Baby Shower Kit -Birth & first year rituals
As you design a baby shower, consider incorporating special family or cultural rituals. Cultural and family rituals provide a sense of belonging, love and meaning. Enjoy discovering and sharing your own rituals. Here is a collection of traditions in celebration of a child’s birth and first year:
Red:
In Chinese tradition, family gathers as a child turns one month old to wish the child a long and prosperous life. The color red is used to symbolize good fortune and luck. Traditional red envelopes are filled with gifts, and decorations highlight the animal associated with the year according to the Chinese Zodiac.
Toljabee:
In Korea on a child’s first birthday, a “Tol Table” is laden with rice cakes and fruit, and a collection of objects representing various professions. The child is presented with the table; the objects s/he chooses are said to foretell his/her future path.
Glass, fruit & flowers:
In India, during an odd month of the pregnancy, a mother-to-be is celebrated with gifts of fruit and flowers to symbolize joy, happiness, blessing and prosperity. The Mother wears glass bangles as a symbol of fertility and blessings.
Naming celebration:
In Latvia, nine days after birth, guests are invited to bring food and gifts to a feast where the child receives a name.
The first walk:
In West Africa eight days after the birth, friends and family are invited to greet the new baby as the mother and child take their first walk.
Fittin’ Feast:
In Scotland, guests are invited to celebrate when the mother returns to normal duties after the birth.
