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China Elevator Stories
Chinese traditions: Ritual for 5-day-old newborn
My Chinese mother-in-law asks my husband to perform a ritual on our son.
24/11/2014
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
In July 2014, my husband and I are in Austria. When our son turns 5 days old, my Chinese mother-in-law (who’s living in China) asks my husband to perform a ritual:
My husband takes a blanket in both hands and briefly covers the door of our bedroom with it. He then does the same with the window. Finally, he places the blanket over our son for a second. And that’s it!
When he’s done, I ask him about the meaning of the ritual. My husband doesn’t know, so we call my mother-in-law to ask. She explains that this ritual is meant to help keep illnesses out and away from our son.
Have you ever heard of this ritual?