There is a fine line between traditions and religion when it comes to beliefs that have been handed down from generation to generation. When I was pregnant with my first child I also happened to be the first daughter-in-law going through pregnancy in the household. Thus I was subject to the many beliefs of my then mother-in-law. My then father-in-law, a much respected religious man, managed to put the two hand in hand, opting to intertwine the two instead of making religion go against traditional belief.

My very first ceremony was at the beginning of the third trimester. It was basically to give me strength and to determine the health of the foetus. There was a feast after Friday prayers and the mainstay was of course the pulut semangat' which was actually glutinous rice that was coloured with tumeric. It is the most important part of many Malaysian Malay traditional ceremonies. The word semangat' can be loosely translated to mean spirit or strength.

Then came the melenggang perut', literally translated as swaying the stomach, where I was made to lay upon seven layers of scarves under my back with the ends open on either side. The bidan asli' (a midwife by birthright) then rolled three eggs, one after the other, while reciting prayers and charms, on my stomach before cracking them open to divine the health of the baby. After which, while still reciting prayers and charms, she pulled the scarves out, one by one, signifying the removal of obstacles from my path.

After which I was helped to sit up while at the same time kicking away the nyiur sulung', literally translated as the eldest coconut (meaning the first fruit from the tree), at my feet. The belief was that if the right fruit rolled further, the baby would be a boy and vice versa. Since my room was too small, the ladies in attendance laughed at the non ability to judge the sex of my baby as the coconuts hit the wall almost immediately. These coconuts were then grated and made into oil known as minyak selusuh' for use when delivery was imminent to ensure an easy birth.

A second ceremony was held at the end of the third trimester but it was not as elaborate or event filled. It was just prayer session with pulut semangat' as part of the simple feast. When my time came, my mother-in-law, asked my husband to fetch the midwife while my brother-in-law helped to dismantle the bed and lay the mattress on the floor so that the midwife would have more room to work. Then she administered three tablespoons of the minyak selusuh' and my first baby girl was born less than 3 hours later. It was an easy, painless delivery even though she was my firstborn.

Power of prayers or power of all the charms, ceremonies and beliefs?

Learn more about this author, Khim Leclair.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Line between Malaysian tradition and religion?
We want to hear your view. Write now!