Copiii „din flori”. Copiii „însămnați”. Semnificații în aria problematicii ceremonialului nașterii
Children from Extramarital Relations. The Children “with Birth Masks”. Significances in the Area of the Birth Ceremonial Issue

Summary/Abstract: In the mentality of the villagers of the Sălaj County, the children born outof wedlock, as well as those with physical or psychical disabilities, are part of acertain category, outside the ordinary. Concerning their vulnerable state, a lot ofhistories and interpretations appeared, some entirely disconcerting. The illegitimatechildren’s births are subject to various prejudices but, despite this, thesemisbegotten children are considered more beautiful, more intelligent and,especially, luckier. The dysfunctions and the births signs on the body – we arereferring to “special” children – are raising, besides fears, various suspicions: in thepopular belief, the deficiencies and the birth signs can be interpreted as clues abouta baneful destiny, resulting from curses put by others. There are alsointerpretations which express the fear of contagion, these anomalies beingsuspected to carry the germs of some diseases. Depending to the legitimacy of thechild born, the customs related to this moment were different. The villagers’opinion concerning the children born outside the marriage of the parents is notfavourable to either the mother or the child, the latter being accepted with reserveby the entire community, which is also responsible for diminishing the festivenature of its coming into the world and of its integration into the community. Also,the stigmas are becoming signs which are kept into account in the interpretation ofthe destiny of the child having them.

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