Nwaran

What it is

Nwaran, also called Chawar, Nuwaran or Naamkaran, is the ceremony that gives a child a birth name. It belongs to Hindu practice in Nepal, and it is held for boys and girls alike. The name comes from the baby's lunar horoscope, worked out from the birth details. Families treat this as the child's ritual name, and it is often different from the name people call the child in daily life. A priest is normally invited to the home to read the horoscope, since the mother is still resting there with her baby.

When it is held

The usual day is the eleventh day after birth. If the family could not hold it then, the ceremony may be done on the twenty-first or the forty-first day instead, and some families keep to the eleventh day in any case. Until the mother and child are purified in the religious sense, they do not visit the temple. That is part of why the rite happens at home during those early weeks, with the priest coming to them.

How it is kept

A priest leads the puja, the act of worship, at the family home. Puja materials are washed and laid out ready beforehand, and the place is chosen according to how many people will come. The rite is done facing east or west. A carpet covered with a clean cloth can serve as the floor, though a fire-resistant one is used if a havan, a fire offering, is part of the ceremony. Fruit is offered and later shared as prasad, the blessed food.

After the ceremony

The room is cleaned after sunset or the next day. Fruit from the puja is eaten as prasad, while the flowers and paan leaves are spread outside in the backyard near trees. Coconut on the kalash, the puja cloth, coins and rice are packed on their own, and the other grains are mixed together. These packets are taken to the temple within eleven days. Used fruit, flowers and paan leaves are not carried inside the temple.

How Nwaran is kept

A priest comes to the house and leads the puja. The materials are washed and arranged in advance, and the family faces east or west. From the baby's birth details the priest works out the lunar horoscope and the birth name that goes with it. Fruit is offered and later shared as prasad. If a havan is included, the floor is made fireproof. Afterwards the space is cleaned after sunset or the next day; flowers and paan leaves go outdoors near trees; selected items are packed and taken to the temple within eleven days, while the used flowers and fruit do not go inside.

When and where

The eleventh day after a birth is the usual date, for boys and girls alike. If it was missed, families may hold it on the twenty-first or the forty-first day instead. Some keep to the eleventh day in any case. The date is counted from the birth itself rather than fixed in a calendar.

Nwaran belongs to Nepal, where Hindu families keep it. It is a household rite rather than a public festival, so it happens in the family's own home, with a priest invited in. The mother and child stay home for it, and do not go to the temple until they are purified in the religious sense.

What Nwaran means

The birth name is the one the horoscope gives, and it stands apart from the everyday name the child is called by. Giving it marks the child's entry into the religious life of the family. The waiting period before mother and child visit the temple belongs to the same idea: the naming comes first, and the temple follows once they are purified in the religious sense.

Questions people ask about Nwaran

See also

Krishna JanmashtamiA night of fasting, song and vigil that marks the birth of KrishnaBuddha's BirthdayA festival marking the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, observed across Asia with temple rituals and community gatherings.PatukaA traditional Nepalese cloth sash worn for core support, carrying items and festivitiesButter teaA salted tea churned with yak butter, served to guests across the Himalaya

Good reading and sources

• Nwaran on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-14.