How to properly cut your baby in a year. We will listen to the opinion of doctors. Is it really necessary to cut a child's hair a year - debunking modern myths

13.10.2019

Our ancestors treated hair cutting, especially for children, with special trepidation. Since ancient times, it was believed that hair is a connecting link between man and the Cosmos, man and the Universe, man and the Divine principle, man and Nature. According to beliefs, it is in the hair that the necessary life experience, intelligence, strength and energy accumulate, therefore, cutting hair in ancient times was considered an extremely undesirable thing, and for a child, often destructive. The first haircut of the child demanded to observe the signs strictly. Let's find out what those signs were and how to cut a child's hair according to folk traditions.

Beliefs, traditions, rituals

It was strictly forbidden to cut children before they reached the age of one year. Many children were born in the family, but they often died in infancy, and cutting a child's hair could deprive him of the strength he needed to survive. It was believed that up to a year old, the baby decided whether to stay in the family or leave it. If the child did not die, then on the day of the first name day, the first curl was solemnly cut off from the crown of his head, and all the rest of the hair was left intact. This was done as a sign that the baby was adopted into the family and henceforth is under family protection.

The first curl was cut from the top of the child's head at the age of one

The first curl was kept in a canvas bag for icons before the son went to military service, and the daughter was married. Then the curl was passed on to the owner and served as a talisman against troubles and illnesses.

Cutting hair early, according to popular belief, could lead to illness or death of a child. The Belarusians believed that cutting a child's hair in the first year of life was the same as cutting off his tongue; an early-cropped baby started speaking late, or even remained mute altogether. Poles believed that cutting children's hair for up to a year would lead to the fact that, having grown up, the person who was cut too early would live in poverty.

In different regions, the first haircut was carried out at different times, but this day was very solemn. A haircut could take place at three, five, or even seven years. In the family of magicians, priests and sorcerers, they did not have their hair cut at all until the age of 12, because up to this age, it was through the hair that all the information that his ancestors possessed came to the child.

Traditionally, it is customary to cut children's hair for the first time after three, or even after seven years.

Often only boys were cut, while girls grew their hair. The day when the braid was first braided was very important for the girls.

It was believed that on the day of the first haircut, the child grew up. The girls began to help with the housework, and the boys moved on to live in the male half of the house and to do male business. There was also a ritual when, immediately after cutting the hair, the boy was allowed to hold onto a plow or saber, and he was seated on a horse.

Infant tonsure

For the first haircut of the child, it was customary to call the midwife, who took delivery of the mother, and the godparents of the child. Close relatives (mom, dad, grandmother or grandfather), and most often godparents, cut 4 curls in the shape of a cross on the child's crown, and then everything else was cut. During these manipulations, the child was put on a sheepskin skin or sheepskin coat. The cut hair was tied with a red thread and kept as a talisman. Today this tradition has been preserved, only today it is customary to carry out all manipulations with hair in a year, while our ancestors were in no hurry to cut their hair.

If the children's hair was not kept, then it was buried in an anthill or burned to the ground. The hair that was still cut off could be thrown into the river so that the running water would wash away all information about the owner from it. Throwing out hair was forbidden, so that bad people could use it for the evil eye.

Godparents are now trusted to tonsure, and superstitious mothers and fathers try not to touch the scissors, because there is a sign that parents should not have their children cut. A mother cutting her daughter deprives her of happiness, just as a father cutting a son's hair dooms him to an unhappy fate.

Mothers of their own daughters never had their hair cut. And in general, girls were rarely cut

In the princely, and then in the boyar families, during the first haircut, the ceremony of infant tonsure was carried out in the church, when the ritual cutting of the cross was performed by a priest. The godfather brought the child to church, and after the tonsure, a feast was held. By the way, the church treats children's haircuts favorably and does not see anything reprehensible in cutting off a child's hair. All beliefs about strength, energy and connection with the Cosmos through the hair are considered by clergymen as superstitions.

Modern signs

In modern days, the folk omen about the first haircut of the baby has been distorted. It is believed that up to a year old baby fluff should not be touched, but exactly in a year it is necessary to shave the child baldly. This is done so that the hair grows thick and strong, and the child is not forever left with thin and sparse hairs.

Our ancestors did not shave their children naked

Our ancestors, of course, did not do that, they believed that children receive knowledge and intelligence through their hair, it is through the hair that all moral principles and laws of life come to the child from the divine principle. Therefore, it was reprehensible to deprive a child of the opportunity to develop, to learn about life by cutting off his hair.

And if we consider that hair, according to popular belief, is the focus of vitality, then shaving a child baldly was equated with infanticide. Today it is a common practice.

For many peoples of the world, children's hair is a symbol of wealth and success. If the child was born with thick hair, the hair of the newborn was combed with coins to attract wealth.

To cut or not to cut?

If parents adhere to esoteric views, then with a child's haircut everything becomes more or less clear: it is better to cut baby hair as rarely as possible. But what should the rest of the parents do in order not to become victims of stupid superstitions? You can rely on the authority of modern scientists who say that cutting a child's hair can be done at any time if necessary, or it can be postponed indefinitely if the hair does not cause discomfort to the child, and the cutting process causes fear.

When cutting your child's hair, don't ignore their fears.

From a scientific point of view, it is worth refraining from cutting a baby's hair in the first year of life, because there are fragile areas on the child's head - fontanelles, damage to which can lead to irreversible consequences for the brain ... After the fontanelles are overgrown, you can cut your children without fear.

However, an earlier haircut is also quite possible, if the hair has grown too large, gets into the eyes and interferes with the child in every possible way. True, it is worthwhile to show increased accuracy.

Scientific studies have shown that the structure of a child's hair is laid even in the womb, so no haircut, including shaving, can make hair thicker and stronger. In addition, the razor blade can damage the hair follicles, so shaving your head does more harm than good.

The visual effect of the thickness of the growing hair after shaving can be explained very simply - the cut of the hair looks darker and thicker than the tip, so the hair appears darker. And the hair looks thicker, because all of them begin to grow back at the same time. Even if you do not cut the baby at all, gradually all the fluff will fall out on its own and will be replaced by real hair laid down by nature.

Infant fluff gradually falls out by itself, giving way to hair

It is better for girls to grow their hair after three years, because at an earlier age, hairpins and elastic bands can interfere with the child, as well as loose hair reaching into the face and eyes. The comfort of shampooing can also affect the length of a child's hair and how often they are cut. With short hair, these manipulations are much easier without tears and whims.

How to cut, who to cut, and at what age to cut your baby is up to his parents. When making this decision, it is better to proceed from considerations of the convenience of the child, and not follow the lead of superstitions, often based on idle speculation. And of course, you shouldn't forget about the aesthetic side of the issue.

Despite the fact that pagan times are in the distant past, today the first haircut of a child for many parents is still some kind of sacrament that must be performed according to strict rules.

Such a reverent attitude towards the baby's hair is based on the beliefs of the ancient Slavs. Echoes of these beliefs are quite clearly felt in the multiple signs that modern people are used to believing since childhood. So, for example, almost every woman knows that it is impossible to cut a hair during pregnancy, just as it is impossible to cut the hair of a baby under one year old. Most mothers do not even know why there is such an unwritten law, and, nevertheless, they follow it, and the most responsible try to figure out whether they are doing the right thing.

Why can't you cut a baby up to one year old?

Almost all ancient peoples, including the Slavs, considered hair to be a kind of accumulator of human energy. That is why cutting his hair symbolized the beginning of a new stage in his life.

Babies who still cannot walk are closely related to their mother. Their hair still stores information obtained while the baby was between the worlds. To cut a baby's hair for our ancestors meant:

Weaken its energy.
To deprive him of material well-being in the future.
"Shorten" his mind, making it narrow-minded, limited.
Bring on him misery in the form of disease, make him sterile.

The tradition of the first haircut at one year old has the same origins as the ban on hair cutting in babies.

There is nothing wrong with the desire of parents to observe the spiritual traditions of their ancestors. When performing any ritual, it is important to understand what it is for.

Konstantin Kushner, a teacher and expert in aphorisms, said: "The habit of following a tradition is better than the tradition of following a habit."

Why cut a child's hair a year?

According to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, the first haircut of a baby in a year is a ceremony that helps a baby to move from one period of life to another. The sacred meaning of the ceremony is as follows:

Hair cutting is the removal of information from the baby's biofield that prevents him from becoming independent.
Together with the cut hair, the baby will lose the bad energy that has accumulated in them in a year.
A short haircut in a year will provide the baby with thick hair, which has long been considered a guarantee of his future wealth.

It is the desire to make the child's hair stronger and thicker that most often pushes the parents to cut it short, regardless of gender. The stereotype that such a procedure will have a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair is firmly alive among modern young parents.

“Our son Ilya's first hairs rolled out shortly after his birth, so he became practically bald. Fortunately, real hair soon appeared in place of the thin cannon, but not thick. When the first-born was one year old, we cut him with a typewriter at home. Now our Matyusha's hairstyle is just a sight for sore eyes. We decided to observe the tradition of the first haircut of the year even when we had a girl. After the haircut, our Nastenka’s hair began to grow better, ”recalls mother Tatyana.

The traditional rules of the first haircut have reached modern families in some distortion, so many moms and dads do not know what to do with the crumbs' hair, when exactly it is necessary to cut it, who should do it. And all these moments are also provided for by the unwritten law of ancestors.

Baby's first haircut: signs, rules, beliefs

In the distant past, the first tonsure of a child at the age of one year was carried out in strict observance of certain rules.

It was necessary to perform a haircut at the time of execution for a baby of one year old or one or two months later. Then the haircut will lose its sacred meaning.
In order for the crumbs' hair to grow faster, it was necessary to choose the day when the month was in the growth phase. This was especially important for girls, whose hair was often assigned mystical properties. If it was necessary to slow down hair growth, the haircut was done on the waning moon.
The peculiarity of the first haircut for girls at 1 year was that it was not very short. The girl's hair was simply cut off from 4 sides. Moreover, in the future, she was never cut again.
The ritual was performed at home. Usually one of the baby's relatives took up the scissors. It was believed that a person cutting a baby has a strong effect on its biofield and fate. Therefore, strangers did not trust such a thing. In Orthodox families, the godparents of the baby and the midwife who took the birth were invited to the ceremony. In the middle of the room was a sheep skin, on which the child was seated. The father symbolically cut off several strands from his head, carving a cross. These first hairs were stored later throughout the child's life.
Since people used to unconditionally believe in omens, the cut hair was not thrown away, so that the birds would not take them to the nest, and the baby would not begin to suffer from headaches. Mothers often put children's hairs in a medallion and wore it all the time on themselves. A pendant with such contents was a strong talisman capable of protecting a child from the evil eye or damage. If the parents wanted the child to become rich in the future, they took his cut strands to the forest and buried them in an anthill. Also, hair was hidden in a wattle fence or under a ceiling beam, thrown into the river.

Paul Ricoeur stated: "Every tradition lives on through interpretation."

Since superstition is in vogue today, many parents try to follow the rules for the first haircut of a child, but change them somewhat in accordance with modern conditions.

The first haircut of a child in our time

The questions of when the child's first haircut will take place, what to do with the hair, and where the action will take place, today are solved somewhat differently than in the past. After all, the living conditions of modern young families are in many ways not similar to the life of their distant ancestors.

Unlike representatives of previous generations, modern families do not live in large clans. The rite of the first tonsure, which used to take place in the circle of a large family, nowadays it is not always possible to make an equally massive holiday simply because all relatives live far away. Today, such an event is most often attended only by the parents and the baby himself.
To trim a child at home, parents need to have some hairdressing skills. If none of them has ever held a typewriter in their hands, it is better to seek help from a knowledgeable person. Traditions do not prohibit entrusting the first haircut to a professional hairdresser, especially if the parents themselves have not used his services for the first time.
Moms and dads often wish that the first haircut of the baby was done by his godparents. Sometimes the recipients even give the boy's godson a hair clipper, which is used to cut the hair.
Hair today is no longer hidden either in the fence or under the ceiling. Some mothers keep a small lock in an album, some put it in an envelope and leave it just as a keepsake.

“When we cut Timofey for the first time, we didn’t know where to put his hair, so we put it in a regular mail envelope,” recalls Alina’s mother. - This envelope is still kept in my casket along with other "relics" - a milk tooth and a tag from the hospital. " You can also throw your hair down the toilet and rinse it off.

It is not customary for girls to cut their hair very short a year. Usually mom and dad only shorten the bangs of the baby and, if necessary, trim the ends. Some parents give their little daughter a very short haircut in the hope that this will make them thicker. But scientists have long proved that new hair follicles do not appear on the head after a haircut. In addition, a haircut is not always beneficial.

Experts consider a neatly cut length with edging to be the most convenient option for a boy's haircuts at 1 year old. It looks beautiful, but it is executed quickly.

Anna recalls: “Our Innochka had very cute curls for up to a year. We wanted her hair to become stronger, and we cut her with a clipper when she was a year old. Then the hair of the branch's daughter, but they lost the waviness forever. We did not cut the youngest Helen, and her curls over time turned into very strong, elastic wavy strands. We still regret that we once cut our eldest daughter. "

A short haircut a year is often abandoned by the boy's naughty parents. But even those mothers and fathers who do not believe in omens also need some informational preparation for the first haircut of the baby.

Children's health experts say that getting a haircut can be stressful for a child. So that the usual hairdressing procedure does not become the cause of the baby's upset, they advise:

Don't shave your baby's head: the skin of children at this age is very delicate, it is easy to injure it.
Use a suitable tool. An ordinary hair clipper pulls the fine hairs of children, causing pain to the baby. Naturally, during such a procedure, the baby will cry. For children, it is recommended to cut with a ceramic blade. Scissors for a haircut should be with rounded ends.
So that the baby does not spin during the procedure, it it is better to sit on my mother's lap and carry away with some toy, at this time, carefully working with scissors and a comb.
A haircut should be started from the most problematic areas, so that if the baby gets tired and starts to be capricious, the procedure can be stopped as quickly as possible.
Do not try to create something unusual on the head of the crumbs, like a cropped pattern. Even a meek child will not be able to sit for so long in a hairdressing chair. In addition, babies at this age have too thin hair and keep their shape very poorly.

It is important for parents to remember that the procedure for the first haircut of the child should take place in the most relaxed atmosphere. Indeed, for any sacrament, the most important component is the emotional state of the people participating in it. Therefore, let the first haircut of the child be held in the most positive way and become a real celebration of the growing up of the baby.

Do I need to cut my child's hair bald a year?

There is a certain superstition that the first time it is necessary to cut a child's hair bald, even girls. It is believed that it is after the first haircut that the hair will grow thicker and healthier. The first haircut should only take place when the child is one year old.

According to some beliefs, it is believed that it is impossible to cut a child's hair earlier, the child will be problematic and painful. And according to others - that for a long time he will not learn to speak.

Experts have their own opinion on this matter. Most often, newborns have a fluff on their heads, which grows only 1 cm per month.

And that is why the need for a haircut appears only by the year. Those children who are immediately born with thick and long hair are cut, if necessary, earlier, not believing in all superstitions. Pediatricians limit the age for haircuts only for newborns who have not yet reached 1.5 months of age.

Other parents choose certain lunar days for a child's haircut so that hair grows thicker and healthier. It is believed that a child must be cut on a growing moon, and not on a new moon. The waxing moon, as it were, promotes hair growth, and when cutting for the waning moon, their growth slows down.

What to do with hair?

A lot of controversy also raises the question of where to put your hair after the first haircut. What our grandparents did not do with them. To make the hair beautiful and thick, the first cut hair was buried in the anthill. There were also several other options: drown in water or hide behind a beam on the ceiling.

Nowadays, the option of drowning the hair in water (flushing it down the toilet) is used. It is believed that if you throw your hair into the trash can, then the birds will build nests from them and the wind will not carry it around the streets, and the child will have a headache. Some parents prefer to burn their hair altogether, while others keep it in an envelope as a keepsake.

There are a lot of different superstitions around the baby's first haircut, believing in them or not is your own business, the main thing is that what you choose is consistent with your beliefs.

A bit of history: why cut a child's hair a year

In the old days, when infant mortality was quite high, it was believed that if a child lived to be one year old, then he chose this family for later life. Based on this, the ceremony of "tonsure into the family" was performed. After the "tonsure", the child was considered a full member of the family and was taken under the care of all the older members of the family.

The customs varied in different regions. Somewhere they cut their hair in a year, and somewhere in 3 or 5. It happened that only boys were cut, as if initiating them into men. The custom has survived to this day, but its meaning has changed. Now it is believed that if a child is not cut a year, then his hair will remain an infant fluff.

What do scientists say, is it necessary to cut a child's hair a year?

Physiologically, hair is a part of the human body. When they were cut and what was done to them after that, it does not affect the hair follicles, their quality and quantity on the head, namely the quantity regulates the density of the hair. And the number of these bulbs is laid even in the womb at the genetic level.

Cutting time also does not affect the number of haircuts. Factors affecting the growth and health of a child's hair are care, proper nutrition and health of the child. in order for the hair to be stronger, it is necessary to comb it timely and often, in different directions and daily.

It is also important to use combs made from natural materials. As for when to cut a baby for the first time, scientists do not talk about a specific framework, the only thing to be careful is that the bangs do not close the eyes of the child and do not interfere with his view. Cutting your head off can be harmful rather than necessary.

This will only irritate and damage the bulbs. It is better for girls to start growing long hair only after 4 years, since up to this age all kinds of hairpins and elastic bands injure thin children's hair.

Do I need to cut my baby's hair a year? The most important thing is to create a calm environment around the child during the first haircut, not to frighten the first time. So that there must be a mom, dad or grandmother nearby and the child is confident in his safety.

We are approaching a year, so I was puzzled by the next age-related dedication by the tonsured. Very good article, I offer it to you too. From myself, I will only add that the custom of cutting a cross on a child's head has pagan roots, for the cross (but only one-sided) is a symbol of the Sun-God. And the sheepskin symbolizes the world of Veles - prosperity and protection from magical powers. So:

Of course, like all rituals, tonsured have a bunch of their own rules! For example, you need to put the birthday girl on a sheepskin (skin), before shearing (by the way, the godfather and godmother take turns doing this), the baby is given a dish (tray) on which there is a bunch of different objects (at the discretion and imagination of parents and godparents) that (usually 3, but of course more is possible) the kid should choose and take it for himself (for example: a mobile phone - will be a businessman, a comb - a hairdresser, a centimeter - a seamstress, a camera - a photographer, money - a banker, etc.) :-)
These are new rules invented now. In general, we have had that haircut from time immemorial, that is, a very long time ago (even me). On the casing of a boy and on a pillow a girl. Money, grain and sweets, once sugar, now sweets, were put under the casing or pillow. This is to prosperity and a happy share. Hair was kept, this is for health and longevity. Relatives (mom, dad, godparents, grandparents) cut their hair, it is believed that a loved one will not “cut off” a share and good luck, but, on the contrary, will wish even more ... well-being and health. There are a lot of such signs and beliefs associated with hair in Ukraine, therefore, there is a lot of attention to this ritual.

Sometimes it is also done like this: Trimmed: the godfather takes scissors and cuts off 4 strands with a cross, folding each in a handkerchief or napkin, and then the godmother does the same and give the child a memento.
In general, a holiday can be made very beautifully. Prepare for it like a christening. They embroider the pillow, think over all the nuances.

And then it's just that my mother cuts herself or someone from close relatives and adds to these hairs. We still have all sorts of jokes for girls and boys. "About a braid of girlish beauty and a curly forelock in a boy." (each region has its own sentences)
By Rysa

The ceremony is held in 1 year. I know that you need to first consecrate the scissors (we did not do this) and prepare everything necessary for the tonsure (loaf, casing, money, candy, for girls - the comb and scissors are tied with a red ribbon, for boys - an ax; wheat and rye) and for the subsequent predictions of the future (objects symbolizing activities: a pen - will engage in science or write, a glass - inclined to alcohol, a toy - will play all his life, keys - to manage something or drive a car or will have a house, a book - will learn all his life , an ax or a hammer - it will be artisan, money - with money it will be all my life, etc.).

You can't cut a baby up to one year old. In the year when everyone has gathered, the baby is seated on a casing spread on the floor. Rye and wheat, money, an ax or a comb (depending on the gender of the child), sweets are poured under it. Above the baby's head, the godmother or grandmother and grandfather hold a loaf. The child must be cut by the godfather or dad (only a man). The tonsures are held until 12-00 in good weather. Strands of hair on the head are cut crosswise, carefully collecting them in a scarf.
After that, the baby is taken in his arms and the cooked items are laid out on the casing. They sit the baby down again and see which of the items the baby takes first. This is why they predict fate.
After that, it is customary to present the baby with gifts.

After the ceremony, the cut hair must be either burned, or buried, or put into water. We burned. Moreover, when they went out into the street, mom passed the hair to dad through the window (so as not to take the baby's fate out of the house). Having made a fire, they said: "Fire brother, grant our son good health and a happy fate."
After that, everyone gathers at the festive table.

With the girl, it looks like they only put on a pillow and cut their mother's hair with the godmother.
They say before the haircut "Bless the tattoo and mummy, my child's braids zistrigati" They cut and sentence for the girl:
For health for health on the whole day. Schob spit barvinku dizdala, pid bil hustku, pid vinok "
For a boy: "The forelock is not curled, that rose is not curled. The head is smart, not only is the forelock is red."
The first year after the birth of a child ends with age dedication, popularly called Postrizhins. Echoes of this ancient rite still exist today. After all, many parents cut their babies exactly one year old. But among our Ancestors, this rite was of great importance. Before she was tonsured, the child was treated like a baby, and after that it was no longer like a baby. By the time the child is one year old, a Jave (physical) body is formed, so our ancestors wisely completed this process with the tonsure ceremony, which harmonized the child, allowed him to collect the strength of his kind and clearly express himself in his own way.

The tonsured were a holiday for the whole family, the whole clan. On this day, the whole family gathered in the parental home. According to the beliefs of our ancestors, from birth to three years, the child is under the care of Kolyada-Bozhych. Trimmed is a kind of blessing by Kolyada Bozhich, who, according to the beliefs of our ancestors, is responsible for the good beginning of any business. Therefore, tonsured give the child a good unfolding of life, and form a harmonious spiritual and physical state.

Our ancestors attached great importance to any detail during the ceremony. Family relations were of particular importance. Therefore, it is very important that relatives and guests are positively disposed, wish well to the family, and especially the child. Never invite people to whom you do not have warm feelings. If there are relationship problems with relatives, then the first thing to do is deal with this relationship. Remember that the key to all the difficulties that have arisen between you and your family must be sought in yourself.
Long before the holiday, think about why there is no harmony in the family, what the relatives are unhappy with. Enter a conflict situation, look at it through their eyes, through their emotions. Now think about how to do so to remove the voltage line.

After that, in a spiritual sense, ask your relatives for an apology, and in the explicit material world, go to a meeting, if possible, give what they ask for, change your behavior, show warmth in relationships and mutual respect. Work on harmonizing the clan until you create favorable clan relationships. Only now can you fully approach the generic initiation of your son.
During the tonsure, everyone who was of this kind is remembered, especially those who were righteous and did many good deeds for their kind and people. Speaking such speeches, with our memories we invite the souls of our ancestors to the house for a holiday, we multiply their power here and now. This enables them to bless the child with their righteousness and wisdom. When we mention specific righteous traits of grandfathers and great-grandfathers, it is these traits that we program in a child.

During the tonsure, the boy's hair is cut off, while the girls have only a few strands. The holiday ends with a treat and the baby himself is presented with gifts with wishes of health and happiness.
And still here