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Embracing marriage with blessings & grace from loved ones on 25th November 2006

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Tirah...
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Hanz..
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Friday, November 02, 2007

-3:07 pm

Lenggang perut ceremony
[lenggang –swaying gently from side to side; perut – stomach]

An old ritual that has more or less been abandoned by the Malays in Singapore, this pre-natal ceremony is still practised in some villages in Malaysia. The ritual takes place when the lady has completed her 7th month of pregnancy. It is an elaborate ceremony which is believed to have originated from the need to determine if the baby is in the correct position for delivery.

The midwife is called upon to examine the expectant mother, to determine if she has reached the 7th month of her pregnancy. The mother-to-be will then be massaged with coconut oil, after which a coconut (with its outer husk removed) would be rolled along the surface of the stomach and allowed to fall to the floor.

Depending on the final position of the coconut, the midwife would be able to tell the gender of the baby.

After this ritual, 7 pieces of cloth or sarung of different colours will be laid on a mattress, one on top of the other. The expectant mother will then be asked to lie on top of the 7 layers of sarung. The midwife grabs hold of the two ends of the topmost sarung and then lifts the sarung and with it the lady’s body, gently rocking the sarung from side to side once or twice. She will then pull the sarung out from under the body of the mother-to-be, and proceed with the next sarung in the pile. It is this rocking from side to side act that gives the lenggang perut ceremony its name. The ceremony is completed once the last layer of sarung has been removed. This last piece of cloth, along with some rice, a complete betel nut set, candles, thread and a small sum of money would be presented to the midwife.

The lenggang perut ceremony is a vanishing custom among Malay/Muslim families in Singapore, who see it as a redundant and contrary to Islamic principles.

COMMENT from "Keramatau", Selangor @ http://www.bicarasufi.com/bsc/viewtopic.php?t=17237:

"Kalau di sesetengah tempat upacara lenggang perut ini adalah bertujuan untuk memudahkan kaum wanita untuk melahirkan anak. Bidan akan dijemput untuk membetulkan kedudukan bayi di dalam perut sambil di kelilingi oleh sekumpulan wanita yang akan membacakan bacaan selawat yang indah bacaannya.

Saya melihat dari segi budaya kita, kerana itulah usaha
nenek moyang kita agar anak cucunya mudah melahirkan zuriat, kerana melahirkan anak itu sebenarnya amat sulit dan rumit. Saya sendiri bila melihat isteri saya bersalin di hospital yang moden dan serba canggih cukup sayu melihat yang beliau berhempas pulas untuk melahirkan zuriat keturunan, dan teringat pula akan keadaan ibu saya yang
melahirkan saya dalam kedaan yang serba kekurangan pastilah azabnya lebih lagi.

Bacaan selawat di bacakan kerana mutakhir ini sekumpulan ahli kanak-kanak dari Eropah membuat kajian bahawa sekiranya anak di dalam kandungan yang di perdengarkan muzik Mozart adalah lebih cerdas akal fikirannya dari anak yang tidak diperdengarkan apa-apa maka dengan sebab itu kalau kita pergi ke kedai-kedai
bayi, kita akan melihat ada alat pendengaran beserta dengan lagu Mozart di jual untuk ibu-ibu yang hamil. Nah lihat, nenek moyang kita lebih bijak dari mereka, zuriat mereka di dalam kandungan diperdengarkan akan bacaan
selawat, iaitu sudah ditanamkan akan sifat mencintai Rasullah SAW. Alangkah hebat pemikiran nenek moyang kita.

Itulah serba sedikit yang saya tahu tentang adat lenggang perut. Kalau ada terdapat lain dari yang saya tahu maka saya tidak tahu.... "

Syahdunya baca comment dari tuan ini. Macam meringankan apa jua pantang/hukum yg cuba dipertengahkan untuk adat lengang perut ini.