Egyptian Baby's Newborn Celebration

One of the most popular and cherished Egyptian celebrations is the celebration for welcoming babies into the world, the “Sebou’”. It is held exactly one week after the baby’s birth. The word “sebou” means ‘seventh day’ in Arabic and is a form of the Arabic word for ‘week’. For convenience’s sake however, many parents today celebrate the Sebou’ a couple of weeks, or even a month, after their child’s birth. Although this event is the Egyptian equivalent of western pre-birth baby showers, it would be utterly unthinkable for Egyptians to celebrate a birth before it actually happens since it is presumptuous to assume that the pregnancy will come to term safely. The “Sebou’” used to be the occasion for naming newborn children, circumcising boys (Christians and Muslims alike) and piecing the ears of girls. Nowadays, in most cases, these practices take place separately from the celebration - usually before mother and baby leave the hospital.

An important component of the celebration is food. Those families who can afford to arrange for the slaughter of an animal (usually a sheep), and this is referred to as “sacrificing” or “offering” an animal to safeguard the child’s life. The practice is derived from the story of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim, in Arabic) whose son’s life was saved by a heaven-sent ram. The story is related both in the Koran and in the Old Testament. In Egypt, sacrificing an animal and distributing the meat to the needy is a common ritual upon acquiring something new and valuable. One may choose to “offer” a single lamb or more, or one may donate the cost of the animal(s) to charity. The women of the family (but not the still-recuperating new mother) prepare a big dinner. In addition to the ‘Aqiqah’ (the lamb meat), many different dishes are prepared, and a special hot beverage, ‘moghat’, is served. Made from a powdered herbal fiber, it is thick and sugary, heavy with ghee and sesame and is commonly believed to be beneficial for nursing mothers.

The “Sebou” is the occasion for family and friends to visit the new baby. Nowadays, it is a convenient alternative for parents who may not feel up to receiving visitors at the hospital. It is also a way to have everyone visit at the same time. Visitors bring gifts for the baby. Gold earrings, necklaces and bracelets are typical gifts for baby girls. Amulets (written prayer rolls placed in gold or silver cases) are given to both boys and girls. These are pinned to the babies’ clothes or placed in their beds - to provide protection against the ill luck and disease. Pendants or pins decorated with turquoise stones (blue is a lucky color) or representing Quranic verses or crucifixes are also common baby gifts. More practical baby items may also be given, and close relatives often give a gift of money. The new mother is not left out and receives her share of gifts (usually jewelry). In accordance with Egyptian etiquette, gifts are only opened after the guests have left.

The actual ceremony begins with the guests scattering salt on the mother and around the house (again, to ward off the Evil Eye). The baby, bathed and dressed in a brand new outfit, is then placed in a special decorated container and taken on a tour of the family home, followed by a procession of family members (mainly children) carrying lit candles and chanting songs welcoming the baby to the world. The container in which the newborn is carried is a large sieve, or colander, filled with nuts, corn and other seeds. Once the tour is over, the “baby-shaking” begins. The baby, still in its brightly decorated colander is (gently) shaken, or rolled, while the women form a circle around it, singing. Baby-shaking dates back to the Pharaonic era, and is a means for “cleansing” the baby of evil spirits. The grandparents in particular are supposed to shake the sieve while reciting chants instructing the baby to obey its parents and family throughout its life. The mother must then step over the baby (hopefully asleep in the sieve) seven times without touching it, while the older women sing and make as much noise as possible, beating mortars and pestles, saucepans, and anything else that makes a racket. The noise is meant to clear evil spirits out of the way, and prepare the baby for life in a very loud and hostile world. Towards the end of the ceremony, after the meal, each guest is given a small white cloth bag (made of silk for those who can afford it) filled with nougat, colored crystallized sugar called “sokar nabat” and gold and silver colored coins. Among the Bedouins in the western and eastern deserts and in the Sinai, a second celebration is usually held forty days after the baby’s birth. Sometimes, the baby is only given a name at that time. This is because of the high infant mortality rate that used to prevail among Bedouin children.

Today, most of the customs described above are observed in a spirit of fun. Some well-to-do urban families have even begun to organize “Sebou’s” in public venues such as hotels, amusement parks - or even at the neighborhood McDonald’s. Still, an element of superstition continues to lurk underneath, and the sentiment behind the celebration remains the same, with most families feeling that not throwing a “Sebou’” might somehow bring misfortune to the baby.