The Chinese Birth Rituals and Celebrations lecture took place on April 15 in HSC 101 during the annual Multicultural Day. The lecture, hosted by nursing faculty Christina Lee, was an informative and engaging experience for the students who attended.

The point of the presentation was to introduce Chinese Birth Rituals, which are quite a mystery in the Western world. Lee explained several traditions that take place during the pregnancy and birth, as well as the child’s integration into a new family.

“Just because a child is born, doesn’t mean it is a part of society,” said Lee in her lecture regarding Chinese culture.

Lee described the many do’s and don’ts about what the mother should eat and even keeping a secret the gender of the baby. Lee said that during the pregnancy, the woman should not eat cold foods, should not go to cemeteries or funerals in order to avoid bad luck, and should not go to zoos or look at ugly animals in fear the baby will look like the animal.

These superstitions, while they may seem outrageous, are a part of the Chinese culture, especially during the birth of a child. After the child is born, the mother will typically stay at home for a month, a term known as “sitting the month,” or “cho yuet” in Cantonese. During this resting period, the baby is not bathed for the first three days, but the father must give the first bath. The mother must also eat warm foods to replenish her body, and she must not wash her hair.

“While I did not actually participate in most of these traditions through my own pregnancy, they are still part of my culture,” said Lee in her lecture.

After 100 days of the child’s birth, a red egg ginger party is held for the baby, welcoming them to the family. Hard boiled eggs are dyed red as a sign of good luck and fertility, and ginger is the most common food a mother eats during her recovery after pregnancy. In this ceremony, a name is chosen for the baby by the parents of the father as well as a “milk name,” or nick name. The baby is then put in a blanket carrier and carried through the house by a young female relative, which brings good luck to the baby and the home of the family.

“All these rituals and superstitions represent themes of happiness, health, and prosperity,” said Lee.

Although there are countless details to these rituals and traditions, they are a part of what make the Chinese culture so unique. The topic of Chinese birth rituals was an unknown one to many students until Lee’s lecture during Multicultural Day. The lecture opened the minds of the students who attended and gained knowledge about traditions they would have otherwise not known about.