From a cup of coffee with honey to eating whole boiled chickens, a new study reveals the myriad of different ways birth is celebrated all over the globe.
How did you prepare for the arrival of you new baby? Going to antenatal classes, writing a birth plan, decorating the nursery and shopping for baby clothes are all part and parcel of how we get ready for birth. But would you consider taking part in a 'hearing ritual' to find out who exactly your new baby is going to be? Or start worrying if you saw a rabbit during your pregnancy, in case it causes your baby to become seriously ill? Unusual as they sound, these are just some of the ways in which mums-to-be around the world plan for their baby's arrival, according to a new study commissioned by Pampers and UNICEF to celebrate half a decade of providing life-saving vaccines to help eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus.
In many African and Asian societies, birthing rituals begin almost as soon as a child is conceived, continuing for weeks after the birth, and are based on a complex set of beliefs rooted in religion, ancient traditions and superstitions. A new life is something that involves the entire family and the local community, not just the parents. And it's not only birthing rituals that differ from ours. Western baby names come from grandparents, friends, relatives, baby name books, popstars even... but in many other cultures, a child is named by the village elders in a process that can take up to seven years.Birthing RitualsThe Miracle of Life research, marks five years of the Pampers and UNICEF partnership, which raises money for vaccines to help eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus (MNT) around the world. Delving into the different ways of celebrating new life across 16 different African and Asian continents; the findings show that rituals can vary dramatically between cultures: all driven by the common goal of protecting the life of both mother and baby.
Take the Fulbe people, nomads living in the West African country of Cameroon. They believe that pregnant women are more vulnerable to illness, spirits and external enemies, so must be vigilant and avoid seeing rabbits and lizards, as they can make their baby seriously ill. Fulbe women also prefer to give birth alone, or with only their closest friend present.
This lonely ritual is echoed by the customs of another African people, the Kikuyu in Kenya. Here a new mum is isolated after she's given birth, for four days if it's a girl, five for a boy. This period of isolation symbolises the concept of death and resurrection, death to one state of life, and resurrection to a fuller state of living. It is as if the mother and child 'die' and 'rise again' on behalf of everyone else in the family. Her isolation only begins after she's announced her new arrival by screaming though; four times for a girl, five for a boy.
For the Wolof women in Senegal, after the struggle of giving birth they must go through the 'rite of jumping' ritual. The minute her baby's born a new mum must jump over the fire in no less than four directions to prevent madness. Only after this is she allowed to cuddle her child and have a rest.
In rural Cambodia straight after giving birth, new mums are 'roasted' in their beds. A charcoal fire is lit below them and they stay there for a week. The ang ploeng roasting ceremony is believed to improve circulation, allow her to rest and give her the energy she needs for those first few months with a newborn.What's in a Name?We've all wrestled over the best name for our children, but have you ever killed a sheep to help you decide? This is common practice for the Maasai people of Tanzania, who compensate new mothers for the pain of childbirth by killing two male sheep that only they can eat during the two days of the baby's naming ceremony.
In Zambia, the naming process is out of a new mum's hands altogether. In fact, her baby decides its own name. The elders (usually the maternal grandmother) ask the baby directly if it has come back as one of its ancestors, if the baby smiles, the elder believes she has found the appropriate name, but if the baby cries through the night then the elders select another name, and another until the baby sleeps peacefully.
Naming is a lengthy process in other cultures, too. In Burkina Faso the community names girls after three weeks, boys after four, and that name isn't really theirs until they're five. And in Ivory Coast, children have to wait at least seven years and complete an initiation ceremony called a Djoro before they learn their real name. In the meantime, they get one of only nine 'temporary' names
Although they may seem a world away from how we get ready for a new baby, many of these rituals are designed to keep pregnant women and their babies safe, allow new mums to rest and recuperate, and give that baby the best start in life - perhaps not so far removed from what we do after all.
By
Wendy Golledge
October 2010
For each UNICEF marked pack of Pampers nappies or wipes sold during October - December 2010, Pampers will provide UNICEF with the funding for one tetanus vaccination. For more information on the Pampers and UNICEF partnership visit www.pampers.co.uk or www.unicef.org.uk/pampers .
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