Customs connected to birth
The world of the Romanian village hides incredible traditions connected to birth.
Birth, as a first moment in a man’s life, represents the premise for a special custom, to which, along side the family, the whole community participates.
As soon as a boy or a girl is born, it’s written in a book in the sky, which is called the Book of Fate, not only the name, but also his/her future and that person will turn out into a good or a bad one. This is where the saying comes from: “this is how it was written for me” or “this is my fate”.
Birth and early childhood have always been promoters of deep tension. Any birth constitutes a new appearance, but it is not known from where the newborn comes. He may by accompanied by all sorts of unseen spirits that can influence the life of the entire family. The moment of birth was perceived in the traditional world as a time of dread, fragility and haunting. Prior to birth the body of the fetus was protected by the womb of the mother, the latter covered by pieces of clothing ornamented with symbolic signs of protection.
The mother's blouse, synonymous to a cultural skin for the two bodies, must never be put on back to front, or with the neck in the back, as this can have a negative effect on the birth of the baby. During the pregnancy talismans were sewn into the hem of the mother's blouse, including cloves of garlic and branches of basil. The midwife would pass a knife through the neck of the blouse of the mother-to-be, to ensure an easy and speedy birth. The shirt worn by the woman in labor had to be sewn with red crosses on the breasts, to promote the symbolic abundance of milk.
The mother has to resort to a series of practices to drive away evil forces and assure a right environment for the growth of the new born. So, next time the mother sees an ugly person she must remember that person is pregnant so as the baby will not turn out as that person. Not to steal anything because that object will appear on the baby’s body right in the place where it was hidden. She mustn’t be afraid of anything because she might get ill. If she craves for something she should ask for it. She should admit to everyone she talks to that she is expecting a baby so as the baby will not be mute.
In Moldova there is a custom that if a pregnant woman is in danger of losing her baby the other women in the village give her a fox’s nose. This way the woman won’t lose the baby and when is time to give birth she will deliver the baby with no complications. The nose can be used on those women who weren’t given what they craved for or who were scared by something.
When it’s time to give birth the midwife is called who warms some water and then puts a red wire in the door case, which is later on tied to the baby’s hand.
The diapers and swaddling clothes of the baby were white, sewn from the shirt of the father, to impregnate the fragile body with manly power. The baby was diapered in a thick woollen cloth over the thin diaper that contained basil, garlic and a red hair to protect it from the evil eye. The swaddling cloth was made of a piece of the red waistband, tied crosswise over the chest of the child to ward off evil spirits.