#translation by me

When it comes to gender ideology of the childbirth – the act in which a woman partakes on both the body level and the ritual level, this act is implicitly associated with death. The realms of birth and death are seen as equal and are perceived as transitional and liminal events that result in the balance shift in the universe. For the parturient woman it was forbidden to take part in the community by all kinds of prohibitions for two to six weeks. As the people say, during this time “her grave does not close”.

From “Midwife in the cultural and historical tradition of Ukrainians” by Olena Boriak

“At six weeks old, the child is similar to an angel: it knows neither good nor evil. Although it laughs in its sleep, it isn’t laughing on its own: a good spirit possesses it and shows it rainbows, and the angel entertains it and makes it rejoice at the thought that it doesn’t owe anything to anyone yet.

Angels love to play with children. Sometimes when the cradle sways by itself people say that it’s an angel swaying the cradle. Angels entertain and tease little children.

To make a child laugh, they say: ‘’we’ll take the father, take the father!’’ and the child laughs because it doesn’t know yet that it needs father. And as they say ‘’we’ll take the mother!’’ – now it starts to cry and whimper. It is all done in a dream.”

From “The child in the customs and beliefs of the Ukrainian people” by Marko Hrushevsky