From the archive record
A Manipuri barber shaves or tonsures head of a little girl at her Lu Kokpa ceremony. The Lu Kokpa or Mundan ceremony is performed because of a belief that the hairs that the baby is born with, actually carries the undesired traits of the past life. The first hairs on the body of the baby is thus considered as impure and is the negative impact of the past lives on the future or the current life. So, it is considered as necessary that they are shaved off in order to purify his soul and ensure the well-being of the baby. Some people also believe that Mundan lowers the temperature of the baby thereby making him calm apart from enhancing the blood circulation in his system. The Mundan ceremony is a purifying ritual that is as per the directives mentioned in the Vedas. There are sixteen Sanskars