Baby on the way and wondering how to celebrate your baby’s arrival with your loved ones?
Typically, parents might choose one-month celebrations, gifting sweet pastries and holding parties to celebrate the one-month-old milestone of their newborn. However, this is not the only option to herald the arrival of your little one. Millennial parents seem to prefer celebrating the “100th day” instead.
We compare the two options and leave you to decide what works best for your family!
Based on Different Traditions
One month celebrations or Man3 Yue4, translated as “full moon” is based on the Chinese tradition that regards the successful completion of 30 days to baby’s first birthday. This is still widely celebrated in China and used to be more common in Singapore.
The 100 day celebration stems from Korean and Japanese tradition, known as Baek-il in Korean and Okuizome in Japan. Interestingly, during the Zhou Dynasty in China, rites were held during the 100 days celebration such as putting on patchwork clothes made out of fabric scraps from 100 families, gift of a longevity lock for good luck.
Pre-party Prep
There is definitely a longer runway to prepare for 100 day celebrations compared to the One Month party. Usually, cake gifting boxes are ordered in advance for delivery. Honestly, having been through the initial months of sheer exhaustion, I found myself unable to function optimally. On top of that, to plan a party is beyond me, as the priority is on baby’s (and mother’s) needs.
Celebrations do not have to be lavish or in “celebrity-style”, do it your way whether it’s a cosy One Month celebration or a themed 100-day party.
The Usual Ways to Celebrate
The common practices for One Month celebrations include a newborn shoot, making a” fetal brush” from baby’s hair and gifting of red eggs as well as Ang Ku Kueh. Eggs represent the renewal process and are associated with harmony and unity.
Red eggs can also be distributed during 100 days celebrations. With more time to plan for the 100 days and perhaps more milestones to share, there could be more opportunities to display pictures of baby, some fun facts and habits that guests would not know about baby.
A Celebration not just for the Baby, but for the Family
Whichever celebration you choose, remember that it is not just to share the joy of having a baby but it is a celebration of the family. Keep things simple if you feel overwhelmed, or think of different ideas to commemorate the occasion. Congratulations, all the best with party planning and wishing you plenty of happy memories.
