July 22, 2009 – Saskatoon, Sask.: The current recession provides a wonderful opportunity to rethink our celebrations. I heard a great example from my friend Ellen, a dynamic young woman with a passion for the environment and a deep desire to make communities around the world better places to live. When we met for brunch she shared this story with me and then graciously agreed to blog about it for you.
I am still wearing the red string around my wrist, a permanent fixture until my friend gives birth to a baby boy named Theo several weeks from now. A dozen of her female friends gathered last weekend to celebrate his arrival, prepare her for the birth, and show our support as a community. The ceremony, usually performed late in the pregnancy, is called a Blessingway, and it is believed to come from Navajo tradition (although many cultures perform some sort of ceremony or baby shower for pregnant women).
In our case, the ceremony consisted of circulating smoking sage among the women, decorating our friend's hair with flowers (to symbolize the impending change in her life), massaging her feet, singing, and entering our blessings into a bound book for her to keep. We had brought frozen dishes to eat in the hectic early days after the birth. Finally, we all tied a piece of red string around our wrists as a conduit for positive thoughts for the remainder of the pregnancy.
It is a flexible ceremony, one that demonstrates a community's support for a soon-to-be mother and her baby. As women we recognize what a tremendous difference it makes when we live in a community that shares the responsibility of raising children. A Blessingway fosters just that sort of community and presents an alternative to the commercial baby shower at the same time – it is well worth it to wear this tattered red string! It's also worth asking ourselves: what are some other ways in which we can celebrate community without spending money? Are there other holidays or ceremonies we can creatively reinvent?
P.S.
Shortly after this blog was written, little Theo arrived early! Isn't it lucky we did our Blessingway when we did?
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