History of the Baby Shower - Part One: Baby Showers in Ancient Egypt

WARNING - the history of the baby shower is not all sweetness and light! If you're squeamish and easily grossed out, it's probably best to stick to reading about modern baby showers.  However, if you want all the gritty details, read on...

If you'r rather just look at cute baby gifts, click here instead...

Baby Showers in Ancient Egypt

The earliest records of rituals relating to celebrating the birth of a new baby come from Ancient Egypt - the natural home of ritual and celebration and obsessions with birth and death.

Various ceremonies and traditions were followed, such as forcing mother and child to live apart from the rest of society for two weeks.

There was also ritualised disposal of the afterbirth, with some evidence that this may have taken place at shrines and temples. Lovely!

 

There may have been 'festivals' or parties following the birth of a child, where the baby would be officially named - so quite similar to a modern naming day or baby shower.

Friends and family would be invited to join in welcoming the new life into the world, and if the family were important, strangers may also come to pay their respects. The size and elaborateness of these would have been reflected by the social standing of the family - the bigger the party, the more important the baby!

If you're continuing with this ancient tradition of celebrating the birth of a new life with a party (and presents!), then why not check out our personalised baby gifts website?

Personalised baby gifts offer a range of beautfiul unique baby gifts, from engraved albums and frames to personalised baby bibs, to personalised storybooks with the child and her or his friends' names as the lead characters!