Births decades ago, in villages in our area, looked very different than today. Most births took place at home, with the help of so-called “grandmother-acushers.” Sometimes women gave birth on their own. If the birth was complicated an attempt was made to bring in a doctor. Men usually left the house during labor, and did not take any part in helping the parturient woman, sometimes even if she was to be left alone (according to accounts from local gynecologists). After delivery, regardless of the condition of the parturient and her need for rest, “mates and neighbors” were invited. This meeting was called a “navel party,” during which the most important thing was to treat all the guests and drink “navel liquor” – that is, vodka, put up by the father to celebrate the birth of the child. At this time, guests visiting the child for the first time could not come empty-handed – it was necessary to bring at least a piece of bread, and preferably something sweet (sugar was often brought) or money and place it behind the child’s head. This was to ensure that the child would be wealthy and sweet. If someone came without even a small gift, for the child it would augur a poor life, without wealth. The custom of putting a belly button continues to this day, although nowadays it is rather confined to the immediate family and takes place while the obstetrician is still in the hospital. To this day, too, it is not considered appropriate to visit a newborn child without a gift.
Fairly soon after the birth, baptism was celebrated. Baptism is a typical rite of passage – a newborn child, believed to be marked by “original sin,” needs baptism in order to be accepted into its community and function safely in it. It was believed that children who died unbaptized could not be saved, so in a situation where the child’s life was in danger, the child was baptized “out of water” – any person (usually a grandmother-accuser receiving the birth) poured water over the child while saying the words: “Antosia, I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” If the child died, such baptism enabled him or her, in a mystical context, to be saved, and in an earthly context to be buried in the parish cemetery (“consecrated ground”). The most important in the preparation for baptism was the choice of godparents – or so-called “cummings.” According to Joanna Zielenska, born in 1930: “In kumy one chose such people who had a good character, so that the child would hatch in a chairman – because children hatch in chairs. When a later bully, they said: why did she take them, because he was a naughty person. (…) And so did the mother of the chairny, so that she was good, so that she was ecclesiastical. That was something to be very careful about.” The request was usually also made of wealthy and young people – on the grounds that cougars were required to provide for the child in the event of the death of the parents. A request to become a godmother or godfather was treated as an honor and was usually not refused. As an exception, a request to baptize a “finder” – that is, an illegitimate child – was treated as an exception. This was treated as a very noble act, saving the child from the “disgrace” of the mother and an omen of great good fortune. The task of the godfather was to pay for the baptism and buy a candle, while the godmother should dress the child and give the crucifix (a special cloth used during baptism as a symbol of faith and purity). It was customary to dress boys in pink (from the red color of Christ’s robes) and girls in blue (Marian).
Baptisms were also associated with countless prophecies and small customs that had to be fulfilled to ensure a happy life for the child.