Фея Убивающего Домика Сommander orden de la Hacha
Irish Traditions in Pregnancy
A glimpse of some of the customs and beliefs that the Irish have held regarding childbirth and motherhood.
LABOR & DELIVERY
Often times when the time for delivery had arrived there was strong encouragement for the father and other male family members to congregate at the Pub to await news of the birth. In spite of the stereotype, this was not so the men could drink as much as it was because the Pub was a family social center and births, deaths, weddings, and church events were recognized and celebrated in that social center. Some of the men interviewed stated that they had attended the births of their children — sometimes against the dire warnings of their families!
There are several different methods for dealing with the pain and stress of labor and childbirth. Some of these include praying the rosary, piercing the clothing of the laboring mother with a needle that had the eye broken to “pierce” the pain and keep it from staying with the mother, and keeping a Saint’s Medal on hand. Keeping religious or spiritual objects around helped ensure the safety of the infant.
Babies born at night would have the power of seeing ghosts and fairies. But if they were born between midnight and noon they would not have this ability. Babies born on May Day were thought to be assured of good luck. Lastly, it is considered bad luck for three people in the same household to be born in the same month.
The Irish, who view fairies much differently than Americans had grave concerns that the fairies would steal newborn babies, and specific actions were required to keep this from happening. When a recovering mother or a baby became sickly, it was believed that the fairies had stolen them away and left a changeling in their place. To avoid this, precautions were taken and, although simple, they were thought to be highly effective. Some of these would be tying a red ribbon across the cradle or crib, and one around the baby’s ankle or wrist until they were a year old. Some family members went so far as to sew bits of red ribbon into all the baby’s clothes to ensure they were protected. A cloth exposed to the sun on St. Brigid’s Feast Day was thought to protect mother and baby. Putting a piece of iron in the hem of baby’s clothing or salt under the cradle of the crib also provided protection .
irishhistoryandgenealogy.wordpress.com
A glimpse of some of the customs and beliefs that the Irish have held regarding childbirth and motherhood.
LABOR & DELIVERY
Often times when the time for delivery had arrived there was strong encouragement for the father and other male family members to congregate at the Pub to await news of the birth. In spite of the stereotype, this was not so the men could drink as much as it was because the Pub was a family social center and births, deaths, weddings, and church events were recognized and celebrated in that social center. Some of the men interviewed stated that they had attended the births of their children — sometimes against the dire warnings of their families!
There are several different methods for dealing with the pain and stress of labor and childbirth. Some of these include praying the rosary, piercing the clothing of the laboring mother with a needle that had the eye broken to “pierce” the pain and keep it from staying with the mother, and keeping a Saint’s Medal on hand. Keeping religious or spiritual objects around helped ensure the safety of the infant.
Babies born at night would have the power of seeing ghosts and fairies. But if they were born between midnight and noon they would not have this ability. Babies born on May Day were thought to be assured of good luck. Lastly, it is considered bad luck for three people in the same household to be born in the same month.
The Irish, who view fairies much differently than Americans had grave concerns that the fairies would steal newborn babies, and specific actions were required to keep this from happening. When a recovering mother or a baby became sickly, it was believed that the fairies had stolen them away and left a changeling in their place. To avoid this, precautions were taken and, although simple, they were thought to be highly effective. Some of these would be tying a red ribbon across the cradle or crib, and one around the baby’s ankle or wrist until they were a year old. Some family members went so far as to sew bits of red ribbon into all the baby’s clothes to ensure they were protected. A cloth exposed to the sun on St. Brigid’s Feast Day was thought to protect mother and baby. Putting a piece of iron in the hem of baby’s clothing or salt under the cradle of the crib also provided protection .
irishhistoryandgenealogy.wordpress.com