14 Return Gifts Fit for Your Daughter's Grand Half Saree Function & Useful Ideas on Giving Her the Coming of Age Party She Deserves (Updated 2020)

14 Return Gifts Fit for Your Daughter's Grand Half Saree Function & Useful Ideas on Giving Her the Coming of Age Party She Deserves (Updated 2020)

For many girls, this is one of the big landmarks in a young girl's life, and even as guests and family pour in to shower her with blessings, send them home with great return gifts . Read on to find some super return gifts for ladies, ideal for a half saree function.

An Introduction to the Half Saree Function

We Indians celebrate every important occasion in our life in some meaningful way, and among the numerous colorful Indian rituals and religious practices, one unique ritual is the half saree function. This ancient custom is all about female empowerment and celebrates feminity, and goes to show the esteem women held.

Observed among Hindu communities of the Southern parts of India, it is a right of passage and marks the time a young girl hits puberty and has her first period, or menarche. This is when she wear the half saree for the first time, a traditional dress meant to be worn by young, unmarried girls. The ceremony was known as ritu kala samskara in earlier times, but has come be called the more informal half saree function.

It is symbolic in many ways as it marks a girl's transformation into a young woman, not just physically, but also on a more spiritual level. It is a milestone every girl goes through, but by celebrating it, she is made to feel proud to be a woman. Indeed, a remarkable ceremony.

Rituals Observed During the Function

With changing times the way this ceremony is observed has also undergone a transformation. The ritu kala samsara ceremony or ritushuddhi - more traditional names of the half saree function - was meant to celebrate a significant milestone in the life of a woman.

The first is birth, the second ritushuddhi where she becomes a woman after her menarche. The transformation is physically marked by a change in clothing and this is when she starts wearing a half saree to signify her new identity. Although girls nowadays do not dress like this anymore except for traditional functions, at the ceremony she is dressed up in great finery, from fine clothes, to expensive jewellery and all kinds of adornment as fitting a newly transformed woman. She is no longer a child and the ceremony is to signify this. Friends and family shower her with blessings and gifts, and she is given nutritious food to help her body cope with the changes.

A Custom Observed and Celebrated in South India

Half saree functions are mainly performed by South Indian Hindu families. The whole process of the half saree function is very beautiful and feminine. This ritual is performed when the girl is at the age of 9, 11 or 13, basically, the girl has to be an odd number of age. In the first phase of the ceremony, the girl wears the Langa Voni given by her maternal grandparents which then will be replaced by the half saree given by her paternal grandparents.

This will be her choice of garment till she gets married, which is when she switches to wearing a saree to signify yet another milestone in her life.

14 Ideal Return Gifts for Half Saree Function

Buying return gifts is an important part of organising the half saree function, after all so many people will be there to participate in your joy. So start well ahead of time and look for gifts that fit into your budget. There are several online stores that specialise in return gifts - you can start looking there. To ensure you are getting a good deal, you can also verify the options available at local stores. Here are 10 options that we think are great as return gifts for half saree functions.

Ganesh Hanging Multi

With this cute Ganesh keychain, you can thank all the ladies for attending your little girl’s half saree function and blessing her. This return gift will bring the prosperity and happiness into the life of your guests. Moreover, this beads and stones studded Ganesh ji’s keychain looks very pretty. Your guests can use this keychain for their car or home keys and always remember your daughter. The physical measurement of the keychain are 4cm x 15cm, weighs around 25gm. This return gift for ladies can be ordered online in mere Rs.99 from nandigifts.com.

Bangle Box

If you are searching for the ideal return gift for ladies, then buy them something useful. Something like this antique golden bangle box in which they can store all their spare bangles. Ladies can store their bangles in this golden antique box and save bangles from getting damage. This utility return gift idea will be highly appreciated by the ladies. This royal looking golden bangles box is available for only Rs.200, which is a very reasonable rate. You can order this return gift online from snapdeal.com easily.

Floating Lamp Double

These silver plated lamps with kundan decoration on foam base are a stunning return gift ideas. As every woman like to decorate her home with new colorful things, this set of gorgeous looking floating lamps can be that new thing. Your guests can decorate their home with these lamps, moreover, lamps give the message of prosperity and happiness. So, give these floating lamps as your half saree function return gift and flood the life of your guests with light. These lamps are available on nandigifts.com for Rs.140 each.

Apple Shaped Dry Fruit Box

This return gift item stood both in utility and decorative gift items. The apple dry fruit box is very useful in serving or storing dry fruits in it. Plus the beautiful meenakari work engraved on the apple shaped dry fruit box makes it look stylish. So, this return gift idea is going to be useful as well as a beautiful gift option. The apple dry fruit box is made up of wood, so it is very durable. It has two different sections where two different types of dry fruits can be kept. This unique apple dry fruit box is sold on theoneshop.com for Rs.165 only.

Embroidered Clutch

Nothing can be more useful return gift for ladies, then a designer embroidered clutch. The stunning blue and magenta colored mini clutch can be given as the return gift to the ladies who will attend your daughters half saree function. Because ladies always want a small clutch to carry their phones, money and other important things. Trust us, you will become a favorite host by giving this embroidered clutch to the guests. This gorgeously crafted clutch is a bit expensive as compared to other return gift ideas, but sometimes we have to ignore money factor. But, still, this clutch can be ordered from amazon.in for Rs.385.

Haldi Kumkum box

For traditional return gift ideas, you can pick this haldi kumkum box for your guests. This beautiful hand-carved haldi kumkum box is a useful return gift for ladies who are spiritual. Moreover, the exquisite bead and mirror work design are engraved on the box, so the box can be used as a decoration item also. The particular product is available in a pair of two on Amazon India for Rs.199. The gift wrapping option of the product is also available on Amazon.

Silk Brocade Handbag

Pretty bags are always a welcome accessory for women to flaunt. This beautiful handbag made from silk brocade material featuring pretty Mor Pankh motifs is a wonderful gifting idea as a return gift. The bag measures 9×8 Inch and closes with a zip. You can buy this bag for Rs. 128 on dilcrafts.com

Round Multi Storage Container Large

Multipurpose containers make an excellent return gift for half saree function. These also comes with an airtight transparent lid which will seal the freshness of dry fruits or groceries and also prevent leakage of liquids. The capacity of this container is around 230 grams. That would be quite a useful return gift for ladies as they can store numerous stuff in it. You can minimum order 25 containers from wedtree.com. A single container costs around Rs.195, so the deal of the multipurpose container with lid is quite decent.

Minakari Oval Plate

This magnificent meenakari thali with the exquisite peacock design is utterly a fantastic half saree function return gift. This 12-inch long log-shaped tray can be used to serve dry fruits, snacks, and numerous other edible items to the guests. Even if you like you can use this tray to decorate your living room. The tray has the base of the regular steel which makes it easy to use and wash. This tray can order online from wedtree.com for Rs.199 each and the website will only accept a minimum order for 10 trays.

Simple Black Photo Frame

This 4-in-1 collage photo frame is a simple yet thoughtful gifting idea. Made of good quality wood, there are four separate frames that are joined together for an impactful display. You can order it on batranovelties.com for Rs. 192; the minimum order quantity is 12 pieces.

White Metal Oxidised Cow Krishna Under Tree

This spiritual statue of white metal Radhe Krishna with flute under the tree is an ideal return gift for half saree function. This return gift will bless you and your guests with lots of happiness. Your guests can put this white Krishna statue in their home temples or draw rooms to get positive vibes from it. This serene statue is available on wedtree.in for Rs.650. This is a bit expensive return gift idea as compared to the rest but, if you order in bulk from the site, then you may get some extra discount.

Wooden Jewellery Box

This hexagonal shaped wooden box features a simple and elegant brass etching design on the lid which makes it that much more charming. The shape of the box and the engraving both make this a different and stand out gift idea. The inner chamber can be used to store anything - from jewellery to dry fruits. The design on the lid has a literally divine pattern - the stars, sun and the moon. Order it for Rs. 240 per piece on boontoon.com

Kalamkari Mobile Holder with Mixed Design

Well, the yet another useful return gift for ladies is going to be a mobile holder. As in Indian traditional dresses like sarees or salwar suits do not have pockets, it becomes very difficult for ladies to carry their mobile phones with them. So, with the Kalamkari mobile holder, you are solving a major problem faced by women. Moreover, the gorgeous Kalamkari mobile holders are not at all expensive. You can order this return gift online from wedtree.in for Rs.110 only.

Ideal Pick: Benarasi Blouse Piece

If you are looking for the ideal return gift idea for half saree function, or a gift item you must include in a return gift bag that goes with the ladies of all age, then, we will recommend you to give saree blouses as your return gift. First of all, it totally goes with the nature of the event and secondly, every Indian lady needs spare blouse pieces. So, for half saree function return gift order multicolor saree blouse pieces from theoneshop.in for a mere Rs.85 per piece. These are such great gifts that no matter what else you give, include this item in the return gift bag.

How to Make Your Daughter's Half Saree Function a Grand Event

Pick a Nice Venue for the Event

The first and foremost thing that you should consider in planning the half saree function is the venue. The venue for the function has to be spacious and easy to locate. The venue can be your own home if you are keeping the function low key, but if you have invited more than a hundred guests then your home may not be spacious enough for the function. You can also select the venue on the basis of your theme for the party. Whatever you choose, don’t forget to decorate your venue with some fresh flowers and twinkling lights to create the perfect backdrop for your girl's big day.

Designing a Beautiful Invitation

The next important thing that you have to do is to design the half saree function invites. For the invitation ideas, you can check Pinterest as you will get numerous invitation card ideas there. For some personal touch, you can design an invitation card according to your theme. The most trending invitation card ideas these days are digital cards. Digital cards look more creative and unique as compared to the traditional cards. And, moreover, with digital cards, you can contribute towards saving the environment. However if your preference is for traditional cards, there are plenty of creative card ideas available in the market; if your budget allows it, have a card designed specially for the event.

Giving Return Gifts to Guests

To make your half saree function the talk of the town, you have to give some remarkable return gifts to the ladies who are attending your function. The return gifts have to be meaningful and impressive, but still, you need to stay within your budget. The return gift ideas for the half saree function can be something traditional as well as trendy, plus linked to the theme of the party. Buying affordable return gifts is a very easy thing today - as you can order return gifts online in the bulk. Remember the event will be attended by ladies of different ages as well as younger girls and kids, so buy gifts that all can appreciate.

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A ritual to recognizing the transformation of the girl into a woman

Most often the subject of mensuration is treated in a hush-hush manner but our tradition shows us that it is an important landmark in every girl's life and must be treated so. It also gives the girl the opportunity to know more about her body and learn from her elders on how best to care for it. So the half saree function should be rightly treated as a party of womanhood without any hesitation!