There are many ceremonies in the Navajo tradition. The Navajo celebrate the first laugh of a baby with a A'wee Chi'deedloh (The Baby Laughs) ceremony. This is a great event to be shared with relatives and friends and is somewhat like a baby shower but with very important differences.
When the baby laughs it symbolizes the passing of the baby from the heavenly world to the world of man. The heavenly beings had to coax the baby into taking a human form and the lack of speaking at birth shows the reluctance to leave the heavenly family. Laughing means that the baby will soon be speaking, and laughing is the first evidence of joining the human family. The Navajo do not have baby showers before a baby is born. In fact , to speak of the baby before birth is considered to bring bad luck.
Sometimes a sheep will be slaughtered for the ceremony and people all bring food to be blessed.
Each person will take the food in front of the baby and the baby will give the persons sweets and some salt ( with the help of a parent). This is believed to teach the baby to be generous and kind, very important traits for a Navajo. After the passing of the food everyone sits, eats, and chats.
A legend holds that the baby will take on the personality of the one who coaxes the first laugh. As this is something I do as Pediatrician almost daily, I have quite a bit of success with coaxing the first laugh. Unfortunately for the Navajo in Chinle they are going to be left with a generation of children with a love for the Red Sox and a very bad sense of humor.
Thank you (5 years later!) for this post. I am equally envious of it and elated that this ritual exists & is actively practiced.
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