In our country, giving a child gold is a well-known tradition believed to ensure their well-being in life. In some areas, it is customary to plant a tree in honor of a child’s birth, using species such as walnut, pine, oak, or lemon. Other customs, such as placing a ducat under a child’s head, symbolize summoning wealth into the life of the child and their family. In various parts of the country, different customs like serving chicken soup to new mothers after giving birth, or ‘disordering’ the yard of new parents in the Bilogora area, are practiced.
In Scotland, the tradition involves giving coins to newborns to ensure their happiness and prosperity. Swedish fathers cut their newborn’s umbilical cord before placing the baby on the mother’s chest, while in Japan, a food ceremony called Okuizome takes place when the baby is 100 days old to ensure the child never goes without food throughout their life.
In Madagascar, a woman wears a face mask to protect herself and the baby from evil spirits and is not allowed to leave the house for the first seven days after giving birth. Each of Madagascar’s ethnic groups has its own customs, such as burying the placenta and umbilical cord for some groups when a child is born.
India has a tradition of putting a special paste on children’s eyelids to protect them from evil spirits, infections, and strong sun rays. In Zambia, mothers bathe their babies in a liquid made from tree roots to preserve the baby’s health and protect them from evil spirits, while in Uganda, families bless newborns with strips of bark from a special tree wrapped around their wrists, ankles, neck, and waist.
These customs and traditions are deeply rooted in the cultures of these countries, passed down from generation to generation, and are believed to bring good health, protection, and prosperity to the babies and their families.