A Hair-story Lesson

As you can see from previous posts, Jaidan got a haircut recently. But it's not just any haircut. Following the Shah family tradition, Jaidan's first haircut was actually a very special event that involved shaving his entire head. We had our friends and family over for a big party to celebrate this monumental moment.

We've heard many explanations, but didn't really know what the true religious and historical significance was as to why the head is shaved in such an elaborate ritualistic way. Manish found an article that explained it well: "According to the Hindu beliefs, the hair present at birth is supposed to represent unwanted traits from the past lives. In order to make sure that the child has no undesirable qualities of the past birth in this life, the head is shaved off to ensure a new beginning and a fresh start. Medically, it is said that shaving off the hair stimulates the cells and improves blood circulation to the brain. Some also believe that this gives the child a long life."

It was so wonderful and important to us that Jaidan partake in this tradition although I'll admit, Jaidan had some awesome locks and it was hard to see it go! I know, it will grow back. And though Jaidan looks adorable with the buzz cut, it's fun to look back at his long haired days!