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Societies – be they regional, tribal, or religious – are steeped in cultural traditions or old wives' tales involving anything from how to choose your spouse to how to avoid bad luck. Pregnancy, in particular, has a multitude of traditions surrounding it, which can be extremely diverse or incredibly similar depending on the country or religion. As healthcare professionals, it is important to understand the impact of these traditions – and their development – when dealing with patients of varied ethnic backgrounds. The following is one of a series of articles that focus on the birth traditions of different regions of the world. In this article, we look at Asia. As the science of genetics has developed, there has been much controversy about the practice of eugenics and striving for the "perfect" baby. But birth traditions are really just an earlier form of eugenics. They impart a sense of being able to control the uncontrollable – the physical and temperamental development of our offspring and their destiny. Clean Toilets = Good Looks?We all want to have attractive children. Who among us doesn't have days when we feel fat, ugly, and old? And who among us wouldn't want to save our children from that? To increase the odds of having a good-looking child, the Japanese humble themselves by cleaning toilets. They also humble themselves by eating big, juicy steaks (or any other red meat) to ensure a thick head of hair. If you like lovely dark skin, eat eggplant like the Filipinos. All That and a Great Personality …But, of course, we all know that surface beauty is only skin deep, and we want our children to be intelligent as well. To ensure this, you must eat a lot of vegetables or eggs, like they do in Japan. And if you don't want a child that is spoiled or demanding, bat away all those hands that try to rub your belly as the Chinese believe that too much rubbing is not a good thing. And who wants an attractive, intelligent child who is angry all the time? No one, that's who! So be sure to stay calm, as an angry Japanese mother leads to an angry Japanese baby. Luck – The Good KindNow that you have a beautiful baby with a lovely temperament you must pretend he/she isn't. Confused? That's the point. To protect your captivating child, and to trick evil spirits into thinking the child is unworthy of kidnapping, you should do as the Chinese do and refer to it as ugly or as an animal. The Hmong (of Laos) also love their children enough to tell them they are ugly. And if, like the Chinese, you don't want evil spirits to use your enchanting offspring to reinforce bridges, you will place peach-wood arrows in its cradle, tie golden bells to its wrists and ankles, pin charms near its bed, or pin pouches of vermilion to its clothing. The Perfect BabySo there you have it … an (extremely) non-scientific formula for guaranteeing yourself a perfect child. But isn't a perfect child a healthy child? And perhaps the most significant result of birth traditions is that they mark a pregnant mother and her baby as being of value. And who can argue with that? Watch for additional articles in our Birth Traditions series, featuring: Europe, Latin America, and North America. Discuss This ArticleHave something you'd like to say? Tell us what you think! Read and post comments for this article. Like this article? Read more! Browse our archive of 1,061 articles. Also, see our master index of all MedHunters articles! Find a JobChoose your career: MedHunters is the world's biggest healthcare job board. Our job directory has 16,863 jobs with 2,351 hospitals and other direct employers. We want you to find your next job on MedHunters. Need Help? Call us at 1-888-884-8242, email us at info@medhunters.com or sign up now. Have an article or story for MedHunters? Email us today at submissions@medhunters.com. |
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