Folklore of Kürse Village (2): Customs Relating to Birth and Children

Chapter I: Customs

Customs are behaviours that are widespread amongst the people and passed down from generation to generation; they may be regarded as right or wrong, good or bad, by various groups. During my research, I have observed that these forms of behaviour—which are generally practised by the people exactly as seen in their ancestors, without much thought as to their correctness or incorrectness—are increasingly being filtered as the cultural level of society rises. Traditions and customs are no longer regarded by the general public as absolute rules to be followed blindly without considering what they are or why they exist. Of course, this is generally the case amongst the younger generation. It is, of course, possible to observe the opposite amongst the elderly. I should point out that the customs I shall describe below are, presumably due to the influence of radio and television, now merely spoken of amongst the people. It is evident from the tone adopted whilst recounting them that these customs are no longer widely believed in, a fact which is also explicitly stated by the narrators themselves. Nevertheless, some beautiful customs, which are believed to be correct, continue to thrive with great vigour. I shall endeavour to present these customs here in the form in which they are recounted amongst the people—whether they are considered right or wrong, believed or disbelieved. Whilst some of these have lost their vitality, others still retain it.

Customs Related to Childbirth

In the house where a birth is due to take place, a sense of excitement and bustle begins to build amongst family members as the birth approaches. Everyone offers their opinions and wishes regarding whether the newborn will be a boy or a girl. The name to be given is decided based on whether the child is expected to be a boy or a girl.

As there is a midwife assigned to the village, her assistance is sought for pre-birth ailments and during the birth itself. In dangerous situations, the village midwife’s advice is followed, and the family seeks help at the maternity hospital in the town.

A. Good and Bad Superstitions Concerning the Mother

It is considered bad luck to leave a woman who has just given birth alone at home. It is said that if she is left alone, the child will be swapped by fairies. If the mother must be left alone, a piece of iron is placed on the inside of the door. Alternatively, the mother must carry a piece of iron with her. To this end, a key is usually tied to the drawstring of her trousers. Otherwise, it is said that a fairy or the devil will come.

If a newborn child resembles its mother, it is said that the mother ‘looked in the mirror too much whilst pregnant’. If two women who have recently given birth meet before forty days have passed, and they are wearing safety pins, they will swap places; otherwise, their ‘forty days’ will become entangled and their children will fall ill.

If two women who have recently given birth meet before forty days have passed, their children will fall ill. In such a meeting, the child of the woman who is the first to stand up will be spared from falling ill.

A woman who dies whilst in the postnatal period is considered a martyr.

B. Good and Bad Beliefs Concerning Children

It is said that boys resemble their uncles, whilst girls resemble their aunts.

If a newborn is given its first breast milk three prayer times after birth, the child will be patient.

If a child does not cry until they are forty days old, they will cry a great deal after the forty days have passed. If, however, they cry a great deal before reaching forty days old, their crying will diminish after the forty days have passed. If the child’s umbilical cord is placed between the stones of a mosque wall, the child will grow up to be devout.

The child must be bathed for the first time after reaching twenty days old. The child is not bathed before this; they are merely cleaned and wiped at birth. It is said that if they are bathed before this, they will fall ill.

This first bath, taken when the child is twenty days old, is called ‘yarı kırklama’. A little salt is added to the water used to bathe the child. To prevent odours, the child’s mouth, armpits and groin are wiped with salt water. It is not good for the sun to set on the baby’s clothes if they are washed and hung out to dry before the baby is forty days old, as this causes illness. It is not good to leave the baby’s clothes outside overnight. If the clothes are ‘exposed to the moon’, the child will not recover from diarrhoea.

If someone spits into a small child’s mouth, the spitter’s special abilities are passed on to the child.

Naming

Naming a newborn child is also a ceremonial occasion. Once the child is three days old, they are named using the agreed-upon name.

This ceremony is conducted as follows: the eldest male among the child’s close relatives—or, if no suitable person is available, the village imam—recites the call to prayer three times in the child’s presence and whispers the intended name into the child’s ear three times. During this, the child’s face is covered with a cloth. Once the ceremony is over, this veil is removed. The person bestowing the name prays, saying, ‘We have given him his name; may Allah grant him a long life’. The person bestowing the name is presented with gifts such as a towel or a handkerchief.

When naming a child, care is usually taken to use the names of the child’s deceased close relatives, so that their memories may be kept alive. Sometimes, common names of former religious leaders or prominent Turkish figures are chosen. In addition, care is taken to choose original names (original Turkish names specific to the village) that are not commonly found in the village. Furthermore, during the naming ceremony, attention is paid to the phonetic similarity between the names of siblings. This phonetic similarity is sometimes maintained amongst the children of relatives as well. For example, the following phonetic similarities amongst close relatives—comprising the children and grandchildren of two people who are siblings—are striking: Gülderen, Gülseren, Gülfen, Ergün, Erdoğan, Ercan, Gürcan, Rıdvan, İrfan, Gürkan, Erkan, Serkan, İmran, Osman, Nurhan, Ayhan, Reyhan, Seyhan… As can be seen, almost all of these names end with the sounds –an or –en. Such phonetic similarities in names are a tradition in several other families as well.

C. Other Beliefs Concerning Children

I have already outlined some of the beliefs concerning children above. Here, I shall attempt to present further beliefs relating to children, but which are practised in the form of rituals or treatments. The most distinctive feature of these beliefs is that they are practised, and that some are still observed today, whether people believe in them or not. As can be seen, there are some very interesting ones amongst these, as well as those that reflect ancient Turkish traditions.

The ‘Forty-Day Ritual’

If a baby falls ill within the first one or two months, it is believed that the baby’s ‘forty’ has become entangled with that of another baby born on the same day, or with that of any animal’s young (such as a cat, dog or mouse). It is said that this is the cause of the child’s illness. The child cries constantly and does not recover until the ‘forty’ separation ceremony has been performed. To determine whether the child’s ‘forty’ has been mixed up, one looks at their legs. If the child constantly crosses one leg over the other, it is said that their ‘forty’ has been mixed up.

The ‘Kırk’ Separation Ceremony

This is a ceremony performed by the relatives of a child whose ‘kırk’ has become mixed up. For this, on a Saturday morning before sunrise, whilst no one is watching, water is collected from seven continuously flowing springs. A small amount of ash is sifted into the collected water using the reverse side of a sieve. Three small stones, taken from a place where three roads meet, are then thrown into the mixture. The child is bathed with this water. The ash remaining at the bottom of the water is wrapped in a piece of cloth and placed under the child’s pillow. If the child’s ‘kırk’ has become entangled, the following day, fine hairs are seen to emerge from the ash wrapped in the cloth. This process is repeated for three Saturdays. The hairs, which are abundant in the first week, gradually disappear. It is said that, judging by this, the illness is gradually losing its hold.

There is another form of the ‘forty-day’ ritual. This is also carried out on Saturdays. It must be performed on Saturday mornings before sunrise. To do this, a vessel is filled with forty soup spoons of water. The child’s mother throws a coin into the water. The child is stood on the threshold of the door. Red or white woollen thread is tied to their feet. A red thread is tied to one arm and a white thread to the other. A ferace is draped over them. (A ‘ferace’ is a long, loose-fitting, black garment worn by village women over their normal clothes when outside the home. It is a particularly common garment in the villages of the Balıkesir region.) Some of the water from the container is poured over the ferace. The child is given three sips of a small amount of the water. The remaining water must be poured over the family dog. The ferace is then removed. The threads tied to the child’s feet are cut. At this point, one of the people standing next to the person cutting the thread asks, ‘What are you cutting?’ three times. The woman performing the treatment also repeats three times, ‘I am cutting forty.’ The treatment is over. The mother, taking the child, hurries away without looking back.

Aydaş Roasting

Aydaş kavurma is also carried out early on Saturdays. Three stones are placed at the junction of three roads, and an empty cauldron is set upon them. The child is seated inside the cauldron. Three embers are placed beneath the cauldron. One of those present wraps a red piece of cloth around the end of a rolling pin and pretends to stir the cauldron. Another person mounts the water carrier (a pole used to carry water containers) as if riding a donkey. They take three sticks (pieces of wood) in their hand. He begins to run round the cauldron. Meanwhile, he asks the person stirring the cauldron, ‘What are you roasting?’ The other replies three times, ‘I’m roasting Aydaş.’ The person running says, ‘I’ll roast it too,’ and carries on running. As they spin, they slip the sticks in their hand under the cauldron. When the ritual is over, the child’s mother takes the child and walks home without looking back. The cauldron is then placed upside down on the stones to complete the ritual.

This treatment is carried out for weak and frail children. Indeed, the word ‘aydaş’ is used to mean weak or frail.

Exorcism

If a child between one and six months old is weak and frail, and this weakness is persistent, it is said that the child has been ‘possessed by the devil’. According to the accounts of elderly women, in the past, a child believed to have been possessed by a devil would be wrapped in old clothes on a Saturday and buried up to the waist in dry animal bones. Addressing the devil, the phrase “Take your own, give us our little one” is repeated three times. The mother would then take the child and run away without looking back. It was believed that the child would then recover. This custom has now fallen into disuse. Even those who recount it today laugh at the notion.

Salt Jar

This is a custom that can be performed from when the baby is one week old until they are forty days old. On a Friday or Monday evening, elderly women are invited to a meal. When the women have gathered, the child is bathed in water containing a pinch of salt. They are then laid down with a belt tied around their waist. Afterwards, the meal is eaten. After the meal, all the spoons on the table are gathered onto a plate, stirred rapidly and clattered together. At this point, the women all say together:

— ‘May our son (or daughter) speak quickly, may he or she speak soon,’ they say.

The table is then raised and lowered three times towards the ceiling, whilst they all say together once more:

— ‘May our son (or daughter) grow up quickly, may he (or she) walk quickly,’ and the ceremony is concluded.

Seven Mehmet Loaves

For a woman who has recently given birth and has no milk, half a slice of bread is taken from each of seven households where there is a person named Mehmet. The bread is given to a shepherd. The shepherd dips the bread in seven different springs. He brings it back and gives it to the woman. It is believed that if the woman eats these pieces of bread, her milk will come in.

Treatment for Bead Disease

Bead disease is a feverish illness seen in children. For treatment, a long rose branch is split in two, provided that one end remains intact. Red thread is tied to both ends of the stem. The child is passed through the gap in the stem three times. It is believed that, during this process, the illness remains in the rose stem. The rose stem is buried in a grave-like hole dug at the edge of a fence.

Relieving Breathing Difficulties

A child who has caught a chill and has a rattling throat is said to be ‘choking’. To treat this, the sick child is laid on a tree that has been felled, as if it were to be cut down. Using a scythe, axe or knife, the tool is struck against the tree, first at the child’s head and then at their feet, as if cutting something. At this point, the child’s mother asks the woman performing the ritual:

— ‘What are you cutting?’ The elderly woman replies:

— ‘I’m cutting the shortness of breath,’ she replies.

The same procedure is repeated three times. When the ritual is complete, the knife (or whatever tool was used) is flung away. The child’s mother takes her child and flees quickly without looking back. It is believed that the child’s illness will be cured.

Cauterisation

This is a treatment resorted to when a small child is ill and weak. A large skewer or a thick piece of wire is heated thoroughly over a fire and then pressed sideways against the child’s abdomen to burn the child’s body. There must be either three or seven burn marks. Tomato paste is applied to the burnt areas and the child is bandaged. It is believed that a child who has undergone this cauterisation will grow up to be robust and strong. It is said that in the past, this practice—carried out in the village by specific families (the ‘hearth families’)—drew large numbers of people from neighbouring villages who brought their children to have the cauterisation performed. As this custom was later banned, it is no longer practised.

Teething

When a child’s teeth begin to come through, soft foods such as green onions or garlic are given to the child, if available, so that the child can play with them to soothe their itchy gums and prevent crying. It is believed that if a child’s first tooth emerges on its own, the child will not live long, whereas if two teeth emerge at the same time, the child will live a long life.

Customs Related to a Child’s First Steps

When a child first starts to walk, if there is an older relative present, or otherwise by the neighbour’s children, the child is held by both arms on a Friday between the call to prayer and the midday adhan and encouraged to walk. The child is made to walk a few laps in front of the house. After this small ceremony, sweets or small pastries are distributed to delight the children. Again, to encourage the child to walk quickly, the child is placed at one end of the room whilst the person stands opposite with arms outstretched. The child is encouraged to run by calling out ‘Kucak kucak’. In this way, the child, who manages to reach their relative’s arms without falling, becomes accustomed to walking, driven both by the joy of not having fallen and the effect of reaching their relative’s arms.

All episodes of the series

1. Foreword and Introduction to the Village
2. Birth and Child-Related Customs
3. Folk Medicine
4. Superstitions and Folk Meteorology
5. Proverbs, Blessings and Curses
6. Folk Songs, Lamentations and Nursery Rhymes
7. Legends and Riddles
8. Fairy Tales
9. Rhymes and Ramadan Rhymes

Traditions and Customs page