Do sons have to shave their heads after a parent dies?

it is a widespread custom of mourning and humility, but practice varies and it is not a test of love.

Shaving the head (muṇḍana or kṣaura) is an old sign of grief and of setting aside personal adornment. In many North Indian families the kartā and sometimes all sons and younger male relatives shave on the 10th day or at the cremation; some shave on the 3rd day; in other regions only the kartā shaves, or only a small token of hair is cut. Some families also shave the beard and moustache.

The idea is humility and purification: the mourner removes something of himself as an offering, and the new growth marks a fresh beginning after the mourning period.

If work, health or circumstance makes full shaving difficult, a token cut is accepted by many priests. Daughters and wives who perform the rites are usually not expected to shave; a symbolic trim of hair is sometimes done. Follow your family's custom, and do not judge relatives who practise differently.

Source: Garuḍa Purāṇa; regional custom

Dharma Q&A — family & life events · Ask a Jyotishi your own question