An interesting thing about life overseas is you gradually uncover superstitions of this new culture. We have plenty of our own, but they are so ingrained in our culture that we hardly notice them. The most evident superstition here that I have encountered so far (perhaps because of my heavy emphasis on obstetrics and newborns in clinic at the hospital) is the color red as protection.
Pregnant women often wear a red cord either around their waist or their wrist. Once the baby arrives, the first thing the family does is slap on some red, anywhere. By the time they come back for a checkup, they are decked out, as in the photo above. The most impressive outfit I saw was a baby who was sick, and I'm guessing the order here goes: put on as much red as you possibly can, given Tylenol, bring to hospital. He was wrapped in a red blanket, with a red wrap around his belly (protecting where the umbilical cord falls off), with red socks, red hat, red clothing, a red cord around his wrist, and finally a red piece of cloth pinned to the red shirt.
*Another interesting observation: women immediately after delivery here have a superstition about "air." Apparently air getting in their ears can make them very sick, so doting grandmothers bring cotton balls to the hospital and a bandana; once the baby is born, they put the cotton in the new mother's ears, wrap a scarf around her head, and leave it like this for at least a few weeks.*
The best explanation I've heard so far about the red superstition is that it protects babies from the "evil eye." Some people are thought to have the power to cast a bad spell by staring at someone with the evil eye. Red supposedly protects babies from this, though it seems that the superstition likely extends further than this.
The red is cute, but every time I see it, I think of how fearful parents must be of anything happening to their child. The intersection of cultural norms with spiritual beliefs is complicated as they are often very intertwined.
*Another interesting observation: women immediately after delivery here have a superstition about "air." Apparently air getting in their ears can make them very sick, so doting grandmothers bring cotton balls to the hospital and a bandana; once the baby is born, they put the cotton in the new mother's ears, wrap a scarf around her head, and leave it like this for at least a few weeks.*
The best explanation I've heard so far about the red superstition is that it protects babies from the "evil eye." Some people are thought to have the power to cast a bad spell by staring at someone with the evil eye. Red supposedly protects babies from this, though it seems that the superstition likely extends further than this.
The red is cute, but every time I see it, I think of how fearful parents must be of anything happening to their child. The intersection of cultural norms with spiritual beliefs is complicated as they are often very intertwined.
