Traditions and Ceremonies

Effectually the world, birthdays are celebrated in different ways.

The unique traditions good around the world are a window

 into a diversity of cultures and values.

Taiwan

First Month Celebration

 According to Chinese custom, when a baby turns one month erstwhile, a ceremony is held to celebrate his first full month of life. This is the baby'southward commencement of import result. On that solar day, relatives and friends are invited to the celebration party at dwelling house or sometimes at eating house.

T hey bring gifts and blessings for the baby. The parents volition give out red eggs for their relatives and friends. Red eggs are made past dipping hard-boiled eggs in cerise food dye. Eggs are chosen as they stand for new life and fertility, and their shape symbolizes harmony. Besides eggs, parents also order cakes for the guests. It is like a Chinese version of baby shower.

Traditionally, oil rice served with craven legs and cherry-red eggs ways the newborn is a male child, and the cakes means the baby is a girl. But for nowadays, cakes and oil rice are normally given together no matter boys and girls.

          --by Sheila, Tina, Jenny, Jassie and Jim (Taiwan)

Photograph sources:

First Calendar month Commemoration: http://408.tw.tranews.com/Show/Style3/News/c1_News.asp?SItemId=0271030&ProgramNo=a100027000001&SubjectNo=3285901

Start Birthday Celebration

    To the parents and the baby, baby'southward offset altogether is a special milestone. Hither in Taiwan, we have a traditional Chinese birthday celebration.

    Zhua-Zhou is an activity held on a baby's offset altogether. This custom can be traced back to the Song dynasty (960-1279), and the quantity of objects must be the multiples of six, because at that place is a Chinese proverb called "Double 6 breaks the jinx." Parents prepare 12 symbolic items to predict the baby'southward future career and personality traits. The detail the baby picks up first is supposed to determine his hereafter career.

Before the anniversary, the family and the babe will pray to ancestors for good health and happiness. Then, the parents put the baby on the ground in front of a big basket tray with 12 items. On the tray, there could be a book, coin, an abacus, a stethoscope, a measuring record, a sword, a calligraphy pen, a name seal, celery, green onion, etc. The babe will crawl toward the particular which attracts him/her well-nigh.

In aboriginal times, people regarded this tradition as a prediction of the baby's future. Nowadays, people simply do information technology for fun to gloat baby's showtime birthday. Parents would choose more mod items for their babies.

Willy'southward Zhua-Zhou

Image and Video By Willy Fu (Taiwan)

YouTube 影片

Traditional Items & Meaning

fifty Sword ( Law enforcement officers / Soldier)

l Stethoscope ( Medico)

l Abacus (Man of affairs)

l Measuring Record (Designer / Architect)

l Money ( Rich man)

l Book (Scholar)

50 Calligraphy Pen (Writer)

l Name Seal (Government Official)

l Microphone (Entertainer/ Vocalizer)

l Chicken leg (Cook / food critic)

l Celery

Diligent, Celery (  qin) and diligent (  qin)  sound the same.

l Green Onion

Smart, Green onion(  cōng) and smart(  cōng) sound the same.


Modernistic Days

--by Willy Fu, Willy Peng, John and Boshiun (Taiwan)

Coming-of –Age Celebration  for 16-Year-Olds

Turning 16 years old is of import and meaningful rite of passage in our city, Tainan, Taiwan.  It ways when we plow to 16, we become adults. We accept to take more responsibleness for the family, society and our life.

In the past, there were many child labors, who could simply get the half salary. But when they were 16 years old, they could become the whole bacon as an adult.

Qiniangma (the seventh goddess) is a guardian goddess of children, protecting children until they get 16. In order to thank for Qiniangma's blessing, In Tainan, there is a big ritual celebration for all 16-twelvemonth-olds on July 7th of Chinese lunar calendar, the altogether of Qiniangma. I t'south an traditional and unique "coming-of-age celebration" in Tainan Metropolis.

The process of the coming-of-historic period celebration:

The family prepare many kinds of offerings such as fruit, meat, paper wearing apparel, cosmetics, Qiniangma Pavilion and worship Qiniangma. And so the xvi- year-olds become under Qiniangma Pavilion, the boys have to plow around from the left iii times, and girls plough effectually from the right. After that they burn down Qiniangma Pavilion .

 Tainan government also held some activities for the xvi-twelvemonth-old teenagers. For example , the 16-year-sometime teenagers tin sign up for the kayak experience. They take to paddle along Tainan culvert for 10 km, and go under 12 different bridges (like they go under Qiniangma Pavilion which is made by paper and bamboo with beautiful decorations).  to claiming themselves. It's an interesting and special coming of age activity.

Qiniangma Pavilion

Kayak Experience

--Written by Claire, Helen, Cindy, Jenny
    and  Betty (Taiwan)
 Photos from:

https://piyenchen.blogspot.tw/2010/09/163.html

http://www.tainan.gov.tw/tainan/news.asp?id=%7BC1AE8798-72EF-4E5E-A3BD-6163B12AC3CF%7D

http://www.ettoday.net/news/20160724/741165.htm


Vietnam

In Vietnamese's perspective, it is not respectable to give a baby a proper name that is similar to the name of his or her ancestors. They will refer to the family unit tree listing, and get a proper name that is not yet on the family unit tree. Every bit nosotros had an interview with Vietnamese mothers, we learned that traditionally, it is grandfather 'due south decision to pick a name for the babe.

Co-ordinate to the Vietnamese customs, there is also a 1 month commemoration for the newborn baby. It is quiet the same as it is in Taiwan. Friends and family gather at the house of the baby and bring presents for the baby.

As to gifts to the family unit and relatives, instead of red eggs and cakes,  they have local food for the guests. The most interesting thing is that during the ceremony, a flower which is wet with special water from the altar is held over the infant and the h2o drips into the infant'southward mouth. This is to insure that the kid will learn to speak in sweetness scented words.

    The baby has another commemoration afterwards 1 year. The "One-year-erstwhile Birthday" is similar to the "Ane Month Commemoration." One time once again, family and relatives gather for a political party. Vietnamese as well take "Picking the future career" activity for the infant.

When a child is at the historic period of twelve, the family will agree a large celebration for the child. A pig sacrifice and delicious food are served at the party.

-- Text & Photos by Nick, Andy Kevin, Jordan and Jason

( from the interview with Vietnamese mothers at night school .)

Republic of india

There are many ceremonies celebrated in India before and after birth. One of the ceremonies celebrated before the birth is called 'Godh Bhara i' . It is more often than not historic afterward 7 months of pregnancy in India. Information technology is celebrated to welcome the unborn infant to the family and anoint the motherhoped-for with abundant joys of mother hood. Some of the ceremonies historic in Bharat later on the birth are 'Namkaran ' (baby naming) and ' Mundan'  (first haircut of baby). The Namkaran ritual is held generally after eleven nights of delivery. These 11 days are inauspicious and baby and mother are considered to exist unclean. Later 11 days the firm is cleaned for the ceremony. Priests are called to perform the ceremony. In nigh of the parts the initial letter of the name is decided by priest according to the engagement and time of the nascence of the babe. The proper name generally is kept by family unit members with the initial letter suggested past the priest. On the other hand, Mundan  ceremony is generally done before the cease of the first year of birth in which offset haircut of the baby takes place.

credits - Dhruv and Saatvik

    In America before babies are built-in people make, and attend infant showers. People who attend infant showers are normally friends, and family and bring gifts. The gifts people normally bring are clothes. They volition bring a boy, and girl clothes, just in case either. American naming traditions vary tribe to tribe and inspired by  natural atmospheric condition ,animals and virtues. The Salish follows a ''naming trail'' and a Navajo family may go something like ''mother,go get son''. Fifty-fifty the names are decided in a ceremony called '' Bound dances''.

                                                                                                                                                credits -

Sierra Tillou  and Aria Schabel