A small kid being shaved during the Chitrai festival in Madurai. This is a ritual. This shot was done near the river where some ceremonies took place, in the middle of a huge crowd.
The Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian traditions all have rituals that involve shaving the head. Many Hindu and Muslim children have their heads shaved at a young age (which varies from seven days to three years depending on tradition). Young Brahmin boys in the Hindu tradition shave their heads before heading off to school.
"Both Buddhist and Christian monks traditionally shave their heads. Muslim men traditionally shave their heads as part of a ritual undertaken during a Hajj (pilgrimage
I think that the head shaving ritual makes sense from a sanitary point of view. Maybe it is why the tradition started in ancient times. Interesting...Love the universal capture of the crying child. The first "haircut" is always traumatic...Nice shot. Cheers, Andree
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{K:17476} 4/30/2005
