The Thread Ceremony, which in Gujarati is called a Janoi (Upanayana in other languages), is a Hindu rite of passage where Brahmin (priest caste) males become “men” — I. E. where they learn the Vedas (spiritual knowledge) and officially enter their social duty/responsibility (it’s somewhat similar to the Bar Mitzvah in the Jewish religion — also it is done for Kshatriyas (warriors) and Vaishyas (merchants) in some traditions).
The meaning has changed over time as in the ancient days in India, this ritual was performed when they were about to enter the ashram to learn under a guru for the first time. Later it started being done when the kid ended his schooling and transitioned from the brahmachariya life to the householder stage. Nowadays, it’s often performed before the kid enters college, as that’s usually when they leave home for the first time, but are still learning (in fact I got mine right past my 18th birthday, in between my freshman orientation at Wesleyan and the start of my classes). For my three nephews, they were 18, 16 and 13 respectively — it was easier to do it together and anyway, the main thing is that it is done, not when. The thread looks simple but it has multiple strands which convey different types of meaning. You’re supposed to wear it daily for the rest of your life — I tried hard to do this but it proved impractical — and at some point in college I gave it up.
But of course I still maintained its essence and teachings, especially the part about living your life with restraint, moderation and self-control while still enjoying said life. In fact, when the priest at the ceremony asked if there was anyone in the audience who still wore the Janoi, only my Father raised his hand. He then helped out in the ceremony.
I was supposed to have a special role as a “Mama” — which is an uncle on the mom’s side (I’m Vibhuti Naik Desai’s first cousin who grew up closely with her — she doesn’t have any biological brothers). There’s a fun tradition where the mamas chase the inductees and catch them — this is to symbolize how the newbies try to escape their new responsibilities and want to “get thee (back) to the nunnery” or something similar — but their loving mamas, who tend to perpetually baby them in Indian families, make sure they’re brought back into the fold.
Unfortunately this didn’t end up being done as the priest doing the ceremony didn’t believe in it — maybe for the best because I remember scraping my knee on hard cement when I was caught by my Manishmama in 1999 — but we bribed them anyway so it was ok 🙂 But seriously, best of luck to all three nephews — Talin, Taj and Arjun — and may they maintain the essence of the Janoi! — with Anasuya Desai Trupti Naik Sattu Desai #ThreadCeremony #janoi #hinduism #hindu #traditional
