Celebrating New Life

This is Amisha and her Morther, Ms. Shandan, celebrating the impending arrival of Amisha's baby. In their culture, a shower for the mother-to be includes a formal ceremony to bless the mother and the child. Here, Ms. Shandan is holding a tray with all sorts of items on it, including a small bowl with raw rice, one with red and orange pigments, and another yet with an Indian sweet made from chickpea flour. Ms. Shandan (and all other women in the room) dabbed her finger in the pigment and marked Amisha's forehead, placed some rice on her head, and fed her a bit of the sweet. Lastly, she swirled the tray three times clock-wise in front of the momma and her belly. The celebration was filled with love and laughter.

It made me remember the day LM was born. :-)