An egg and a name
One normally would agree that the eggs and babies names have nothing to do with each other. In China, however, is a very important reason to link these two things together. This is the baby’s naming ceremony, also called Red Egg and Ginger Party. In traditional China, the baby was not named until it was a month old, and at this time a party was thrown in honor of the child, so that friends and family can come and celebrate. this game the first month is considered that “… marks the first month of life and highlight the uncertainty surrounding the child’s early existence.”
The baby naming ceremony has been an important part of Chinese culture throughout history. It is not so widely celebrated today as it was in traditional times, and has come to mean different things, but it remains a tradition practiced.
The baby naming ceremony
As with many cultures, it is important that each family has a son to carry the family name. Girls were considered an unnecessary investment because most of them eventually leave home and family. Although some families were unfortunate female babies to die, especially after the one-child policy was enacted, when each couple expecting a child, many baby girls were sold into prostitution or, if they were lucky, because adoption. (For more information on the role of women in China you should visit Lessons for a woman) In the past, only son was given an elaborate naming ceremony, while daughters were given a small dinner with family. Today, women have a child is not considered as bad as it once was, but most families still waiting for a son.
To understand the ceremony, it is necessary to explain the importance of a male child or any child at all. there was an infant mortality rate in China, especially before the 1900s. Therefore, the ceremony will not be given until the baby is a month old. After this time the family is assured that the child will live. Most deliveries are being carried out in clinics or hospitals, which gives the growth rate of healthy children, but still, there are still villages where only an old experience is there to help. The other boy and often are prohibited from going out, sometimes even a full month after birth has passed. This varies depending on the family. After the ceremony, thirty to forty days, the regular tasks of the mother is restored and everything returns to normal.
Choosing the name
Now that some of the provisions of this custom has been explained, the traditions of the actual ceremony can be described. The first thing a family should do is pick a name for the baby. This can be done in a variety of ways. Lies with the family to decide whether the name given to the party will be the formal name of the child or of a “milk name.” the name is a nickname used milk until the child starts school, or even marriage. If given a name from the milk, often called one of the girls will be chosen for a child, because it is thought that a son was the “special prey of evil spirits” and that these spirits are deceived if the child is a girl’s name. A woman, sometimes a male child is given the name of an animal or a kind of derogatory name calling in a joke way.
a child’s formal name is usually chosen by him to the grandparents. Sometimes the name is taken simply from the sound or meaning. In most places the brothers share a common feature in their names and in some villages of this involvement extends beyond the immediate family, and a common character is added to all males of a specific lineage. In some places, however, the grandparents do not collect the name, but not a soothsayer. Select one that compensates for any deficiency that the child may have in the spiritual makeup, including water, fire, earth, wood and metal. These are considered necessary for child survival, but the superstitions surrounding the baby name choice is not as strong as they used to be, and many parents name their children.
For more information about Chinese names can visit NAMES, where you will find links to the search of his own name in Chinese.
The current celebration
After the name is selected, the invitations are sent to the honor of the birth. Sued to send a hard boiled egg, dyed red, so that your friends and family of the festivities to come. In today’s celebrations in big cities, brightly colored eggs are laid on the table and guests can take a house for good luck. those invited to these celebrations often get an egg and ginger some to take home with them, too. This traditional red egg began long ago when it was customary for the maternal grandmother to visit and bring gifts. Almost always his clothes and eggs for the baby. The eggs were considered a delicacy in China, and that’s how I knew someone special had come to visit. The grandmother also brought sweet cakes. Often these pies were images of the sample several symbols of good luck, especially the apricot flower. However, not supposed to use white because that is the color of mourning and pain. eggs, usually duck eggs were stamped with images of children, and flowers. Now there are special rules for the grandmothers to follow, as it was before 1941, when everything began to change.
After World War II China’s customs began to change, because the different government and how he felt about these customs are changing. Most officials felt that the traditions of the Chinese were very elaborate and a waste of money. Wedding traditions have changed, and so did some of the funeral procedures. However, from baby ceremony was not as great to begin with, most of the traditions remain the same.
Used to be that the baby’s head shaved during the party. girls head was shaved before the image of “Mother”, the goddess of children, and the boy’s head was shaved before the ancestral table. The symbolism of this practice is not entirely known, but speculation that it is removing hair from birth, to mark the point of the independent existence of the child. Traditionally, a feast takes place, with thirty or forty people in attendance. Guests often bring gifts of clothing, or “lucky money” envelopes, called Li-shihs. The baby takes all the space to enter and admired. After that, the guests eat and visit each other.
Instead of sending thank you cards to guests for their gifts, the baby’s parents send gifts to them. This gift is usually round cookie with pork in them, a bit like baus char-sui, or pork buns. Although the meaning behind these often more pronounced than that are still considered adequate because, although the families do not usually send between 50 and 100 could be sent in the past.
As you can see, this ceremony is very important because the Chinese believe that the name of one can influence everything that happens in life. How does this ritual takes place depends more on individual families in the traditional rules. There are many traditions surrounding the birth, through adulthood, but the naming ritual takes precedence over all.
