title: Bismillah ceremony
text: # Bismillah ceremony
  
  Bismillah ceremony, also known as Bismillahkhani, is a cultural ceremony celebrated mostly by Muslims from the subcontinent in countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. It marks the start for a child in learning to recite the Qur'an in its Arabic script. It is not a religiously prescribed milestone. The ceremony marks how a child should read the Qur’an and say prayers properly. The ceremony is named after the bismillah ("In the name of God"), the beginning words in the Qur'an.
  
  ## The ceremony
  
  It is held for both boys and girls between the age 4 and 5, sometimes when the child turns four years, four months and four days. The child is dressed in a traditional dress and jewelry and is made to recite the opening phrase of the Qur'ran, Bism illāh ir-raḥmān ir-raḥīm (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful) (786).
  
  It is traditionally a grand evening affair with family and friends. Lavish food is served for dinner and guests exchange hugs and gifts.
  
  