TODAY -
Chaomba
(Feeding Ceremony)
By: N Mangi Devi *
CHA-OMBA has two words i.e. cha-cooked food and Omba to feed, feeding the normal food. As the child grows it needs foods other than the mother milk to nourish himself.
Thus the child starts taking foods from his second mother the earth, let us see the sweetness of the growth of the child first it lays on its back only to strengthen its backbone and muscles. Then down on the breast and stomach to strengthen the muscles then sit to strengthen the waist muscle, at crawling stage the arms, thigh and knees are strengthen. Then the child stands up and starts walking by feeding the foods.
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For this reason Cha-Omba feeding ceremony of the child is necessary. The Chaomba Ceremony can be performed when the child is three month or five or seven months of a boy and six or eight in case of a girl.
In this ceremony the child has to be dressed nicely, suitably either boy or girl has to wear suitable ornaments that were brought from the maternal side of the child's mother on the sixth day of its birth. The underlying indication of this ceremony is the prayer to God for the good health and long life of the child.
On this day the food of the child has to be arranged on separate dishes that were brought for the child on day of Shashthi Puja. After preparation of food and offering to god the father of the child will put chandan on the forehead of the child and the mother will feed the child keeping on her lap with appropriate words of prayer for at least five times.
Name may be given to the child on this day if the parents like to do so.
The first feed (Chakhom) to retain the five pranas.
The second feed (chakhom) to sustain the five pranas and reflection.
The third feed (chakhom) to maintain the vitality of the body.
The fourth feed (chakhom) to form the structure of body.
The fifth feed (chakhom) to pray for the grace of God.
* N Mangi Devi wrote this book entitled "Main Ceremonies of Meitei Society . This article was webcasted on December 31st 2009.
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