What is an Upanayana?
You may be wondering what all the fuss is about ...
Short story: Upanayana is a milestone in a Hindu child's life where they leave childhood and move to a more "serious" era focused on education and society.
The Sanskaras
The Upanayana is one of the most important sanskaras (or milestones) in the Hindu religion. There are 16 sanskaras -- from conception to cremation. Traditionally, the ritual of Upanayana or sacred "Thread Ceremony" is performed when a Hindu boy is either seven, nine or eleven years old. It symbolizes the end of an era in a boy's life and the initiation into another.
The sacred threads
During the Upanayana, sacred threads are draped around the child, these threads are also known as "Janeu" and symbolize three Indian goddesses -- Parvati (Goddess of Strength), Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge) and Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth)
During the Upanayana, the sacred threads receive blessings from the goddesses and is draped upon the boy. He wears the sacred threads to signify three virtues that will govern him for the rest of his life -- strength, knowledge and wealth
About Us
Siddharth is 9 and loves basketball, tennis and video games. He spends a fair amount time on the tennis court preparing for tennis competitions. Fun fact -- he's also a bit of a junior chef and cooks for the family nearly once a week. His current dream is to be a contestant on master chef junior.
Akshay is 7 and loves soccer, sailing, reading and video games. If you let him he will tell you all about the sailing knots and The Bad Guy book series. He really wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up!
Both boys favorite place to be is at the Natural History Museum -- they love the African Mammal Hall, the large whale, the butterflies, the edible gardens, the dino hall and the sensory floor... but their favorite place is the Grand Foyer and the Dueling Dinosaurs!
A little secret:
The Dino Hall will be open for private viewings during the event!
Being a Brother
is Better than Being a Superhero!
