Birth rites
Hindu baby naming ceremony in a Calcutta home
In some Hindu families, just after the birth of a child, the sacred syllable Known as the 'sacred syllable', this sound and symbol is used by many Hindus to convey how deep and complex the divine is. is written on the baby's tongue with honey. The name of God in a form the family holds dear, eg The Supreme Deity in human form; an avatar of Vishnu., may be whispered into the child鈥檚 ear.