In this article, we’ll discuss interesting customs, traditions and superstitions regarding filipino pregnancies.
Lihi: Look at Beautiful Things & People
People in the Philippines believe in lihi. It is when pregnant women starve for a food always or would always want to see or have something. Lihi is a noun, naglihi (past tense) and maglilihi or maglihi (future tense) are verbs. Old people say that people should only show pregnant women photographs of beautiful and handsome people so that the baby will also become beautiful or handsome. Women who always want to see someone especially if that someone annoys or entertains her so much, the baby will look like that someone. If the woman will experience lihi with a monkey, the child will look like a monkey; if with turtles, the child might become a hunchback; if with radish, the child will have fair and smooth complexion.
Do Not Change Things at Home When Pregnant The Philippines
Do not construct a house if the mother is expecting or trying to get pregnant in the Philippines. Moving and changing things in the house is asking for bad luck when you try to get or have a baby. In China this custom is also practiced.
Hopping Over the Husband
Pregnancy is not easy to women. Sometimes, aside from the heaviness of their abdomen, they would need to resize or buy another set of clothes which are bigger than their usual called maternity dresses. They may also feel sick and lazy, might crave for specific foods, and have mood swings. Sometimes, because they think that both husband and wife did something to make the wife pregnant, the suffering should be shared. The man also has to feel what the woman feels. In the Philippines, they believe that pregnant women can pass what she feels on her husband by hopping over him or his body while he is asleep.
No Ginger Roots
Ginger roots are commonly used as natural medicine, tea, or ingredients when cooking some recipes to add aroma and taste to the food. Filipino people are known to cook so well because of the spices they add. A lot of them even have spices planted in their backyards so that they don’t have to buy to markets anymore. Anyone can eat foods with ginger roots but old Filipino people believe that pregnant woman should not. A ginger root is usually light brown and looks like it has a lot of fingers. The reason why old ones believe that a pregnant woman should not eat anything with this is to avoid having a baby with more than 10 fingers and 10 toes.
Twin Bananas for Twins
Scientifically, to naturally bear twins during pregnancy, a family history of having twins in the family must be present in either the female (mother) or the male’s (father) part. Some families want to have twins and some do not. In the Philippines, old people believe that a pregnant woman who is fond of eating twin bananas will probably have twin babies. Though Filipinos are aware with science (biology), they tend to believe the older people about this because they grew up with this kind of orientation, especially those who are living or once lived in a place away from the cities.
Touch the belly
Touching the mother’s womb or the baby inside the tummy is believed to bring good luck to you and the baby.
