Seemantham: A Baby Shower, South Indian Style

Well, I have just been treated to a royal spoil and I want to tell you all about it! I am amazed by the generosity of our staff and others in our community who celebrated me today. It was truly incredible!

So a Seemantham is kind of like a baby shower...kind of. Their idea of a baby shower is more for the mother than for the baby. They think it's weird that we give gifts to a baby that is not yet born. It is a Hindu tradition and must be done during an odd month of pregnancy, usually the 5th or 7th month. I am in my 5th month and so we thought we would do it now. Women from the community who have borne children themselves come and bless you with gifts and bangles. They do a ritual where they ward off evil spirits that would harm your baby. It was a very grand affair. I bought a new saree for it, as instructed. My neighbor, Ronnie, did me all up so that I felt like I was going to prom! 

I'll let the pictures tell the rest:

They put this HUGE flower thing in my hair. Those are real flowers. They always put flowers in their hair for special occasions. It was kind of heavy, and I don't have a lot of hair, and so it was nice to take it off after the festivities were over. 

My neighbor Ronnie let me borrow all of the jewelry I am wearing. 

At our BYU apartment, where we eat all our meals. Yes, that is a throne. There are throne rental companies in India for special occasions. Everyone gathered here for the celebration.

First, they put a turmeric paste on my feet and also some on my neck. They feel that turmeric has "anti-septic" properties, as one man told me. The man on the right is the bangle man. He selected all of the bangles from his supply that would be put on my wrists. 

Each woman came up and put two bangles on one of my wrists. In the end, I had 26 bangles on each wrist. 

This is one of our Telugu teachers, Lakshmigaru. She is sprinkling rice on my head, which all of the women did. She also gave me a tray of sweets, fruits, and gifts. She was so kind.

The girls:

Durga, our cook, and Razu, her husband and our washerman, sprinkling rice on my head.

And baby Mumu too!

At this point I had so much bindi (red dot between my eyebrows) on my face, it was running down my nose. It's a loose powder. Each person put some on me before sprinkling rice on my head. Then, I handed each of them a small bowl of fruits which our kitchen staff had prepared.

Ronnie (left) my neighbor who did it all! She was so kind to get me ready. She has been very generous to Craig and I on multiple occasions, always bringing us food and asking if we are hungry. Her daughter, Maggie (17) is on the right. She also helped a lot. 

I don't know why, but at some point they wanted a picture of Craig feeding me this candy.

I think this is the part where they bless you to avoid evil spirits that would harm your baby. They light candles on a tray and move it around slowly in a circle. They also chanted a song. 

My hair piece again.

Sylaja, one of the kitchen staff on the left, and Rajalakshmi, one of the translators on the right. They usually don't smile for pictures like we do. 

Fruits, flowers, and sweets that people had brought me.

All the bangles. I am supposed to wear them until I give birth. We'll see how long I last. 

One last shot of the girls!

It was a really fun celebration! SO many women came. It just amazes me that even though these women don't know me at all, they came to help me feel celebrated during my pregnancy just because I'm their neighbor. Indians are truly some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. Their doors are always open, and if they speak English they are happy to strike up a conversation with you at any time. I have always felt safe here in in our neighborhood. It was fun to get all dressed up too! They wear such beautiful jewelry all the time and I hadn't sampled that part of Indian fashion until today. 

Also, last night I told Dr. Krishnayya to let me know what the total cost would be so that I could repay him for the expenses. He told me he would let me know after the celebration. Well, today after it was over he told me that traditionally, the seemantham is put on by a father for his daughter. He said that he would be acting as my father and that all costs were covered by him. Wow! I knew he wouldn't let me talk him out of it, and so I just thanked him as much as I could. We were warned not to take advantage of Dr. Krishnayya's generosity by Dr. Nuckolls, but I think he really wanted to do this for us. Such a great guy! All in all, it was a wonderful day and I so appreciated their acts of kindness and generosity.