In which society the birth of a child is not celebrated? After all, it is a way of transferring our genes into the generation ahead. Cultures may differ in the way they celebrate the arrival of a young one but the happiness doesn't. Every culture has its own way for celebration of this event. My culture is also rich in customs and traditions where the arrival of a child, especially the first child of a couple, is being celebrated even before his/her birth. This celebration starts with a ceremony called goud bharai.
Goud bharai (translation. Filling the lap) is a ceremony that is celebrated in the beginning of third trimister of pregnacy. This is akin to baby shower.
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The pregnant woman is dressed up beautifully. Mehndi is also carved on her hands and feet. For the observance, she sits on the stage. The ladies come one by one, spoon-feed her some sweets and drop a fruit in her lap. In this way her lap is filled.
Though this ceremony is a part of my culture, yet it is more common among upper and upper-middle class families. It is not that common in other socioeconomic classes.
In the seventh month of pregnancy, the parents of the pregnant woman prepare the whole lot of accessories for the coming baby. It includes the kid's bedding set, dresses, shoes, bather, toys, bag, and ever other thing that is thought to be important for the new born.
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This custom is prevalent in all the socioeconomic classes.
This gift giving by maternal grandparents is not limited to the baby's stuff alone but once the baby is born they give clothes to the baby's father, paternal uncles and aunts, and paternal grandparents.
By the way, I am against this tradition because it gives a burden on the maternal grand-parents. The families that are poor face difficulty to meet the traditional expectations that are attached about this occassion. Giving a gift should never be a compulsion for anyone. Those who want to give happily they should, and those who can't afford should not be looked down upon. That's why I condemn this tradition whole heartedly.
After the birth of the baby, the first thing that is done is to call Adhan in his ears.
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Some people arrange for someone to call the Adhan, others call themselves. After the Adhan, baby is given the motherfeed. It is preffered that Adhan should be called before giving any food to the kid.
In some families, the tradition of Ghutti is strictly followed. It is the first food that is given to baby in the form of honey.
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Some significant other gives some drops of honey in the baby's mouth with one's finger. There is a myth that the qualities of the ghutti giving person are transferred to the baby.
Whoever comes to see the baby gives him some money. This is called munh dikhai *(translation. Face Appearance). It is the gift to the kid for showing his/her face to them 😂.
On the seventh day of the birth, hairs of the baby are shaven off. The amount of silver equivalent to the weight of the kid's hair, is given in charity. This day the name of the kid is finally announced.
This day is celebrated the Aqiqah Ceremony. Two goats for the boy and one goat for the girl is sacrificed. The food is cooked with that mutton. Close relatives and friends are invited in the get-together. Some people prefer to distribute meat among relatives instead of arranging the dinner party.
Sweets are also distributed within a week among the relatives and friends in celebration of the new arrival.
When the kid turns 40 days, both the mother and the kid are given bath.
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It is called Sawa Mahina *(translation. 1 and a quarater month). The idea behind is to purifiy after postpartum bleeding. In Islam there are several purity related restriction to this period as the woman cannot perform the basic worships like salah and Quran recitation. After 40 days, women are supposed to take bath to purify. Within this period, it is suggested that the kid and the mother shouldn't go outside tge home and also should take precautionary food. After Sawa Mahina, it is a kind of a freedom they both take the bath for 😂. By the way, this freedom thingy has nothing to do with Islam. It is only the mindset of the people of my land.
This is how the arrival of a child is celebrated in Pakistan.
This is my entry for the contest by #crossculture. If you want to participate. Here is the link to the contest post. I want to invite my fellows @cescajove , @brightdavid and @mmykel to tell us about their culture.