Child
the Asiatic part of Turkey.
referred to as “loğusa”, “lohsa”, “emzikli”, “loğsa”, “nevse”, or “kırklı”. The
length of time a woman who has just had a baby will stay confined to bed depends
on her own physiological condition, the question of whether the birth was a
difficult or an easy one, climate, environmental considerations and how much the
woman is loved by her family.
It is a common belief in Anatolia that
women are under the influence of various supernatural forces during
accouchement. “The grave of woman in accouchement is open for forty days” (the
accouchement period is believed to last forty days), is a saying commonly used
in traditional areas that supports this belief.
The idea of the
“mother-snatcher” or “baby-snatcher”;
The mother or baby-snatcher is
conceived of as disturbing women and newborn babies during accouchement and
sometimes even killing them, and may be referred to as “al”, “cazı”, “cadı”, “al
anası”, “al kızı”, “al karası”, “koncoloz”, “goncoloz”, and “kara koncoloz”.
People in Anatolia resort to a number of practices to protect against
the mother or baby-snatcher, who is believed to live in stables, haylofts,
mills, deserted ruins, wells, water sources and places where women in
accouchement and newborn babies are left alone. Some of these practices are;
– Hanging brooms, Koran, onion, garlic, and blue beads believed to
protect against the evil eye in the room where the woman and newborn baby lie,
– Inserting a needle or packing needle under the pillow of the woman or
newborn baby,
– Placing sharp tools such as daggers, sickles, knives etc.
under the pillow,
– Putting breadcrumbs and water in the room.
Practices related to the mother or baby-snatcher are still to be found,
although much less frequently than in the past.
The forty-day
threshold belief;
People in Anatolia call any sickness experienced
by the mother or the baby and any failure to regain health within 40 days of
giving birth as “the falling forties” or some similar name such as name; “kırk
basması”, “kırk düşmesi”, “kırk karışması”, “loğusa basması”, and “aydaş”. It is
a common belief that a number of living things and objects will harm mother and
newborn baby in the forty-day period after birth. Practices and measures to
prevent the ‘falling forties’ are very common.
In order to prevent the
‘falling forties’;
– Mother and baby are not allowed out for forty days,
– Care is taken not to bring together women and newborn babies who have
not passed through this forty-day period.
The falling forties in a baby
used to be related to poor development and weight loss. Various religious and
magical practices were considered to be a remedy to prevent the falling
forties.’ Nowadays, such practices are almost extinct.
Forty-day
precautions;
Washing the mother and child within 40 days of birth to
prevent them falling ill within that period is known as “making the forties”. It
is commonly referred to as “kırklama”, or “kırk dökme” and “kırk çıkarma”.
The practice is commonly carried out on the 40th day after birth. This
period differs according to region, however, and may be carried out on the 7th,
20th, 30th, 37th, 39th or 41st day. Although there may be some differences in
procedure in different regions, the aim is the same.
“Making the
forties” is still a common practice today as in the past among those customs and
practices related to birth.
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