Birth


All rites of passage, from birth to marriage and death, with everything in between, are marked by ritual. This pattern of ritual observance, first documented by the noted French anthropologist Arnold van Gennep (1873-1957) has been recorded across all cultures and times.

Traditionally in Ireland, great emphasis was placed on conception and childbearing. But a number of obstacles could stand in the way. According to folk belief, a malicious person, by tying a knot in a handkerchief as the couple exchanged their vows, could prevent them from conceiving. If a pregnant woman encountered a hare, her child could have a hare lip; to prevent this, she should rip her blouse or dress to pass the blemish onto the clothing instead. And a pregnant woman was not supposed to enter a graveyard, lest she come too close to death.

A number of customs were associated with the birth itself. A child born at night was said to have the power to see ghosts and fairies, but only after midnight and not if he or she was born on a Sunday. An older custom said that a child born on Whit Sunday, the seventh Sunday after Easter, would either kill or be killed; to avoid this fate, a worm was crushed into the baby’s hand, thus ensuring he or she did not later kill a person. A person born on May Day was said to be lucky.

A child born with a caul (a membrane covering their head) was said to be lucky, and the caul was kept. Sometimes, fishermen took the caul to sea for good luck and to protect against drowning. According to contemporary folklore, a child born with a caul may have special abilities, particular physical gifts or extraordinary powers of intuition or perception which are sometimes linked to the supernatural.

Birth is the beginning. Today, children are welcomed into the world with greeting cards, flowers or balloons, and gifts. The majority of people in Ireland baptise their children into the Catholic faith. In the 2011 census, 84 per cent of the population in Ireland identified themselves as Catholic. The baptism ceremony is a religious ritual, but traditions can be observed at its fringes. The baby is often wrapped in a Christening blanket, which may have been passed from one generation to the next. Godparents are chosen, ostensibly to provide spiritual guidance to the child, but increasingly the role is seen as providing general guidance and support to the child and his or her parents throughout their lives.

Not everybody christens their child, but many parents are keen to mark the arrival of a new life into the world – although, outside of a religious framework, it can be difficult for them to know what to do. However, non-religious parents, to date, generally have to be inventive when deciding on a ceremony to welcome their child into the world, and often do not mark the birth at all. The Humanist Association of Ireland conducts baby naming ceremonies with no religious connotations. The ceremony might include poetry, speeches, or other ways of marking the birth. However, they remain a minority, albeit a growing one.


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