Family Rite: From Antiquity to Modernity

Since ancient times, childbirth has been considered a mystical process. They believed that at the moment of the birth of a new person, the line between the other world and the human world is so thin that all evil spirits easily pass through it. Beliefs said that only special sacred words and rituals could prevent this.

In addition, pregnancy and childbirth were a kind of initiation for a woman: giving life to a new creature, she herself ceased to exist as just a woman and was reborn as a fertile mother. A completely new stage in her life was beginning, and this beginning was magical, partly pagan, but richly flavored with Christian symbolism.

In conclusion, many traditions of modern obstetrics have their roots in the past. We cannot always logically trace these centuries-old connections, but what is surprising is that we feel them intuitively. Therefore, as in old times, when protecting a child from the evil eye, we do not like to praise our children, and we put a fig in our pocket when others praise them. But what can we do if such things are in our blood?

Insets:

1. A few days before the expected birth, the pregnant woman began undressing. For the most important moment, she had to remain in only her underwear with the collar open, without jewelry and with her hair down.

2. The place of birth was also secret to others. It was believed that giving birth in the house was prohibited. For the birth itself, a non-residential, separate place was chosen - a bathhouse, a barn, a barn.

3. On January 8, they even celebrated a special professional holiday - women's porridge. The profession of a midwife was respected not only during life: it was believed that in the afterlife she would not have to suffer for her sins.

4. Fright is a very ancient technique that midwives resorted to if it was necessary to induce or speed up labor. The woman was shouted at, scared by shooting, or suddenly sprayed with water.