Birth: A Rite of Passage for the Newborn, Parents, and Community - Essay Sample

Introduction

The birthday is considered a rite of passage for the newborn, the parents, and the community at large. A new member has been received in the family and so more duties and roles to the parents. In ancient times, this transition led to different rites to be performed in the community by our ancestors. Various taboos relating to pregnancy and birth are conducted, a ritual for safe delivery is conducted, to secure a fortune for the newborn is also necessary. Rite to welcome the child to the community, and also a ceremony to readmit the parents to the society as their state has changed. In modern society, there is a significant change as many of the rites are not conducted, and doctors perform some if the need arises. In the American context, one of the ceremonies that have been preserved is the baby shower. It is essential as friends and relatives tend to come together and provide the necessary basic needs for the newborn.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Modern time birthdays have become very common. That is a ceremony whereby an individual celebrates the Anniversary of his or her birth. The birthday is marked with a different culture whereby an individual has presented a gift, and sometimes a party is conducted. A birthday cake is ubiquitous, and it was also evidenced in ancient times when the Greeks made a beautiful cake with candles and offered to the moon. The candle has a meaning since it sends an individual's prayer to the above Almighty. For the Germans, the candle symbolizes the light of life to the individual celebrating a birthday; hence one blows off the candle with great joy. Birthdays are celebrated in America, and the most common is on 5th October. Balloons are ordinary, and the birthday individual is given a cake with candles on top. As one lit the candles, a melodious song of happy birthday is always sung, and the birthday person makes his or her wish. If one blows out all candles, then it symbolizes that all his or her dreams will come true. Gifts are also handed over to the person; for instance, birthday cards not forgetting that delicious food is served. Cultural beliefs and practices are shared with different people, and some may be similar, like cake, eating, and singing.

Social Actors are crucial in any birthday setting. They are believed to share some cultural meanings and beliefs as they enact their roles. Social actors possess some characteristics that make them very competitive. They tend to share common religious beliefs, shared values and knowledge, share the same language, and thoroughly enjoy the access of a rare resource. Social actors, at times, share the same language hence makes individuals of the groups easily communicate with each other. They can also engage in similar social activities in their day to day activities-for instance, people who work in the same institution (Barnard, 2019). We can easily recognize groups that enact the birthday ceremony as they share specific characteristics.

A ritual is vital as some insights are derived from the event. The rituals tend to promote unity and oneness in the community. We get a better understanding of the essence of unity. Through the event people, it discourages individualism whereby people tend to be endowed by the desire to pursue their self-interests. By interacting with people during the event you are nurtured, molded, it motivates us and builds our families. People tend to make transitions in their lives and mark significant events, remembering when you were born. We express joy, happiness, gratitude, and above all, give thanks to almighty since you can start a new chapter in life.

The Birthday Ritual tends to bring a communal identity like in the ancient time, whereby the ancestors used to come together and create ties of a universal kinship (Altman & Holmes, 2018). They could drink from the same pot and eat together, celebrating a birthday for a newborn. Birthday is an expression of our culture since it involves strong bonding between family members, relatives, and friends. It is a joyful ceremony, and everyone could love to be associated with the event. Like in the modern world, many people post on social media about their birthday, and we too congratulate and wish them well in their daily endeavors. Birthday rite reflects the diversity of human beings. It is because some cultures celebrate it differently from another. For instance, in America, a birthday is different from the one in China.

Studies have been carried out by Lavenda and Schultz, and some insights have been derived from the research concerning birthday event. First, they view culture as learned ideas and behaviors acquired by people as members of society. Culture and ethnocentrism are evident with a birthday that is trying to use practices of our people to measure how well the customs and traditions of other people are. For example, through the birthday party, we can differentiate between USA Culture and Chinese culture. A particular group had a specific set of customs depends on where they are born into and from where the traditions are learned.

Customs, beliefs, and practices differ, but each group has its own set of customs; hence all people tend to be equally cultured. A symbol is a representation of something as well as culture and symbolism go hand in hand. Since literature represents learned practices acquired and shared with members of a particular social group. It makes one adapt quickly to the group, and it is practiced from one generation to another. As well, birthday existed from time immemorial, and still, they continue to be practiced in society, and this has become a culture. The birthday can be different and may symbolize different concepts in different communities.

World View tries to establish symbol frameworks on a set of assumptions upon which we understand how the world works. In societies, world views exist, for instance, a myth. It tends to resolve any logical contradiction in human experience. Members of a community have an absolute myth in which they believe in. A ritual also is understood from the event as it represents a social practice done in a society after a certain period, of which it does not have any relationship with religion (Altman & Holmes, 2018). It is invented, transformed, and learned by each member of a defined group. It is a rite of passage that happens when a member is turned from one stage of life to another, for example, male circumcision, which is a transformation of a boy child from childhood to adulthood.

Culture is an excellent concept in Anthropology and should be understood from different perspectives. Culture is learned ideas, behaviors, and ways, and people practice different cultures throughout the globe. It creates a sense of belonging to the community, and the individual feels comfortable and adapts to the idea of life. Different societies have different rites of passage, for example, birthday, wedding which plays a significant role in understanding the culture and its perspectives.

References

Barnard, A. (2019). Lavenda, Robert H., and Emily A. Schultz: Anthropology. What Does It Mean to Be Human?. Anthropos, 108(1), 335-336. doi: 10.5771/0257-9774-2013-1-335-1

Altman, Y., & Holmes, L. (2018). The rites of passage of crossdisciplinary concepts. Career Development International, 10(1), 67-70. doi: 10.1108/13620430510577637