They have different styles and expressions depending on the region, but in general, the traditional birth rites of the Han nationality mostly include five main rites: birth, three dynasties, full moon, hundred days, and one year. Their specific forms of expression are also Basica

The main customs of traditional birth rites

The traditional birth rites of the Han nation have different styles and expressions depending on the region, but in general, most of the traditional birth rites of the Han nation include birth, three dynasties, and full moon. The five main etiquettes of 100 days, 100 days and one year are basically the same in their specific expressions. The main customs of traditional birth ceremonies are:

1Birth ceremony

① Men do Zhang and women do tiles:

"The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Si Qian" says: "When a man is born, the bed is used to sleep on. The clothes are used to carry the clothes. "Zhizhang." "It's a place to sleep on, with clothes on it, and tiles on it." It means that if a boy is born, let him sleep on the bed, dress him in beautiful clothes, and play with him. Bai Yuzhang: If the child is a girl, let her sleep on the floor, wrap her in swaddling clothes, and give her a clay spindle to play with. The consciousness of favoring boys over girls and subordinating men to women is very obvious.

② Men hang bows and women hang 娨

"When a child is born. Men set up an arch on the left side of the door, and women set up a 娨 on the right side of the door." ("Book of Rites·Nei Principles") If the child is a boy, hang a bow on the left side of the door of the side room. Vice; if it is a girl, the curtain will be hung on the right side of the side room door.娨, pronounced "sleep", is a scarf worn by women. During the Zhou rites, when a woman gets married, her mother must personally tie a scarf for her daughter. Obviously, bow and 娨 have distinct gender characteristics.

③ Mingzi

After the child is born, the adults name it, which is called "Mingzi".

④ To announce the good news

Generally, the father of the child goes to the homes of relatives and friends, mainly the parents-in-law, to announce the good news. The favorite items held mainly include red eggs, etc.

2 The Three-Chao Ceremony

is a ceremony held three days after a child is born. The main customs are:

① Shoot the four directions of the heaven and the earth

"So when a man is born, he shoots mulberry arcs and arrows to the four directions of the heaven and the earth. Everything in the four directions of the heaven and the earth is for men. Therefore, he must first shoot If you are determined to do anything, then you dare to use grain, which is called food." ("Book of Rites: Shooting Meaning") Three days after the boy was born, his parents took him out and shot bows and arrows in all directions. Obviously, this is expecting boys to have high aspirations when they grow up. For girls, this etiquette is not allowed.

② Jiezi

The baby can be taken out three days after birth. It is commonly known as "Jiezi". According to the custom, an auspicious day should be chosen within three days to pick up the child. The emperor's prince should be too lao (that is, all three animals are prepared) to salute. The doctor's eldest son is used In Shaolao, the eldest son of a sergeant is given a pig, and the eldest son of a commoner is given a pig.

③西三

is also called "Xi Sanchao", "Xi'er", etc. According to records, Xisanchao appeared in the Tang Dynasty and became very popular in the Song Dynasty. This is a bathing ceremony held three days after the baby is born. The practices vary from place to place, but the basic process is similar: boil water with moxa and bathe the child. Relatives and friends who came to congratulate took money, happy fruits and other things and put them into the bathtub, which is called "adding basin". Xi Po chants different auspicious words according to the different items thrown in by relatives and friends. For example, if jujubes and chestnuts are placed, it is said that "the son will be born early"; if lotus seeds are placed, it is said that "the noble son will be born in succession", etc. After washing, some people even slap the child three times with green onions, which means they are bright and smart. At the time of washing three times, relatives and friends send red envelopes as gifts, and the host treats them with cakes and other treats, and leaves relatives and friends to eat "three washing noodles".

After washing, there is another important ceremony called: navel burning. That is, the remnants of the newborn's umbilical cord are removed, and alum is applied to the baby's fontanel, which means that the newborn has left the pregnancy period and officially entered the infant stage.

④ Breastfeeding

On this day, the mother starts breastfeeding for her newborn . In order to make the baby endure hardship in the future, sprinkle some coptis water on the nipple before feeding, so that the baby can taste the bitter taste before feeding. Then put sugar and other juice on the baby's mouth with your fingers and let the baby suck.

⑤Worship the Bed Mother

Legend Bed God can be divided into men and women. The Bed God is greedy for wine, while the Bed God likes tea, so wine is offered to the Bed Mother and tea is offered to the Bed Gong. Folks have this tradition at weddings, births, three dynasties, full moons, etc. In the custom of worshiping bed mothers, meat poured with wine is often used as a sacrifice.

3 Full Moon Ceremony

Also called Mid-Moon Ceremony, it is held one month after a child is born. The main customs are:

① Full Moon Wine

Full Moon Ceremony customs are generally popular among the people. On this day, relatives and friends bring gifts to express their congratulations, and the host hosts a sumptuous banquet, called Full Moon Wine.

② Shaving the baby's hair

When the child is full moon, the child's hair is cut for the first time, which is called shaving the baby's hair. Usually, a barber is invited to the door and a reward is given after the haircut. The children wear new clothes.

③ Moving nest

is also called moving nest, full moon wandering, etc. According to folk custom, babies cannot move around casually when they are born, but they can do so when they are full moon. At this time, the mother carries the baby to other people's rooms and wanders around, which is called moving to the nest.