The beginning of the school year in many Indian schools includes welcome students with flowers, music, balloons, sweets, and small gifts such as stationery, schoolbags, and a festive atmosphere. Because the school year typically begins during or adjacent to monsoon season, umbrellas are often seen as a back-to-school related icon. In Kerala and southern India, the start of school is marked for the youngest children with the first-writing ceremony of Vidyarambham, symbolizing bond between teacher, child and parent when the child scribes their first letter in rice.