Tamil Seemantham - components and significance

[skchitharanj]

Hello everybody! This is my first time posting anything in a forum - ever - so please forgive me if I screw something up. :?
I am writing a final paper about Seemantham and am having difficulties finding extensive information on the topic. Much of the information that I have found is incomplete or conflicting. I was lucky enough to witness my cousin's Seemantham, however, that was 10 years ago and I was quite young and so was more interested in the food than the significance of the rituals that my family was performing. :(
I have no way to contact my family with enough time to receive a response and so was hoping that some of you would know the rituals and significance of those that are performed during a Tamil Seemantham. Any help would be immensely appreciated!

Thank you for your time and have a wonderful day!

[pavalamani pragasam]

First "puberty" analysis thread, next "seemantham"! Good! Natural consequence!

skchitharanj! The richness of Indianness is its diversity. Any number of communities go to make this country one. Each community follows its own traditional, age-old customs.

[skchitharanj]

Thanks for responding to my post!
I recognize that India is diverse in its communities, but I have heard many other Indians speak of specifically Tamil Seemanthams as though those Seemanthams have unique customs. However, I would be grateful for any Seemantham details, especially if the significance of the customs discussed are included...

[pizzalot]

Someone here can confirm but having heard of the ritual, not witnessed one myself, this is what it must signify:

1. In North, or atleast in place where I live, girls and boys are supposed to maintain their distance right from the birth. May be this is not the case in South from what I understand. The girl is advertized as not being a minor anymore. Father, Brother,cousins and other men treat her with respect.

2. The community gets to know that the girl is mature. Best way of telling the community that alliances are welcome.

3. The elders who attend the function go back to their villages with an agenda to secure alliance for the girl. So the entire community helps the family to get best alliance for the girl.

When there was no Matrimonial Newspapers or web sites, this function or get together must have really come-in as the best method to securing great alliances for the girl.

In North, unmarried women undergo publicized fasting every week for the same reason perhaps.

Great topic ! I appreciate skchitharanj !

[podalangai]

Pizzalot, seemandham is a function done during pregnancy, not for coming of age. The function done for coming of age (first menses) is called "manjal neeraattu vizha" or "sadangu". There are some rituals in common (nalangu is done in both) but otherwise they are completely different.

[pizzalot]

Pizzalot, seemandham is a function done during pregnancy, not for coming of age. The function done for coming of age (first menses) is called "manjal neeraattu vizha" or "sadangu". There are some rituals in common (nalangu is done in both) but otherwise they are completely different.

Ha Ha Ha ! Pavalamani confused me by talking of puberty .. So much for my knowledge of Tamil culture 8-)

[rajraj]

pizzalot: Here is the thread on 'manjaL neeraatudhal' ! :)

http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=6605