Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives

Cultural beliefs and practices find expression through rituals. Rites of initiation or passage are some of the most common rituals among the indigenous African societies. Pregnancy and Childbirth are not only biological events, but also socially and culturally constructed with associated symbols tha...

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Autores principales:	Magdalena Ohaja, Chinemerem Anyim
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	rituals pregnancy birth cultural practices Africa Religions. Mythology. Rationalism BL1-2790
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/fbb7d57cd8614b2ab3f41b4826efe169
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:fbb7d57cd8614b2ab3f41b4826efe169
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:fbb7d57cd8614b2ab3f41b4826efe1692021-11-25T18:53:29ZRituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives10.3390/rel121110242077-1444https://doaj.org/article/fbb7d57cd8614b2ab3f41b4826efe1692021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/1024https://doaj.org/toc/2077-1444Cultural beliefs and practices find expression through rituals. Rites of initiation or passage are some of the most common rituals among the indigenous African societies. Pregnancy and Childbirth are not only biological events, but also socially and culturally constructed with associated symbols that represent the social identities and cultural values of Africans. Birth is a rite of passage, and children are perceived as special gifts from the Supreme Being. As such, pregnancy and childbirth are special events cherished and celebrated through varied rituals. Drawing on empirical literature and relevant commentaries, this paper aims to discuss selected rituals and embodied practices surrounding the start of life (pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood). The paper will specifically focus on the following aspects: pregnancy rituals; birth songs and dancing; the <i>omugwo</i> (care after birth); the cord and placenta rituals; and the naming ceremony. Some of the pregnancy rituals are purificatory in nature and therefore beneficial for maternal and infant health. The celebrations surrounding the birth of a child are community events, marked with singing and dancing. Following childbirth, the new mothers are not expected to participate in house chores to allow them time to recuperate. In all, discourses concerning the beginning of life, i.e., pregnancy and the periods surrounding it, are filled with rituals which are embodiments or expressions of cultural values, customs, and beliefs.Magdalena OhajaChinemerem AnyimMDPI AGarticleritualspregnancybirthcultural practicesAfricaReligions. Mythology. RationalismBL1-2790ENReligions, Vol 12, Iss 1024, p 1024 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	rituals pregnancy birth cultural practices Africa Religions. Mythology. Rationalism BL1-2790
spellingShingle	rituals pregnancy birth cultural practices Africa Religions. Mythology. Rationalism BL1-2790 Magdalena Ohaja Chinemerem Anyim Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives
description	Cultural beliefs and practices find expression through rituals. Rites of initiation or passage are some of the most common rituals among the indigenous African societies. Pregnancy and Childbirth are not only biological events, but also socially and culturally constructed with associated symbols that represent the social identities and cultural values of Africans. Birth is a rite of passage, and children are perceived as special gifts from the Supreme Being. As such, pregnancy and childbirth are special events cherished and celebrated through varied rituals. Drawing on empirical literature and relevant commentaries, this paper aims to discuss selected rituals and embodied practices surrounding the start of life (pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood). The paper will specifically focus on the following aspects: pregnancy rituals; birth songs and dancing; the <i>omugwo</i> (care after birth); the cord and placenta rituals; and the naming ceremony. Some of the pregnancy rituals are purificatory in nature and therefore beneficial for maternal and infant health. The celebrations surrounding the birth of a child are community events, marked with singing and dancing. Following childbirth, the new mothers are not expected to participate in house chores to allow them time to recuperate. In all, discourses concerning the beginning of life, i.e., pregnancy and the periods surrounding it, are filled with rituals which are embodiments or expressions of cultural values, customs, and beliefs.
format	article
author	Magdalena Ohaja Chinemerem Anyim
author_facet	Magdalena Ohaja Chinemerem Anyim
author_sort	Magdalena Ohaja
title	Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives
title_short	Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives
title_full	Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives
title_fullStr	Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives
title_full_unstemmed	Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives
title_sort	rituals and embodied cultural practices at the beginning of life: african perspectives
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/fbb7d57cd8614b2ab3f41b4826efe169
work_keys_str_mv	AT magdalenaohaja ritualsandembodiedculturalpracticesatthebeginningoflifeafricanperspectives AT chinemeremanyim ritualsandembodiedculturalpracticesatthebeginningoflifeafricanperspectives
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Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives

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