Indian Baby Shower - Godhbharai (GODH)


Indian baby shower, which is also referred to as Godhbharai in Indian traditions, is when the expecting mother is celebrated with the arrival of the newest family member.

Godhbharai is often celebrated between 7 months to 9 months of pregnancy. More frequently, it’s towards the end of the 7th month, more towards the beginning of the 8th month.

For those who are ABCD, the meaning behind this tradition is to bless the expecting mother with responsibility for raising the new baby. The soon-to-be mother is blessed with fruits, jewelry, money, and other gifts.

indian baby shower, godh bharai ceremony
Indian baby shower, which is also referred to as Godhbharai in Indian traditions, is when the expecting mother is celebrated with the arrival of the newest family member. 

Is GODH Bharai and Indian Baby Shower same?


Godhbharai and Baby Shower are both the same thing. In India, it’s referred to as Godhbharai, and in the USA, it’s called Baby Shower. Of course, I assume your age has a lot to do with how you call it. Older folks may still call it Godhbharai, but generally, it is the same thing.

Different religions throughout India have other names and traditions celebrated during the Baby Shower; however, they all mean the same and are celebrated for the same reason.

  • Bengal call it "Shaad"
  • Kerala call it "Seemandham"
  • Tamil Nadu call it "Valakaappu"
  • Punjab call it "Rasam"
  • Maharashtra call it "Dohale Jevan"

In this article, we will be referring to the Gujurati traditions since I am pretty familiar with the gujurati region.

indian baby shower, indian baby shower games
Expecting Indian parents performing indian ceremony during their babyshower

What is done in Indian Baby Shower?


The majority of the time, you will have a priest attend the Indian baby shower to recite some mantras for the safe arrival of the unborn. One of the rituals involved is to whisper in the mother’s ear for a healthy, smiling, and lively baby.

Women invited to the baby shower often apply Tikka to the mother’s forehead protecting from evil influences, praying for the baby and the mother.

Playing games is regularly included in the baby shower, and the purpose of the game is to guess the gender of the baby. You are not allowed to know the gender until birth in India, but this does not apply outside of India.

south indian baby shower, indian baby shower in usa, baby shower ceremony
Expecting Indian mother celebrating indian tradition during her babyshower

What do you wear to an Indian Baby Shower?


There are no rules to what you should wear to an Indian baby Shower. Still, traditional older women will wear Sari, and younger women will wear either Churidaar or Lehenga Choli. Regularly, you will see women also wear formal clothes, which seems more common outside of India.

For the men, suits, slacks, shirts, and ties are frequently worn.

indian baby shower gift ideas
Indian family group photo during an Indian baby shower here in the USA

Who hosts the GODH Bharai?


Parents of the Father are often the ones who hold the baby shower, and frequently friends and family will come up with the games and activities to do during the baby shower.

These days, even the father and mother of the baby will host the baby shower, as we had hosted the baby shower ourselves when we were expecting a newborn. So, it depends on the family. There’s no correct answer for this.

indian babyshower
portrait of indian couple who are celebrating their expecting baby

Indian Baby Shower Gift Ideas


Gifts are often giving out to the couples expecting, but the question remains as to what to give them? If you need ideas on what to give, think of this when searching for the perfect gift for the baby shower.

What does the baby need in the first year, or what can the baby use for the first year?

The traditional way to give money, jewelry, and even sari to the mother, but today, those gifts are undervalued by the parents. What would be better are things like clothes for the bay, a blanket, and even diapers (hey, they are expensive).

Here are a few gift ideas. Pretty much anything the baby can use will be gratefully appreciated by the parents.

  • Baby Blankets
  • Baby Bottles
  • Baby Clothes
  • Baby Cribs
  • Baby Stroller
  • Baby Car Seat
indian babyshower here in the usa
cake to celebrate an indian babyshower

Indian Baby Shower Games


Some baby showers have games, and some do not. It all depends on what you and your family decide on doing. But fun is optional and can make the baby shower a bit exciting.

Games played during the baby shower are often a good idea to make the guest participate in the event. And I have seen some pretty cool games that I would have never thought about. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

  • The price is right – have the guest guess the price of baby stuff like diapers, baby bottles, baby blanket, etc…
  • Bottle drinking contest – this is for the men of the party, have the men chugged down a baby bottle. Fill it with milk or juice and see who finishes first.
  • Baby photos – when you send invites to the guest, ask the guest to bring any baby pictures they may have of themselves. Collect those pictures at the beginning of the baby shower and distribute them randomly to a guest to see if they can guess who it is.
  • Don’t drop the egg – have the guest decorate an egg like a baby, put the egg on the spoon, and have them race with it. Hands or even teeth can use the spoon to make it more interesting.
  • Change the diapers blindfolded – have a contest to see who can change the diapers the fastest blindfolded. You will need to purchase baby dolls and diapers for this.

You can do endless games, and there aren’t any wrong games for the baby shower. Be creative; share some ideas below in the comment section if you think of one that’s not listed here!

indian babyshower games
playing drink the baby bottle at indian babyshower