baby tossing ceremony may be banned
Please work to stop these types of rituals.
Hundreds of villagers assembled last week at the Sri Santeswar temple near Indi, in the state of Karnataka, to watch as infants were tossed from a concrete structure on the temple’s terrace onto a cloth held below.
Around 200 babies are dropped by their parents every year while crowds sing and dance. Most of the infants are under two years old.
The ritual takes place in the first week of December, and is believed to bring health and luck to new arrivals.
The ritual is said to have existed for over a hundred years, although some claim it is seven centuries old. It has recently met with opposition from local authorities.
Baby-throwing rituals have had worldwide attention since August, when an Indian TV crew filmed footage of screaming infants being dropped from a 50 foot temple tower in Haranga, a village in the West Indian state of Maharashtra.
A similar custom has been recorded at the Baba Umer Durga shrine in the village of Solapur, about 280 miles south of Mumbai.
Muslim and Hindu communities both take part in these events, but the festivals’ origins are unclear.
lol sand, too late, thank god im all grown up (well physiclly anyway). You can keep you little ritual to yourself
No nadt I can't forgive you now. I will have to throw you from the height of 50 ft, that's our family's ritual, now if only I can find a temple in Qatar ;)
Mind you, you could also compare this to the Russians who throw their babies into the Icey Waters as a ritual.
ok, i missed the sarcasim part, forgive me ;-)
That didn't come out right I think. I was just trying to make fun of this ritual.
Personally I am against all such rituals.
Sand, I agree India is a fascinating country, love the place, but seriously how do you know that no kids ever got hurt with this ritual?
India is a fascinating country. No kids ever get hurt so there must be something to it ;)
Britexpat, Agree, It's surprising how many people are willing to put their babies at risk, just for their beliefs. My son is only 2 years old, and he's at the stage where he's forever falling over and hurting himself. The thought of voluntarily doing this sickens me, my son means more to me than my religion, I would give up my beliefs for him.
*****If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all*****
Sadly it's hard to overcome years of tradition/culture/beliefs.
I am surprised that babies don't get injured..
It's barbaric, watching that youtube video makes me feel physically sick. I screamed the house down when my son fell off the bed!!
*****If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all*****
poor babies
All communities have been living together for centuries, so have "picked up" rituals / traditions from each other...
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