It's in my nature to dwell on the negative, but I'm going to try to change that. It won't be easy, especially on mornings like today when the baby wouldn't drink any milk--from the breast or the bottle, and instead just cried and cried. But he's asleep now, and I'm just going to assume that he will wake up in a better mood.
Anyway, I've got lots of catching up to do blogwise, so I'm going to start with Evan's first shrine visit. About a month after a baby's birth, s/he is taken to the local shrine to be "introduced" to the Shinto god that resides there and to pray for the baby's health and wellbeing. I suppose it's like a baptism.
Last Friday was the baby's first hospital check-up, so it made sense to do the first shrine visit the following day. We went to the shrine close to our home. It's customary for the paternal grandmother to hold the baby during the ceremony. It originally had something to do with the mother not being pure because of the experience of giving birth (excuse me for not being "pure"!). Nowadays they say that it's to let the mother rest. I was a little sad about it, being as possessive as I am. In fact, because many people now do the shrine visit in their own way, not necessarily following every custom (some couples even go by themselves), I had hoped that we could do our own thing. But that wasn't to be, and my mother-in-law held Evan.
As is the custom, a special kimono was draped over the baby and the grandmother. My mother-in-law had one made with the family crest inset (I don't think most people do, but the family is very traditional).
The ceremony was quite simple, and the baby slept through most of it. The priest chanted a prayer as he banged on a drum, and he also performed a purification ceremony. Each member of our family was given a branch from a sacred tree (don't know what it was) to offer to the shrine god with our appreciation for the birth of the baby and prayers for his health. It was kind of funny because the priest explained before the ceremony what exactly to do with the branch, but I was the only one who followed his instructions correctly...
My favorite part of the day was after the ceremony, when the priest gave us, the parents, a little prep talk (which Ko-chan ran out of because of an upset stomach...the priest was quite surprised), and when he carried the baby to the front of the shrine (the altar?) to "show" the baby. I'm not a religious person, but something about seeing the baby being held by the gentle priest, with the sunlight shining on him, was very moving. Here's the picture.
All in all, it was a memorable experience, my wounded pride notwithstanding.
No comments:
Post a Comment