At least after half an hour, preparation was completed, and ceremony priests came out of the Naming Temple. Most of the priests were very old and looked extremely wise. Their clothes were pure white with no embroidery or any kind of crest-like symbol present on the earth. There were some young, looking priests and some good looking nuns but most of them seem to be under the ranks of the older looking priests.
After they came out of the room, slow music suddenly started to come from various kinds of pipe organs. The quality of the music was extremely good, and as a former sound engineer, I would have like to produce this kind of music.
But let's focus now!
When the eldest priest came in front of us, especially in front of me, I was looking dumbly at his face. He was smiling brightly and also looking at me with his bright and clear eyes.
Suddenly, my mother held my head and forced me to bow and said, "Please don't mind his disrespect. This child doesn't know anything about the manners of the temple or anything regarding the temple."
He replied while smiling brightly, "Ho Ho Ho Ho! I don't mind little Akila. It not like the first time I experience such incidents. Also this one of my joy to their surprised faces. Ho Ho Ho Ho."
Urgh! Why does he sound like an Old man Santa?
"Little man, what does everyone call you presently? And do you know about the importance of naming ceremony?" priest Santa asked.
I shook my head and said "Nobody told me anything about the importance of naming ceremony and everyone calls me Little Snow"
"Really! Well that's amusing"
He nodded his with some kind of understanding and started to discuss something with his other priests and elder nuns. After some time, a young nun similar to the age of my mother came told me and my family to follow her. She said that only my immediate family members could follow me and no one else is allowed to enter the room.
She holds my hand and led me to a long pathway covered with a shiny marble-like stone floor and décor that makes it looks extremely grandeur. When walking down the path, she told me that only I was allowed to ask any question, while every other member has to shut up otherwise the ceremony would fail.
Now, this was something I didn't understand and quickly asked for permission to ask something.
She nodded.
"Why only I am to speak but not my other family members"
She replied "Because its tradition"
"That not my answer, madam" I nearly shouted. But suddenly, my fourth sister held my head and shook her head, implying to control my tantrums.
"Okay! Then why a naming ceremony has to be done in the temple? And why can't my parents give me my name when they are the ones who brought me to this land?"
"Because its tradition" she clearly repeated the answer.
Now, I was getting irritated. First, they tell me to ask questions, then they are not answering my questions.
"You are not really answering my question."
The nun smirked and said, "You are not asking the right questions, dear child."
"Are you some kind of robot who has pre-planted programming to answer only a few specific sets of questions and every other question has a default answer 'Because of its tradition'?" I counter asked.
Suddenly, my neck was pulled backward. When I looked back, my mother and my fourth elder sister's face were pale and other male members of my family have a surprised face. It was my eldest brother who snatched me by my neck and my third brother hold his big hand on my mouth.
It was a funny scene where the whole family of mine was restricting my mouth, my legs, and my hand. Then my father came and picked me up. It was at that moment, I decided to teach them hand language for a situation like this.
Placing me on his shoulder, we came to a big room with lots of lights of different colors. They were floating around in the air in this place.
Our Santa priest was sitting in the middle of the floor, with other priests sitting on their respective seats.
He called me and said, "Come! Little snow. Sit here by my side, I will answer all your questions."
"Really! You will answer all of my questions." I asked.
He! He! He doesn't know what he has done. My mother was shaking her head and my father was looking at the priest with pitiful eyes.
At that moment, I quickly repeated my previous two questions.
He replied, "It is to gauge the independent thinking of any child, who is at the age of 5. There are several thousands of children at this present moment who going through the naming ceremony. They are the future of this land. It is our sacred duty to gauge the thinking level of the child and report it to their parents and to the respective ruler of the land. Does this answer your first two questions?"
I nodded, "What are those lights? And why the naming ceremony is so important?"
"Naming ceremony has two objectives. First, to name the child, and second to observe the future potential of the child. If any peculiar case emerges, then we would have to report to the ruler of the land. And for those lights, they correspond to respective elements of human beings."
He stopped and asked for something to drink for both of us. After drinking a green liquid he continued.
"Human beings are made of few elements. They are fire, earth, wind, water, light, thunder, darkness, and many other life elements. Every human has these life elements in balanced form but some elements, compatible with the body, are found in abundance in an individual's body. We call this affinity. Now, shall we find your name and your affinity?"
I just nodded.