Rain Dragon is one month old! (I have to admit, it feel a lot longer...perhaps it's the sleep deprivation). And she is a doubly lucky baby because she had not one, but two red egg parties. The first one was thrown by good friends Luke & Ranida (who wanted to return the favor).
It was a lovely party with friends,
babies,
dogs:
The pièce de résistance was the incredible dragon cake made by Luke:
who had meticulously planed it, first by making paper patterns:
Then cutting the cake accordingly:
But I think it turned out amazing! Don't you?
Unfortunately, little Rain Dragon thought sleeping was more interesting:
Though, big girl Maia thought the sleeping baby was so interesting that she wanted her own:
It was a wonderful welcome for Rain Dragon!
Customarily, the first big festivity in a Chinese baby’s life is the Red Egg and Ginger Party. This party is given in honor of a baby’s first month or first moon birthday, signifying it welcome to the family. Until a baby had lived a full month it was not considered part of the family. Consequently, the Red Egg and Ginger Party was an especially joyous occasion.
Eggs represent new life and, because of their roundness, harmony while red is, of course, the Chinese color of luck and happiness. So Red Eggs signify a happy and lucky new life, the perfect symbol to welcome a new baby.
New mothers “sit a month” after giving birth. It is only on the first moon birthday that the new mother is allowed to leave her home and rejoin the world. On this occasion, she is given much ginger, thought to contain special nutrients needed to give the mother strength.