Samskara

Creating impressions in our lives that will guide us to our most enlivening and enlightening future.
All our actions and activities make impressions within our minds and heart. These impressions create our habits and activities directing us into our future.
(sam means samyak - perfect or well & kara from kru = to do (karma) - That which is perfectly formed. Impressions that are perfectly formed in the subconscious or deeper conscious mind of an individual.)
This is Samskara.
We are born with many samskaras from previous lives and while here in this life are generating more. It is up to us to decide whether we create positive or negative samskaras/impressions.
The path of Sanatana Dharma or Vedic culture guides us in generating spiritually surcharged samskaras from an early stage of life - in fact from the point of conception. Thus the role of parents is immensely important as they take responsibility for the development of the consciousness of their children.
As we know the impressions from childhood stay with us and often dictate our future lives. Thus it is important to ensure the best possible future by generating powerfully positive impressions from a young age.
Thus the term samskara is also understood as:
A purificatory ceremony that occurs at critical junctures in life’s journey. (More accurately known as Samskara viddhis - but we will just use the term Samskara.)
These ceremonies are meant to assist all participants in clearing out negativity by re-aligning oneself with their original spiritual nature through ancient Vedic rites.
These rites often include what is known as havan/homa/yajna which means a ritual wherein offerings are made into a consecrated fire. The offerings are usually grains and ghee (clarified butter).
They would be in the form of family and friends gathering together in celebration of the specific event being marked. They are powerful opportunities for generating and creating community, good will and positive forward spiritual energy.

"So the purpose of samskaras is to gradually bring a person who has no knowledge of spiritual life to the spiritual platform. As it is said, samskäräd bhaved dvijaù: by the purificatory processes, one attains spiritual rebirth. That is essential.

The reformatory processes, or samskäras, are meant for purifying a person so that he becomes mukta-sangah, liberated from all the bad association of material existence and eligible to go back home, back to Godhead."

Srila Prabhupada in “Civilisation and Transcendence”