By  LPJ

“Manyue” is a Taiwanese custom I witnessed for the first time last week. It means a celebration of a newly born’s full one month. Manyue’s description on google states that it is a symbol of new beginnings, and that the word literally means “full moon”. Baby Eva Lin was sleeping peacefully in her stroller as her father went through a ritual that essentially signifies a parent’s good wishes for the child’s journey in life. The props for the ritual were most interesting. On a tray were an apple, a big onion, tomato, celery and scallions. Beside the tray was a tall white vase that held several sunflowers. Each item had a strip of bright red paper around it, and represented various good wishes. Apple for peace, onion for smartness or intelligence, celery for diligence or hardworking, tomato for luck or prosperity, and sunflowers for strength and good health.

As Eva’s Mom lovingly looked on, her Dad picked each item on the tray and gently touched the baby with words that carried the parents’ good wishes. The ceremony embodied what every parent would desire for a child. The ceremony, gentle and heartwarming, was  the parents’ blessing for their newly born. I watched, totally fascinated.

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