Elle had her Ghod Bharai on Sunday - and it was absolutely brilliant. I hadn't got a clue what it entailed - but the Ghod Bharai is a Hindu baby shower thrown by all the Indian female rellies when the 7th month of pregnancy passes into the 8th - yep, it's gone that quickly! It's a lovely colourful happy celebration (and held - fortunately - in the mum-to-be's own home) when they bring traditional gifts and money and jewellery and bless her and the baby and eat a lot! There were some prayers and some funny traditional stuff like passing a small child between Elle and The Doctor seven times for luck (fortunately one of the cousins-in-law had brought a small child so we didn't have to go out and find one - this might have involved having to answer a lot of awkward questions). The Toyboy Trucker and I loved every minute of it! I had to present her with a kilo of rice washed by the waters of the Ganges (so not Tescos!) and a coconut with a swastika on it - the swastika being a Hindu symbol of happiness, well-being and joy...
In the absence of the necessary sisters-in-law, Elle's female cousins-in-law plus her sis-in-law-to-be had to dress her in a ceremonial sari which had to be attached to a rope-thing tied round her bump and then pleated - it took ages and yards and yards of material and because it was heavy (emerald green silk covered in gold threads) she could hardly move. And she looked like a marquee. However she was very good and didn't scream or bite anyone so that was a blessing.
The full-on Hindu wedding of The Doctor's brother and the beautiful Nisha is imminent (two weeks before Elle's due date - eeek!) and all the cousins agreed there was no way Elle could wear a sari for that - so if she's okay (she's enormous and has SPD and some scary foot/leg/hand swelling - the Dr and midwife say her BP is normal and she's doing fine - so maybe it's just me that's worrying), we're going to Southall next week with the girlie-cousins-in-law to find something more comfy and suitable for her to wear at the wedding - probably a sari suit with a long flowing jacket over stretchy silk trousers with elasticated waist. I'm going Eastern as well and am hoping to find a sari in purple and gold.... I'm so looking forward to it as I love all things colourful and glittery and don't mind in the slightest looking like a marquee (par for the course for me).
The very best thing about Elle's Ghod Bharai for me, was the bindis. They're the face jewels for Hindu celebrations. Elle had to have seven in a rainbow across her forehead, but I had one as mother of the mother-to-be and it was a tiny tear-drop ruby surrounded by diamonds between my eyebrows. Fabulous! I'm still wearing it! And no, sadly, that isn't me in the picture - ooooh, I wish...
Oh, and the food was amazing too. Elle and The Doctor had provided the food - an entire veggie Indian banquet - and the rellies cooked it - the kitchen was just filled with women of all ages in multi-coloured saris all cooking away and chattering like magpies and we ate it in the sunshine in the garden and it was the most fabulous spread ever - and we didn't move for the rest of the day!
When the baby arrives they're all coming back on the 6th day to have a similar ceremony for the Naming of the Child. I do love the way they celebrate things, and all the colour and laughter and sparkle. And the food... Oh, and especially the bindis...
6 comments:
Sounds like a fabulous and sparkly ritual, and it's marvellous that mucho food was involved! I sympathise with SPD - I had it with my second baby, who is almost 2 now. I was crippled! But the relief was almost instant when she was born, so fingers crossed for your lovely girl. So nearly Granno time eh?! Exciting months to come. Love to you all and peaceful birthing wishes to the mummy-to-be! Claire xxx
Claire - thanks so much for all the good wishes - and retrospective sympathies on your SPD. She's in so much pain - so it's VERY reassuring to know it'll all be okay as soon as the baby arrives. I'll let her know! Thank you. Cxxx
Meant to add...ask your daughter's midwife or GP to refer her to a physio - our surgery has one in-house and it was really beneficial to me before and after pregnancy, helping wonky bits of body parts go back to where they are supposed to live! xxx
Claire - thank you - I'll do that - she's seeing doc/midwife tomorrow so they might be able to get her some physio pdq! Thanks again. Cx
I'll bet Elle looked beautiful and it sounds like a fantastic occasion.
The most amazing wedding I went to was a friend's of mine when she married her husband. He wore traditional Indian wedding outfit and her dress was dark red and incredibly beautiful. Their marquee was so colourful. I loved every minute.
Debs - thank you. It was a very colourful and happy and celebration. As you say, the Indian's know how to do these things so well. Elle, bless her, did not look her best. She actually is looking completely exhausted and is scarily huge now. A friend said today she looks like she's having triplets and there are still 8 weeks to go! Wish it was all over. Am sure this really will be my only grandchild! Can't see her going through all this again. Cxxx
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