By Big Celebration of Aavani Avittam took place in 1000s of temples around the world as it was in Bharat. Aavani Avittam is one of the biggest ritual function of the men in Sanatan Dharm. In this occasion we change the sacred thread every year. It is observed on the ‘Shravan Purnima’ (full moon day) of the traditional Hindu calendar, which is the also the day of Raksha Bandhan. This happened on Aug 7th of 2017 for this year.
We were in Cary Balaji Temple, performing this incredible ritual. It was amazing to see 100s of people coming from early morning to finish the ritual and then start their Monday work. In the temple as we went in, provided a new Sacred Thread and rice and sesame seeds in respective paper cups and water to perform the ritual also.
Temple opened at 6AM and were performing batches after batches of people together said the mantra as the priest was 
preceding the mantra. Each set of performing batch had approx 50+ people and like that 5 or 6 batches performed. Very exciting to see few hundred people coming with their children and performed Yagnyopaveetha dharana Mantram and changed the sacred thread.
The best thing we could see there was a lots of young kids who did change their Yagnyopaveetham for the first time after their Upanayanam, were doing yagnya. In this temple we were told many upanayana sanscars happen too. Very exited. This could be one of 1000s of temples around the world that’s being the axis of Sanathan Dharma and serving in protecting and spreading our Dharma.
A boy during his upanayana ritual. the thin, yellow Yajnopavita thread runs from left shoulder to waist. Note the munja grass girdle around the waist. The peepal tree twig in his right hand marks his entry into the Brahmacharya stage of life.
Upanayana is the rite of passage for the start of formal education of writing, numbers, reading, Vedangas, arts and other skills. The Upanayana rite of passage was also important to the teacher, as the student would there from begin to live in the gurukul in ancient Bharat.
