Taking hold of the future: active childbirth practices and beliefs in Romania (in the home country and in migration), by Adina Hulubaş
The relatively recent urbanization process in Romania allowed traditional
knowledge to be transmitted, despite industrialization and technology
diffusion. Childbirth is still a mysterious event, and magic thinking fills in the
gaps of science in order to keep parents confident and at peace. Taboos are obeyed
after birth and before christening, only to reach the phase when the future can
be moulded: specific elements are chosen for the ritual bath, the child has to
touch several objects that would make them smart, a good singer, etc. A year
later, their future occupation will be predicted in a specific ceremony. All these
active practices are found in urbanites’ families, and also in Romanian immigrant
communities in Western Europe. Rituals are mostly compared to neighbouring
countries, but also to other distant cultures that show striking similarities. This
large geographical spread indicates Indo-European synergies. The identical form
of the post-liminal practice of haircutting in Eastern Europe and the Asian rite
of passage have not been previously dwelt upon, and it implies the existence of
traditional thinking universalia.
Keywords: birth customs, magic thinking, migration, rites, superstitions