Baby showers have become common in today’s world. Be it any country, expectant mothers are ‘showered’ with gifts and blessings to celebrate their transformation from a woman to a mother. This ceremony is traditionally celebrated as Godh Bharai in India. However, a group of villagers did something unexpected with the usual ceremony. They performed the baby shower, not for a lady, but for a pregnant cow in the Kallakurichi district of Tamil Nadu that turned out to be a big occassion recently.
According to the Times of India, more than 500 people gathered near Sankarapuram in the Kallkurichi district on Monday to celebrate the ‘Godh Bharai’ ceremony of a cow called Amshaveni. Traditionally-dressed women turned out in large numbers to observe the auspicious happening in the village. Keeping all the rituals in mind, the ladies presented 24 types of dishes to the cow while also giving her 48 different items including bangles. Amshaveni was being raised by the trustees of Arultharum Thirupoorasundaariammai temple trust in Melapattu village near Sankarapuram.
Just like any other mom-to-be, the cow was also adorned with ornaments with her horns decorated with colourful bangles to mark the auspiciousness of the ceremony. To the unknown, Indian baby shower, called Valakappu in Tamil Nadu, is mostly done in the seventh or eighth ninth of pregnancy when the expectant mothers are made to feel special with gifts, food items, and a lot of singing and dancing. The ‘women-only’ gathering includes adorning the mother-to-be with jewellery, filling her lap with gifts, fruits and sweets and laying out a feast before her.
Meanwhile, Amshaveni’s baby shower was no less traditional. She was also given an Abhishekam by temple priests earlier who gave her a holy bath and decorated her with garlands and other accessories. Locals took the blessings of the sacred animal and prayed to the Almighty for the happiness and prosperity of their village.
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