Manjal neeratu vizha

Manjal Neeratu Vizha is a tradition from South India. Even though it is diminishing in practice it still remains an important festival in popular milieus and some villages. The festival celebrates the puberty of a girl and earlier time it would announce that a girl is ready to be married. Only then would the fathers of potential suitors come to see the young girl and decide whether she was an apt bride of similar caste.

Nowadays it’s not a question of marriage anymore however the first menstruation cycle is celebrated in grand fashion. The celebration consists of a ritual described here in detail.

It is important to remember that a woman’s undergoing her cycle is considered impure and sometimes they must isolate themselves in a corner of the house and abstain from cooking. The Todas for example, a tribe living near Ooty have a settlement outside the village where the women must go to and stay during this period.

As soon a girl tells her parents about her first menstruation she is isolated. For three days she will be alone in the corner of the house with a banana leaf, a neem leaf and a glass plate that will serve her during which she is considered to be dirty. She is given food and drink only after this isolation and the family then announce the news to family, friends and neighbours. The women then gather around the young girl for the ritual bath. In a bronze pot, saffron and turmeric are mixed with water to this is added a paste obtained from rice and neem. The mixture is poured on the girl through a sieve, as part of the cleansing shower. After the shower she takes off the clothes that she has been wearing for three days and changes into her first sari. Tradition tells that the uncles and aunts have a very important role in this ceremony; indeed the aunts lead the ceremony while the uncle (paternal) gifts the sari.

The first celebration is held on the third or the seventh day where the whole village is invited. The uncles and aunts then gift the girls all sorts of clothes and make up. A few people conduct a pooja with a vessel that contains water, saffron, turmeric and the rice and neem paste. (This too symbolises purification.) Prayers are offered and everybody celebrates the goddess that dwells in the girl who now has the ability to give life.

Three months later a great feast is given with thousands of guests invited. It is important to note that for a modest family, this is a huge, however the parents do not skimp because it is important to show that the family is well off in order to find a good husband for the daughter. It is indeed at these parties that marriage proposals were made earlier; therefore it was essential to spend as much as possible. The neighbours would bring fruits as gifts such as bananas, coconuts, apples… symbolising energy since the blood lost during the menstruation represents a loss of energy. Saris, jewellery, mirrors and bindis are also offered.

In villages this ceremony is festive and cheerful, it is much more auspicious in the city and richer communities.

More photos in the photo gallery
A big thanks to Velou Samba for his explanations and photos