Red Egg and Ginger Party

What do a name and an egg have to do with each other? If you're in China you might be invited to a Red Egg and Ginger, baby-naming party - a celebration held after the baby's first month of life. Since infant mortality is relatively high, it is felt if the child survives the first month of life, he will be okay. The egg, considered a delicacy in ancient China, represents fertility and is dyed the color of red for good luck. At the ceremonial feast, the baby's head is shaved and gifts are presented to the new life. The girls head is shaved before the image of "Mother", the Goddess of Children, and the boy head is shaved before the ancestral table. The symbolism of this practice is not entirely known, but it is speculated that this is the removing of the birth hair, to mark the point of the child's independent existence. Today, many Asian grandparents believe that shaving the girls' head at birth is a way to encourage the growth of long, lustrous hair although this practice isn't usually done during Asian American celebrations today. Guests attending red egg and ginger parties can bring gifts of clothing or "lucky money" in red envelopes. Lysee or "lucky money" in red envelopes is often given to baby boys, while girls may receive jewelry by close relatives. Guests receive red-dyed eggs and ginger at the party. Additionally, instead of sending thank you cards to the guests, more traditional parents may send thank you gifts consisting of small round biscuits with pork in them. More modern Chinese families use brightly colored eggs as party favors at their adapted ceremonies. Superstitious as they are, the Chinese wouldn't dare name a child before he is born! Instead they will give him a fake or "milk" name - something very undesirable, such as "mud-face" or "excerement" that is meant to disgust evil spirits and trick them to stay away from the child. These names may stay with children throughout childhood and beyond to protect them from evil spirits. On the heels of the many childbirth practices they follow, the Chinese believe that each child is unique and should carry an individual moniker; however this is becoming increasingly difficult for them to follow as the most populous country in the world." What do a name and an egg have to do with each other? If you're in China you might be invited to a Red Egg and Ginger, baby-naming party - a celebration held after the baby's first month of life. Since infant mortality is relatively high, it is felt if the child survives the first month of life, he will be okay. The egg, considered a delicacy in ancient China, represents fertility and is dyed the color of red for good luck. At the ceremonial feast, the baby's head is shaved and gifts are presented to the new life. The girls head is shaved before the image of "Mother", the Goddess of Children, and the boy head is shaved before the ancestral table. The symbolism of this practice is not entirely known, but it is speculated that this is the removing of the birth hair, to mark the point of the child's independent existence. Today, many Asian grandparents believe that shaving the girls' head at birth is a way to encourage the growth of long, lustrous hair although this practice isn't usually done during Asian American celebrations today. Guests attending red egg and ginger parties can bring gifts of clothing or "lucky money" in red envelopes. Lysee or "lucky money" in red envelopes is often given to baby boys, while girls may receive jewelry by close relatives. Guests receive red-dyed eggs and ginger at the party. Additionally, instead of sending thank you cards to the guests, more traditional parents may send thank you gifts consisting of small round biscuits with pork in them. More modern Chinese families use brightly colored eggs as party favors at their adapted ceremonies. Superstitious as they are, the Chinese wouldn't dare name a child before he is born! Instead they will give him a fake or "milk" name - something very undesirable, such as "mud-face" or "excrement" that is meant to disgust evil spirits and trick them to stay away from the child. These names may stay with children throughout childhood and beyond to protect them from evil spirits. On the heels of the many childbirth practices they follow, the Chinese believe that each child is unique and should carry an individual moniker; however this is becoming increasingly difficult for them to follow as the most populous country in the world."