Around the world, there are some really weird pregnancy and birth rituals that can amaze us. Some of these rituals are shocking while some others are quite funny. These rituals have either a pregnant woman or a new born kid at its center, and could be found in different parts of the world, among various ethnic people. However, not many of us are aware of such customs that are associated with child birth and pregnancy. Here are some of such rituals that you have probably never heard off.
The Most Weird Pregnancy and Child Birth Rituals
These rituals are followed by various people around the world.
- In Bali, the babies are not allowed to touch the floor before they turn 3 months old. This is so because according to Balinese custom, the babies are born pure, and any contact with the soil will lead to their defilement. When a baby reaches the three months mark, his or her parents organize a ceremony where the baby is made to walk on the unclean soil.
- In China, when a woman becomes pregnant, various regulations and bans are imposed upon her. They are forbidden from gossiping, laughing out loudly, and even looking at contrasting colors. They are also asked to sleep with a knife or such a sharp object near their bed, to fight evil spirits or family members.
- Irish people have a weird custom. When they get married, they save a part of their wedding cake for the day when their first child is born. After the baby’s arrival they throw a party, where, the piece of cake is put on the baby’s forehead. Also, during the baby’s baptism they pour champagne over the baby’s head.
- In some parts of India, Jamaica and China, it is a custom for the mother to eat the placenta after giving birth to her child. It is believed that it helps a woman deal with post natal depression. However, there are no scientific facts to justify this belief. Moreover eating the placenta is not that easy because it contains a number of bacteria in it.
- There is an age old tradition in Finland, whereby a baby is made to sleep in a card board box, when it is born. This tradition can be traced back to the 1930s, when the government started issuing the mothers to be, a maternity box. It is meant to show, that all kids are born equal and also, to help the mother carry their newborn, easily to the doctor for health checkups.
- In some parts of Pakistan, among the Kalash people, it is customary, to give birth in an isolated place, away from the family. This is so because it is believed that a mother with child is an unclean entity and only other women who are menstruating and thus unclean can meet the mother and help her out.
These are some of the weird and bizarre rituals regarding pregnancy and childbirth that are observed in various parts of the world.
