I went on a trip yesterday, and since then, I have been in a new environment, experiencing other people's lifestyles. One thing I saw today struck me, and I decided to come and write here since there's a community for culture and tradition on Hive.
A family in the city I traveled to, recently gave birth to a baby girl. It has been three days since the baby arrived, and it's a tradition in Nigeria that the baby will be named on the 8th day. At least, that's the lifestyle I was brought up with, and that’s what’s applicable in the part of Nigeria I'm from.
This afternoon, I saw the mother of the newborn baby carrying the baby outside the house. I was so surprised that I had to ask the people around to confirm if the baby was truly born three days ago, and they told me that she was indeed born three days ago.
In the state of Nigeria that I come from, a newborn baby cannot be seen outside until the naming ceremony is done. If by chance they need to take the baby outside, they would have to cover the baby's face so that it doesn't get exposed to the outside environment.
Unfortunately for me, I grew up to meet that law, and I have never bothered to ask the reason why it is so. I believed that the same principle was applicable to every newborn baby in every part of Nigeria, Africa, and the world in general. But what I saw today gave me a reason to realize that that culture is only applicable in my state and not the whole of Nigeria or the world at large.
You that is reading this, how is it done in your country? This is a culture community, and I would like to learn about people's cultures here.
As for the family with the newborn baby, I asked the mother why she came out with the baby. She said she was feeling hot inside and needed some fresh air. There were people around, and I didn’t want to be mocked for having a strange tradition if I had asked or told them how wrong it is, in my culture, to bring out a baby that’s not up to 8 days old.
That was the moment I recalled that I have watched many American movies, and I never saw that they kept the baby indoors for 8 days before bringing them out. Also, those babies were likely borrowed babies (actors) and had already passed the 8-day mark. So, it could be that Americans keep the law of keeping the baby indoors until the day of child naming, which is on the 8th day.