Tonsuring
Here is my opinion on why tradition of tonsuring may have come into being. Hair is a matter of Pride (ego) for men and women alike. It is not easy to strut around with a tonsured head and through the days when the hair is re-growing without a form or shape. In offering your hair to God, you are in the spiritual sense offering your pride and ego to God.
The objective behind tonsuring (shaving one’s head for the Lord) is to demonstrate that he/she completely surrenders his/her ego at the feet of the Lord.
Velankanni
The pilgrims who come here also follow the Hindu tradition of tonsuring their heads as an offering and also perform ear-boring ceremony. This is a religious centre where Hindus, Muslims and Christian from all over the India congregate in large numbers and worship in harmony.
Each day, countless devotees have their hair shaved off and offer it to God in the hope that their troubles will disappear along with their hair.
Tonsuring during Baptism
Tonsuring, the cutting of the hair, is a symbol of obedience and sacrifice. It is seen as furthering the restoration of the child away from the fallen world. To do this, we must always be willing to obey God and be ready to sacrifice for Him. By offering a piece of hair, the child can offer his first free and joyful sacrifice to God. The priest asks God to bless the child as God blessed David the King by the hand of the prophet Samuel. When he cuts the baby’s hair, he says: “The servant of God______, is tonsured in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
