The birth of a new child is a big
occasion for any level headed family. It is accompanied by anxiety, physical
acrimony, and above all, joy. However, nothing can match the hype and fever
that accompany the naming of the new born. There invariably is a tussle in the
family in determining who can assert the most influence and whose choice
prevails on the matter. There is an uncanny pride in being able to give the
child your choice of name.
The Bhutanese social practice in this
regards presents even more room for discord. Unlike elsewhere, there is no
practice of giving the infant a paternal name after his father and there is no
such thing as a family name. Therefore, every birth is an occasion to
experiment with a new combination of Buddhist parts of speech, usually an
adjective. The child can also be named after his perceptible physical
characters like skin, colour, facial features and temperament.
