Ritu Kala Samskaram

A Tamil Hindu girl (center) in 1870 wearing a half-sari, flowers and jewelry of her Ritu Kala Sanskara rite of passage.

Ritu Kala Samskara, or Ritushuddhi, is a female coming-of-age ritual in South Indian Hindu traditions. The ritual is performed when a girl wears a langa voni for the first time.

The ritushuddhi marks a transition out of childhood. ^[1]

It is also referred to as a Half sari function, Langa Voni (Telugu: లంగా ఓణి), Pavadai Dhavani (Tamil: பாவாடை தாவணி), or Langa Davani (Kannada: ಲಂಗ ದಾವಣಿ).

Ritual

The ritu kala samskaram is a rite of passage for women. The ceremony, which is customary in South India, occurs after menarche.^{[2] [1]}

This milestone in a girl's life is observed by her family and friends with gifts and her wearing a sari for the ritual.^[3][4] It normally takes place at the girl's home.^[1] She receives half-saris, worn until her marriage, when she wears a full sari. ^[1]

During the first part of the ceremony, the girl wears a langa voni. Her maternal uncle then gifts her her first sari, which she wears during the second half of the ceremony. This marks her transition into womanhood. The tradition of presenting a langa voni begins with the girl's Namakaran, or naming ceremony, and her Annaprashana, or first rice-feeding ceremony. She receives her last one at the Ritu Kala Samskaram.

Related traditions

Tuloni biya (transl. small wedding), also referred to as Xoru Biya, Nua-tuloni, and Santi Biya, is a traditional Assamese Hindu ceremony that marks the attainment of puberty in girls^[5][6] and celebrates the girl's transition from childhood to womanhood.^[7][8]

See also

• Culture and menstruation
• Langa voni
• Saṃskāra
• Bar and Bat Mitzvah

References

1. Schlegel, Alice, and Herbert Barry, 'Leaving Childhood: The Nature and Meaning of Adolescent Transition Rituals', in Lene Arnett Jensen (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Human Development and Culture: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Oxford Library of Psychology (2015).
2. Jaiswal, Vaibhav (January 2015). "Garbhadana Samaskara: A Scientific Review: Pharma Science Monitor". Pharma Science Monitor. pp. 220–223. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
3. Today, Hinduism (1 May 2001). "SACRED SAMSKARAS". Hinduism Today.
4. Heidi Munan (2012), Hindu Puberty Rites in CultureShock! Malaysia: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette, ISBN 978-1558680708, page 74
5. Gogoi, Nitul Kumar (2006). Continuity and Change Among the Ahom. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-8069-281-9.
6. Das, Rajat Kanti (2005). North East India in Perspective: Biology, Socio-cultural Formations and Contemporary Problems. Akansha Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-87606-90-1.
7. Kumaramkandath, Rajeev; Srivastava, Sanjay (2020-02-20). (Hi)Stories of Desire: Sexualities and Culture in Modern India. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-49441-0.
8. Pragya (2022-02-01). Pages from the diary of small town girl. Blue Rose Publishers.