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Folklore Romanian Beliefs and Rites of Pregnancy with Special This article was downloaded by: [109.53.45.203] On: 10 September 2013, At: 01:53 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Folklore Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rfol20 Romanian Beliefs and Rites of Pregnancy with Special Reference to Moldova Adina Hulubaş Published online: 03 Nov 2011. To cite this article: Adina Hulubaş (2011) Romanian Beliefs and Rites of Pregnancy with Special Reference to Moldova, Folklore, 122:3, 264-282, DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.2011.608264 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0015587X.2011.608264 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions Folklore 122 (December 2011): 264–282 RESEARCH ARTICLE Romanian Beliefs and Rites of Pregnancy with Special Reference to Moldova Adina Hulubas¸ Abstract Traditional beliefs and customs concerning pregnancy and childbirth are still numerous and vivid in Romania and among Romanian inhabitants in neighbouring countries. Fieldwork on this theme carried out over several decades has resulted in a large body of material showing the special position of a pregnant woman in traditional Romanian society. This paper deals specifically with Moldovan birth tradition and concentrates on society’s view of the pregnant woman and her unborn child as indicated by the large variety of beliefs and traditions aimed at protecting her and her child. It is evident from this material, that both the prospective mother and society are expected to be aware of, and to engage with, traditional precepts concerning the healthy development of the foetus and the achievement of an unblemished birth. It is also clear that the role and influence of the former untrained midwife in the magical protection of the mother and her child are still part of cultural memory in Moldova. The idea that a pregnant woman has the ability to bring rain in times of drought seems to emanate from a traditional perception of her as embodying fertility powers linked or analogous to the earth’s germinative capacity. Introduction The main work on Romanian birth customs by Simeon Florea Marian was written almost one hundred and twenty years ago (Marian 1892). This book was based on information from different parts of Romania and neighbouring countries with Romanian inhabitants. Subsequent publications on this theme (Sulit¸eanu 1986; Downloaded by [109.53.45.203] at 01:53 10 September 2013 Ca˘liman 1996; Berdan 1999; S¸tiuca˘ 2001; S¸erban 2002; Gaga 2004) were more limited in scope both as to content and geographical representation. These studies were based on the substantial fieldwork on birth beliefs and customs carried out in Romania over a number of decades. From these studies and also from the archival data, it is evident that pregnancy beliefs and rituals have remained remarkably similar to those collected at the end of nineteenth century, due, it would appear, to the conservative attitude of women towards this rite of passage. The existential transition involved in pregnancy and confinement is a complex one as it involves radical physiological changes for the woman over a relatively extended period of time, without her yet being a mother. Her condition reflects that of the foetus which is forming and developing in her womb, but since it is as yet unborn it has not been accepted into the traditional community. Many scholars have suggested that the uncertainty which surrounds pregnancy has influenced people around the world to believe that external evil and contagious forces are at work during that period of transition, resulting in “ ... a great deal of concern for ISSN 0015-587X print; 1469-8315 online/11/030264-19; Routledge Journals; Taylor & Francis q 2011 The Folklore Society http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0015587X.2011.608264 Romanian Beliefs and Rites of Pregnancy 265 safeguarding the mother and the child from the dangers of inauspiciousness” (Goodwin Raheja 1988, 93). Moreover, the perceived risk is regarded as having an internal dimension: “Being pregnant means losing one’s freedom of body and mind: every gesture, every word spoken, every moment of a pregnant woman also involves the child” (Ge´lis 1991, 66). This paper focuses on this ontological crisis and on a traditional worldview still powerful in many Romanian villages. The article is based on the results of a research project undertaken by the Romanian Academy, Ias¸i Section, during which traditional information on Romanian birth customs was collected throughout the country, using direct and indirect field investigation, over a period of forty years. The primary focus of the paper, however, is on the information on pregnancy beliefs and customs that was collected in villages from the eight administrative districts of the province of Moldova (Baca˘u, Botos¸ani, Galat¸i, Ias¸i, Neamt¸, Suceava, Vaslui, Vrancea) during the aforementioned period. [1] The results of this historical investigation, and of fieldwork conducted over the last five years in order to judge the current state of traditional birth beliefs in Moldova, have been lodged in The Folklore Archive of Moldova and Bukovina (founded in 1970). The aim of the project was to create a Moldovan birth-customs typology in accordance with Arnold van Gennep’s scheme of passage rites: separation, transition and aggregation (van Gennep 1996). Because of the huge amount of data which have been collected in this context, this article focuses only on the preliminary phase of the birth situation—that which is mainly concerned with ensuring the well-being of the mother and child before and after birth. Giving birth at home, with the assistance of a midwife lacking formal training, ended approximately fifty years ago, but magical beliefs concerning childbirth are still vivid in different parts of Romania. Field investigation carried out in 2009 showed that this was the case, and also that memories of the traditional midwife’s role in society have been preserved to a surprising extent. Thus all of the beliefs mentioned in this article are regarded as still persisting in Romanian culture, especially in Moldovan tradition, and while the situation may vary from district to district, with some areas being more retentive of traditional pregnancy beliefs and customs than others, it is evident that every village preserves, to some degree, traditional perceptions of pregnancy and childbirth. The various beliefs and practices surrounding childbirth in Moldovan tradition are divided into a Downloaded by [109.53.45.203] at 01:53 10 September 2013 number of categories on the basis of the emphases in the sources available, but some overlapping between categories inevitably occurs. Reaching Another Stage of Femininity In Romanian tradition, the birth of a child is regarded as a matter of fulfilment for a woman. Thus, saying to a woman that she is sterile is a great insult. A perceived bond between feminine fertility and nature’s generative capacity is also evident in Romanian childbirth beliefs and customs, and is reflected in various types of magical practices, as well as in narrative genres such as carols and fairytales. While the word “pregnant” is generally used in western society to describe the carrying of an unborn child in the womb, it is also used metaphorically to describe something that is laden with meaning or importance (Dundes 2003, 85). In traditional Moldovan society, however, it is more common to say that a woman is “heavy” or “thick,” meaning that she is with child, for the words “pregnant” or 266 Adina Hulubas¸ “gravid” are urban and unfamiliar. Respondents tend to use these terms only when they are talking to an outsider from the city. A variety of therapeutic and magical practices have been traditionally used to induce the much-desired state of pregnancy. Most of the information in this regard dates from 1971 when the responses to folkloric and ethnographical questionnaires were returned to Ion H. Ciubotaru, the founder of The Folklore Archive of Moldova and Bukovina. From these sources we learn that in numerous villages, tea made from plants such as Veronica spicata (spike speedwell), Gypsophila paniculata (baby’s breath), and Polygonum aviculare (knotgrass) was recommended to be drunk in order to stimulate pregnancy. The infusions made from some plants were even thought to influence the sex of the child. In Orbeni, Baca˘u, for example, it was believed that a tea made from Cerinthe minor (lesser honeywort)—if boiled when in blossom and drunk—may lead to the birth of a baby girl. In order to give birth to a boy, the woman should drink the tea made from the buds of this plant.
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