My little boy will be turning 1 in 3 weeks. I’m thrilled to throw a small party to celebrate his very first birthday. I agree with many that it’s the adults who will enjoy the party a whole lot more, but we do a lot of things for self satisfaction, knowing that we’ve done the “right” thing for our loved ones, right?
Anyway, there seems to be lots of Chinese beliefs involving a baby turning one. One of them is that the maternal grandma will have to present the baby with his first pair of shoes. I’m not sure why it is specific to the maternal grandmother only. And then, he’s also supposed to hold a drumstick in his little hands on his birthday. Surely he can’t be expected to enjoy it, but we’ll let him have the thrill of holding food in his hands for the first time anyway.
I’m not sure what else the parents or the baby needs to do to signify or bring in wellness during his very first birthday. Anyone cares to share? And oh, do you know if parents are supposed to bear special gifts for the baby too?
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Congratulations! We’ve heard it said that one should bring one’s child across some bridge (any bridge will do). Signifies the entry to a new stage, or something like that. Could be just for some Hokkiens though, and we didn’t really follow through ourselves.
Thank you! Hmm…now I’m gonna have to find some kind of bridge around the neighbourhood! Thanks for sharing, this is getting real interesting!