Jako: A Newar family ceremony

In Hindu tradition, each stage in the life of an individual is marked by a religious ceremony which is called samskaara, a term that is generally translated by 'sacrament'. of these, there are twelve main ones; among them 'impregnation' (the time when conception is supposed to have occurred), birth, shaving of the head, initiation, marriage, and funerary rites. These sacraments punctuate the main dates in an individual's life, drive off the dangerous powers which seek to stop him passing on to the new stage and wipe away the pollution contracted at such times. For Hinduism, samskaara have at the same time moral and religious significance: man is born imperfect and each sacrament is a step forwards his accession to a moral world. In the texts, it is said that if samskaara are carried out correctly, they lead to liberation (moksa), which is the final aim of the Hindu.