Upanayana (“bringing-near”) Samskara.
The eleventh of the life cycle rituals (samskaras), in which
a young man got a religious initiation that served as a symbolic "second
birth," bestowing new powers and duties on him.
This ceremony symbolizes the end of childhood and the
beginning of a new social identity, as with many other rites of passage.
After this process, the novice becomes a brahmacharin, the
first of the "twice-born" man's life phases (ashramas).
This initiation confers the right and responsibility to
study the Vedas, the oldest and most authoritative Hindu holy writings, and the
young man would have done so while living in his guru's home, according to the traditional
practice.
With this privilege came obligations, notably the need to
follow purity regulations, which were not imposed on younger children.
If nothing else, this process is a need for marriage since
without it, the young man is still regarded a kid, and it is still conducted
before the wedding in certain modern circumstances.
This ceremony was only performed by young males from the
three highest traditional social classes (varnas), namely brahmins, kshatriyas,
and vaishyas, according to dharma literature.
Indeed, it is the right to this ceremony that distinguishes
these three groups as "twice-born." Each group was assigned a
different age for beginning and a different length of study, with brahmins
being the first to begin and the last to finish.
The holy thread (janeu), which he must wear from that day
forward, and teaching him the sacred formula known as the Gayatri mantra are at
the center of the upanayana samskara.
This rite is still important and widely practiced, though
brahmins are the ones who emphasize it the most.
This is unsurprising, considering their long-standing role
as educators and academics, and their desire to maintain that position, even in
current times.
See Pandurang Vaman Kane (trans. ), A History of
Dharmasastra, 1968, and Raj Bali Pandey, Hindu Samskaras, 1969, for further
information.
Despite their antiquity, they remain the greatest sources on
traditional Hindu customs.
The former is encyclopedic, while the latter is more
approachable.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
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