As human beings, we celebrate many things in a common way. Childbirth is one of them. All throughout the globe, it is a lovely item that brings people joy and love. While this could be true in most places, there are a few exceptions. These parts have different traditions and customs related to childbirth. These customs have certain reasons behind them that sometimes do not make any sense to the rest of the world.
In this article, I am going to describe eight bizarre birth customs from around the world that are being practiced in different parts of the world. Let’s begin.
8 Bizarre Birth Customs Around the World:
Here are the details of these customs:
1. Bali: Babies Must Not Touch the Ground
In Bali, there are several unique rituals associated with childbirth. One such tradition, Setra Ari Ari, involves parents burying the placenta, believing it to be a spiritual guardian of the child.
However, the most unusual custom requires babies to avoid touching the ground until they are three months old. Parents believe that touching the ground would defile the newborn’s purity. After three months, there is a special ceremony to let the infant walk around on their own two feet.
2. Ireland: Wedding Cake and Champagne on the Baby’s Head
Mostly found in Ireland, this tradition requires newly wed couples to keep their wedding cake for their first child’s christening. Parents serve the top tier of cake to their guests, and then sprinkle crumbs on their babies’ forehead to ensure the baby is blessed with luck. Sort of like a leprechaun.
Some couples also save a bottle of champagne from their wedding because firstly, they’re Irish, and secondly they open it at the baptism and use it to wet the baby’s head.
3. China: Full Moon Celebration and Mom Restrictions
The Chinese Full Moon Celebration celebrates a baby’s first month with family reunions, red-dyed eggs for luck, and silver or gold presents for blessings. The baby’s first haircut is a purifying ceremony, and the hair is kept or used as a calligraphy brush for good luck.
Moms relax and eat a particular diet during Zuo Yue Zi (“sitting the month”) to recover. These practices promote health, wealth, and family happiness.
4. Japan: Omiyamairi (First Shrine Visit)
In Japan, newborns are taken to a Shinto shrine when they are about one month old for a ceremony called Omiyamairi. The parents and grandparents dressing formally and introducing the baby to the local deity to receive blessings for health and happiness.
The guests also present the child with a special kimono or garment for the occasion. Despite its spiritual roots, some families now observe this custom simply as a cultural tradition.
5. Muslim Culture: Shaving the Baby’s Hair for Charity
Babies are subjected to a ceremony known as Aqiqah in certain Muslim communities. The complete shaving of a baby on the seventh day after birth is a symbol of rebirth and innocence.
The weight of the shaved hair is measured, and an equivalent amount in gold or silver is given to charity. This deed symbolizes appreciation and kindness. Sharing the flesh from an animal sacrifice with loved ones and people in need is another common practice.
6. Nigeria: Mothers Must Give Birth Without Assistance
There are regions in Nigeria where mothers plan to give birth unaided. Although midwives may be available, they often only intervene after the birth.
This custom, rooted in poverty and systemic gender inequality, exposes mothers to significant risks, including miscarriages and complications.
7. Mauritania and Nigeria: Blessing Babies with Spit
In Mauritania, the Wolof people believe that saliva carries words and blessings. As part of a ritual, women spit on the baby’s face, while men spit into its ear. The ritual continues by rubbing the saliva over the baby’s head, symbolizing a good life.
Similarly, among the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, a relative chews alligator pepper, spits it out, and places it in the newborn’s mouth during a ceremony in the ancestral home.
8. India: Dangling Babies for Blessings
In some parts of India, particularly in rural areas, a controversial custom involves dangling babies from heights as a way to seek blessings. For example, in Karnataka, babies are dropped gently from a temple roof onto a cloth held by waiting villagers below.
This ritual, believed to bring the child good health and fortune, has sparked debates about safety and modern parenting. However, the practice persists in some communities with strong traditional beliefs.
Final Words
Childbirth is nature’s one of the most precious phenomena. It is usually full of love and family gatherings around the world. However, some parts of the world have bizarre birth customs that just don’t make any sense to the rest of the world.
Even parts of some of the most developed countries are following these customs. The customs discussed above are being practiced frequently across the globe and have deep cultural and religious roots. Similar to Strangest Laws or Weirdest Foods, these traditions remind us that cultural practices – however, strange they may seem, carry significant meaning for those who follow them.
