First haircut
Encyclopedia
The first haircut for a human has special significance in certain cultures and religions. It can be considered a rite of passage
or a milestone
.
baby often receives its first haircut at the end of its first month.
Traditionally, the baby's head was shaved except at the top of the crown to remove the hair they considered was grown in the womb. The cut hair was then tied with red string and saved as a keepsake.
tradition, the hair from birth is associated with undesirable traits from past lives. Thus at the time of the mundan
, the child is freshly shaven to signify freedom from the past and moving into the future. It is also said that the shaving of the hair stimulates proper growth of the brain and nerves, and that the sikha
, a tuft at the crown of the head, protects the memory.
Hindus practice a variety of rituals from birth to death. Collectively these are known as saṃskāra
s, meaning rites of purification, and are believed to make the body pure and fit for worship. A boy's first haircut, known as choula, is one such samskara and is considered an event of great auspiciousness. The lawbooks or smritis prescribe that a boy must have his haircut in his first or third year. While complete tonsure
is common, some Hindus prefer to leave some hair on the head, distinguishing this rite from the inauspicious tonsure that occurs upon the death of a parent. Those that practice complete tonsure generally ritually offer the hair to their family deity. Many travel to temples such as the famed Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
of Lord Vishnu
to perform this ceremony.
Traditionally, a Hindu girl never has her hair cut after the first haircut which generally happens at the age of 11 months; So the first haircut for the girl is very important because that is the only time they do. However, some Hindus practice a tonsure ceremony for girls as well. The details vary by sect, locality, family, and country.
and Hasidic
Jewish boys get their first haircut when are three years old. The hair-cutting ceremony is known in Yiddish as the upsherenish or upsherin
(shear off), and in Hebrew "halaqah" (smoothing).
In Israel
, there are also non-religious families who adhere to this custom and do not cut their sons' hair until the age of three. A mass hair cutting ceremony is held on the holiday of Lag Ba'omer
at the tomb of Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai
in the Galilean
town of Meron
.
in the 18th century. The traditional first haircut by the boy's father did not take place until the age of between 7 and 10 years old. Before that age the boy's life was connected to his mother and he was treated as a child. The rite of haircut, coupled with granting the boy an additional given name (usually third), marked the coming of age and a transition to the world of men, where he was to be directed by his father. The ritual was also the formal act of recognition of the boy as a son.
tradition, the haircutting ceremony is a rite of passage for young boys. At these large gatherings the boy sits on a chair draped with tīvaevae (quilts). As his hair is cut, members of the community plaster the boy with money or other gifts. The custom serves to maintain reciprocal ties within the extended family and community.
Traditionally, Niuean
boys do not cut their hair, which is lovingly cared for by sisters, mothers and aunts. When the boys become teenagers, a ceremony is held where women tend the hair for the last time before it is cut. Members of the extended family plaster the youth with banknotes – all part of a large informal Niuean economy that links families and ensures the community looks after its own.
babies often have their hair cut on their first birthday as part of the ancient Postryzhennya custom.
, the first haircut is considered a milestone for a baby which is often marked by saving a lock of the cut hair. The age at which the first haircut occurs varies widely, depending on cultural and religious background, and on the baby's amount of hair.
In the 19th century, the first haircut marked the time when boys would begin to look different from girls.
tribes commemorated the first haircut with a ritualistic dance. The Apache
tribe had a springtime ritual.
tradition of performing the first haircut on or around the child's first birthday.
However, cutting prior to the age of two may result in a more coarse texture and tighter curl.
tradition (mainly in Iran), the bisk ceremony involves cutting of a baby boy's two or three first locks, according to old traditions by his 40th day after birth to be given to the family's shaikh and pir, but in modern practice at 7 to 11 months, and kept by the family. The bisk ceremony is regarded as the central initiatory ritual by most Yazidis from Turkey, Armenia. and Syria. In the European Diaspora, the term is often translated as baptism. The ceremony is reminiscent of the Muslim
'aqiqa celebrated on the seventh day after birth, but the Yazidi ceremony takes place at a later stage, when the child has already been named.
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
or a milestone
Milestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
.
Chinese babies
A ChineseHan Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
baby often receives its first haircut at the end of its first month.
Traditionally, the baby's head was shaved except at the top of the crown to remove the hair they considered was grown in the womb. The cut hair was then tied with red string and saved as a keepsake.
Hindu babies
In HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
tradition, the hair from birth is associated with undesirable traits from past lives. Thus at the time of the mundan
Mundan ceremony
The Chudakarana or the Mundana , is the eighth of the sixteen Hindu saṃskāras , in which a child receives his/her first haircut....
, the child is freshly shaven to signify freedom from the past and moving into the future. It is also said that the shaving of the hair stimulates proper growth of the brain and nerves, and that the sikha
Sikha
The sikha or shikha is a Sanskrit word that refers to a long tuft, or lock of hair left on top or on the back of the shaven head of a male Orthodox Hindu...
, a tuft at the crown of the head, protects the memory.
Hindus practice a variety of rituals from birth to death. Collectively these are known as saṃskāra
Samskara
Samskara may refer to:* Saṃskāra, Hindu rites* Saṃskāra , in Buddhism, mental and volitional formations* Samskara , a technique in ayurvedic medicine...
s, meaning rites of purification, and are believed to make the body pure and fit for worship. A boy's first haircut, known as choula, is one such samskara and is considered an event of great auspiciousness. The lawbooks or smritis prescribe that a boy must have his haircut in his first or third year. While complete tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
is common, some Hindus prefer to leave some hair on the head, distinguishing this rite from the inauspicious tonsure that occurs upon the death of a parent. Those that practice complete tonsure generally ritually offer the hair to their family deity. Many travel to temples such as the famed Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple ), is a Hindu temple in the hill town of Tirumala, near Tirupati in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, South India. It is around from Chennai, from Hyderabad, and from Bangalore....
of Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
to perform this ceremony.
Traditionally, a Hindu girl never has her hair cut after the first haircut which generally happens at the age of 11 months; So the first haircut for the girl is very important because that is the only time they do. However, some Hindus practice a tonsure ceremony for girls as well. The details vary by sect, locality, family, and country.
Maliku babies
At the twentieth day from birth, Maliku babies' heads are shaven and the hair is weighed against gold or silver, which is given to the poor. The ceremony is called boabeylun.Mongolian babies
Mongolian babies, depending on their gender, get their first haircut in early ages between 2-4. Depending on the lunar calendar, boys receive their first hair cut in their even year and girls in odd year.Muslim babies
Shaving the child’s head then anointing the child’s head with saffron is very beneficial . Then it is prescribed to give in charity gold or silver equal in weight to the hair. This does not have to be done by actually weighing the hair; if it is too difficult to do that, it is sufficient to estimate the weight and give paper currency equivalent to the price of that amount of gold or silver.Orthodox boys
Many OrthodoxOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
and Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
Jewish boys get their first haircut when are three years old. The hair-cutting ceremony is known in Yiddish as the upsherenish or upsherin
Upsherin
Upsherin or Upsherinish is a Jewish haircutting ceremony, kabbalistic in origin, held when a Jewish boy is three years old...
(shear off), and in Hebrew "halaqah" (smoothing).
In Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, there are also non-religious families who adhere to this custom and do not cut their sons' hair until the age of three. A mass hair cutting ceremony is held on the holiday of Lag Ba'omer
Lag Ba'omer
Lag BaOmer , also known as Lag LaOmer amongst Sephardi Jews, is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the thirty-third day of the Counting of the Omer, which occurs on the 18th day of Iyar. One reason given for the holiday is as the day of passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Modern Jewish tradition links...
at the tomb of Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai
Simeon bar Yohai
Simeon bar Yochai, , also known by his acronym Rashbi, was a famous 1st-century tannaic sage in ancient Israel, active after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE...
in the Galilean
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
town of Meron
Meron (Israel)
Meron is a moshav on the slopes of Mount Meron, in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel near Safed, and within municipal jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council...
.
Polish boys
The ritual of first haircut (Polish: postrzyżyny) is an old pre-Christian tradition that ceased to be practised in PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in the 18th century. The traditional first haircut by the boy's father did not take place until the age of between 7 and 10 years old. Before that age the boy's life was connected to his mother and he was treated as a child. The rite of haircut, coupled with granting the boy an additional given name (usually third), marked the coming of age and a transition to the world of men, where he was to be directed by his father. The ritual was also the formal act of recognition of the boy as a son.
Polynesian boys
In Cook IslandsCook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
tradition, the haircutting ceremony is a rite of passage for young boys. At these large gatherings the boy sits on a chair draped with tīvaevae (quilts). As his hair is cut, members of the community plaster the boy with money or other gifts. The custom serves to maintain reciprocal ties within the extended family and community.
Traditionally, Niuean
Niuean
Niuean may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Niue, an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean** A person from Niue, or of Niuean descent. For information about the Niuean people, see Demographics of Niue and Culture of Niue. For specific persons, see List of Niueans.** The...
boys do not cut their hair, which is lovingly cared for by sisters, mothers and aunts. When the boys become teenagers, a ceremony is held where women tend the hair for the last time before it is cut. Members of the extended family plaster the youth with banknotes – all part of a large informal Niuean economy that links families and ensures the community looks after its own.
Ukrainian babies
UkrainianUkrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
babies often have their hair cut on their first birthday as part of the ancient Postryzhennya custom.
United States babies
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the first haircut is considered a milestone for a baby which is often marked by saving a lock of the cut hair. The age at which the first haircut occurs varies widely, depending on cultural and religious background, and on the baby's amount of hair.
In the 19th century, the first haircut marked the time when boys would begin to look different from girls.
Native American babies
Some Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes commemorated the first haircut with a ritualistic dance. The Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
tribe had a springtime ritual.
African American boys
There is an African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
tradition of performing the first haircut on or around the child's first birthday.
However, cutting prior to the age of two may result in a more coarse texture and tighter curl.
African Caribbean boys
Within the African Caribbean community there is the tradition of a child's first haircut. This is performed once the child begins to speak clearly or after the child reaches two. This is usually done in a barbershop or carried out by the parent.Yazidi boys
In the YazidiYazidi
The Yazidi are members of a Kurdish religion with ancient Indo-Iranian roots. They are primarily a Kurdish-speaking people living in the Mosul region of northern Iraq, with additional communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria in decline since the 1990s – their members emigrating to...
tradition (mainly in Iran), the bisk ceremony involves cutting of a baby boy's two or three first locks, according to old traditions by his 40th day after birth to be given to the family's shaikh and pir, but in modern practice at 7 to 11 months, and kept by the family. The bisk ceremony is regarded as the central initiatory ritual by most Yazidis from Turkey, Armenia. and Syria. In the European Diaspora, the term is often translated as baptism. The ceremony is reminiscent of the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
'aqiqa celebrated on the seventh day after birth, but the Yazidi ceremony takes place at a later stage, when the child has already been named.