Traditions of Gender Prediction from All over the World
Trying to determine whether you’re expecting a girl or a boy is one of the most exciting aspects of pregnancy. Typically, expectant parents learn their child’s gender around week 20 of pregnancy via an anatomy scan—or occasionally through a blood test around week 10 or week 12. However, during the weeks preceding the birth, the gender of a newborn is anyone’s guess. And it turns out that making such educated predictions may be rather enjoyable! We’ve compiled a list of some of the most entertaining and unusual gender prediction tests and rituals utilised by parents throughout the world.
Traditions of Age-Old Gender Prediction
Gender and Morning Sickness – Although there is no scientific evidence to support this method of gender prediction, some think that the quantity of morning sickness a pregnant woman has will decide her gender. If mum is ill and turns green at every opportunity, she is pregnant with a girl. If mum avoids morning sickness or has minor issues with it, she is carrying a boy.
Pregnancy Cravings: Sweet or Salty – Prepare for a barrage of remarks if you grab for the pickles. According to some, your pregnancy cravings are gender-specific. According to others, wanting salty or savoury meals indicates the impending arrival of a newborn boy. If a mother craves sweets, she is pregnant with a girl.
The Gender Prediction Test Using the Pendulum – For millennia, women have attempted this gender prediction test—though the origins of the ritual are debated. The pregnant mother is urged to lie on her back while a wedding ring is strung on a thread. The thread is then hung over the pregnant abdomen. Dowsing is a custom in which the movements of the ring-weighted string are used to discern the gender of the newborn. If the ring swings in a circular manner, it is a female; if it swings in a straight line, it is a male.
Chinese Prediction of Gender – Chinese moms have traditionally utilised a gender prediction chart to determine whether they are expecting a boy or a girl. Developed 700 years ago for the Qing dynasty’s imperial family, the Chinese gender prediction chart is remarkably simple to use and enjoyable to use (even if it is not backed up by science!). A parent can determine whether they are having a boy or a girl by comparing the mother’s lunar age at conception to the Chinese lunar month of conception.
Other more ways are:
Gender Prediction in Mayan – Similar to the Chinese gender prediction chart, the Mayans used a calendar-based system to determine the gender of a newborn. This technique for determining the gender of a newborn is based on the year of conception and the mother’s age at conception. If both numbers are even or odd, it is a female. If, on the other hand, one of the conception numbers is odd and the other is even, the baby is a male. Easy-peasy!
Prediction of Moroccan Gender – If a mother is lying on her back and an insect is dropped on her belly, she may determine the gender of her unborn child, by the way, the bug lands. If it falls on its feet, congratulations, a boy has been born! If the lands on its back, it appears as though pink is in your future.
Prediction of Hungarian Gender – If a pregnant woman carefully pokes her finger into the middle of a spider web and then takes it out to show a hole, she may anticipate the gender of her unborn child based on the spider’s behaviour. According to Rudolf Temesvary’s Traditions and Superstitions in Obstetrics and the Care of the Newborn in Hungary, if the spider does nothing, the woman will have a girl; nevertheless, if the spider fixes the hole, the mother will have a boy.
Brazilian Prediction of Gender – According to Brazilian myth, if an expecting mother prepares a chicken’s heart, she may determine whether she is carrying a boy or a girl by the way the heart reacts to heat. If it splits or grows during cooking, she is pregnant with a girl. If the heart does not open, divide, or enlarge, she is most likely pregnant with a boy.
Prediction of the French Gender – French ladies may credit a 15th-century folklore book called The Distaff Gospels for this one; allegedly, if a mother’s footsteps begin with her right foot, she is most likely pregnant with a boy. If she begins walking with her left, she is pregnant.
Final Thoughts on Predicting the Gender of a Baby
As you can see, infant gender prediction practises date all the way back to the Middle Ages! Trying to guess your baby’s gender may be a lot of fun. Once you are certain of your baby’s gender, you may begin seriously considering a baby name.