The ritual and historical background of celebrating the first birthday
It is an ancient Chinese tradition to celebrate the first birthday of a child, which is considered to be one of the signs that a child has grown up. According to legend, the practice of grasping the first week of a child first appeared in the Warring States Period. At that time, people believed that grasping the red string when a child was one year old could protect the child\’s health and longevity. Nowadays, celebrating the first birthday has become an important ceremony for a family to celebrate the growth of their children. In this ceremony, family and friends will prepare some gifts for the children. In addition, there are some more interesting rituals and games. The following will introduce several important aspects of grasping the first week of the year.
A gift for the first birthday
Gifts are an indispensable part of birthday celebrations. Traditionally, parents would prepare some special gifts, such as red dates, longans, pastries, etc., to wish their children longevity and happiness. With the changes of time, today\’s gifts are becoming more and more diverse, including toys, clothes, books, stationery, etc. In addition, some parents will invest in some financial products for their children, such as funds, stocks, etc., to make their children\’s future better.
The ceremony of celebrating the first birthday
In addition to preparing gifts, the ceremony of celebrating the first birthday is also very important. The most classic one is the week-catching game, which is a game that challenges children\’s intelligence and courage. In the game, parents will place some objects around their children, such as books, banknotes, scrolls, etc., and the child needs to grab one of the objects to herald good fortune and happiness in the future. In addition, there are also rituals such as performing handprints and shaving the children\’s heads. These rituals all mean \”removing bad luck and welcoming good luck.\”
Meals for the first birthday
Meals for the first birthday are also very important. Many families will prepare a table of delicacies for their children at their children\’s first birthday banquet, such as birthday peaches, chicken legs, fish, bird\’s nests, etc., which symbolize health, longevity and happiness. In addition, many families also make birthday noodles for their children, which is a very traditional auspicious food that represents family happiness and happiness.
Summary of celebrating the first birthday
As a Chinese tradition, it has gone through hundreds of years of history. In this important ceremony, family and friends will prepare gifts for the children, perform rituals such as Zhou Zhou games, head shaving and handprinting, and prepare delicious banquets for the children. All of this is in the hope that the children can grow up healthily and rely on the blessings of family and friends to move towards a better future. Therefore, celebrating the first birthday is not only a ceremony to celebrate the child\’s growth, but also to cherish the deep emotions between family and friends.
