Family and Relationship Bundle of Joy | Chinese Baby Full Moon Celebration
 

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Bundle of Joy | Chinese Baby Full Moon Celebration
Written by Shirley T   
Monday, 06 December 2010 00:00



For the Chinese community in Malaysia, the 'full moon' is usually celebrated after a baby turns one month old. Right after giving birth, the 'new' mother observes strict traditional rules or locally known as 'pantang' for a month and this is referred as confinement period.
Little fingers
During the confinement, the new mother is forbidden from taking 'cold' food, instead encourage to take herbal soup, tonics and 'heaty' stuff e.g. ginger, red date juice, sesame oil, rice wine to expel wind as well as improve blood circulation. Aside from food, new mother is not allowed to take bath and wash hair until 12 days later after labor. The modern moms nowadays seldom follow strictly every bit of the rules anymore. Their confinement tends to be more flexible with intervention of western practice.  
A pair of tiny feet
Same goes for the full moon celebration. Relatives and friends usually congratulate the new parents with red packets (angpow) or gifts. In return, modern parents opt to treat their relatives or friends with fast food or gift voucher. Today, most couple starts as nucleus family so giving voucher is simpler and more convenience.
Eaton in Penang offers Full moon goodies
Traditionally speaking, the baby's full moon is the moment whereby the proud parents will treat their relatives and friends with turmeric glutinous rice (often refers as 'nasi kunyit'), chicken curry, dyed red eggs and ang ku (or literally means red tortoise) kuehs. Red color of the ang ku kueh represents happiness and tortoise has the connotation of long life. In the early days, the newborn family will cook everything from scratch and place every items on a platter. These platters will be personally delivered to each houses in the whole village. Today, this set of food is usually called full moon goodies (or full moon set). Like Easter and egg, the dyed red eggs here is the symbol of happiness and beginning of new life or the greatest gift from God. Giving an even number of eggs announces the arrival of baby boy while odd number tells a baby girl. Talking about ang ku kuehs, there are a variety in term of shapes (designs) such as hexagonal (or resembling a tortoise shell), marble and peach. The content is the same but each design reads the gender of the baby. The design of tortoise and marble represents the birth of baby boy whilst tortoise and peach ang ku is presented for a baby girl.
Red marbles mark the arrival of baby boy
Our tradition is our heritage and our pride. Personally, I found the gesture of giving the full moon goodies is somehow special and unique. It a meaningful tradition to celebrate and welcome a newborn!
Full moon goodies
So if you would love to uphold or retain this symbolic practice yet do not have time to cook for the 'whole
village', contact Eaton Sdn Bhd (in Penang) to arrange for the full moon goodies.
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