Japam. Its a small verse that you should be reciting for 1008/108 time as per your convenience. Cmon people, no marks for guessing which option most of them would take.
Before going further, let me explain one more aspect of it. There are two types of people, one who invite their family vadhyar (who told that there are only family doctors!) to their house and get the upakarma done at home.
There is another set of people, who go to the temple and get it done. I advice people to come over to West-Mambalam. On all the street, you will the pattars with dhoti and anga vasthram (Yup, its all free show ladies) walking with a cup (Panchapathram) towards the nearest temple.
As someone nicely pointed in their blogs, its a celebration day for the vadhyars. They get their bounty on this day. Most of the vadhyars, have deals with the temples or some kalyana mandapam to conduct the yajur-upakarma in the temple.
We have gone both ways. The advantage of going to temple mean, you get to eat early berakfast at home (after the kamokarishit japam).
For the past 3 years its been kinda different experience. I am here all alone by myself and had to figure out ways of doing it. Did it twice at home (as it was on working days) and once i went to the temple in camarillo. This time, since its falling on a saturday, am planning to go to the temple. Hope it works out fine.
After the upaakarma, we used to have hefty lunch.
Day 2. - Gayathri Japam
The very next day, we have to get up early and start reciting gayathri manthra for 1008 times. No excuses on this. I do it 1008 as a compensation for those days of the year when i skip doing sandyavandanam.
For some, it is the day, when they devotionally do all the upaakarma and exchange the holy thread. These prime people, get ready for the d-day and boast about how they have upkept their holy traditions till date.
For some it is the time of the year which reminds them that there is some thread hanging around across their shoulders, which is dirty to the core and needs a new one to scrub their back.
And then there are some, who search for the thread that they misplaced the very next day last year!.
Okay, for me, i do not fall into the latter two, nor the first one. I pretty much try to do the nithyakarmas, but that does have some exceptions based on my mood and the project deadlines :-) Now i know that there are lots of such software nerds who want to join my group, in order to give the same excuse! My father being in the first category, promptly conducted my first upakarma function when i was 10. And ofcourse, he expected me to do all the nithyakarma's and follow his footsteps. Dad, Java & .Net was not ur way of life :-(
Now more to the ceremony. Its conducted in two parts
1. Avani Avittam
2. Gayathri Japam.
Day 1.
All the Pattars get up early in the mornig take bath and do their Pratha-Sandyavandanam. Followed by Kamokarisheeth Japam. Its a small verse that you should be reciting for 1008/108 time as per your convenience. Cmon people, no marks for guessing which option most of them would take.
Before going further, let me explain one more aspect of it. There are two types of people, one who invite their family vadhyar (who told that there are only family doctors!) to their house and get the upakarma done at home.
There is another set of people, who go to the temple and get it done. I advice people to come over to West-Mambalam. On all the street, you will the pattars with dhoti and anga vasthram (Yup, its all free show ladies) walking with a cup (Panchapathram) towards the nearest temple.
As someone nicely pointed in their blogs, its a celebration day for the vadhyars. They get their bounty on this day. Most of the vadhyars, have deals with the temples or some kalyana mandapam to conduct the yajur-upakarma in the temple.
We have gone both ways. The advantage of going to temple mean, you get to eat early berakfast at home (after the kamokarishit japam).
For the past 3 years its been kinda different experience. I am here all alone by myself and had to figure out ways of doing it. Did it twice at home (as it was on working days) and once i went to the temple in camarillo. This time, since its falling on a saturday, am planning to go to the temple. Hope it works out fine.
After the upaakarma, we used to have hefty lunch.
Day 2. - Gayathri Japam
The very next day, we have to get up early and start reciting gayathri manthra for 1008 times. No excuses on this. I do it 1008 as a compensation for those days of the year when i skip doing sandyavandanam.
