Birthday Feasts · FFET10347
Zhuazhou (first-birthday grab)
A first-birthday custom: brushes, ink, books and food are set out to see which item the child picks first.
The foods and feasts of birthdays, of a baby's first month and first year, and of longevity celebrations.
Yan Zhitui's late-6th-century Yan family instruction book includes Jiangnan's first-birthday rite in its chapter on manners: boys had a bow, arrows, paper and brush; girls had a knife, ruler, needle and thread, alongside food and treasures, to judge greed or honesty, wisdom or folly. Song practice set out fruit, food, seals, brushes, ink and books to see what the child picked. These accounts, including Dongjing meng hua lu and Meng liang lu, do not name particular dishes.
What
Zhuazhou is a custom for a child's first birthday: several objects, including food, are set before the child, and the first thing picked is read as a hint of the future.1,2,3
When
It takes place when the child turns 1. Jiangnan's custom appears in Yan Zhitui's Yan family instruction book. In the Song text Dongjing meng hua lu, zhou zui means the first birthday; Meng liang lu uses the name nian zhou shi zui.1,2,3,4
Where
The custom is found across China and in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Korea.1
How
Traditionally, brush, ink, paper, inkstone, abacus, coins and books are laid out, with newer objects added today, often in multiples of 6. Early practice placed a bow and arrows, paper and brush before boys, and a knife, ruler and needle before girls, plus food and treasures. Song practice included fruit, food, seals, brushes, books, tools and coins. The child chooses. The old texts do not identify specific foods, so particular dishes cannot be determined.1,2,3,4
Why
People read the child's choice as a hint of the future; an early purpose was to judge whether the child was greedy or honest, wise or foolish.1,2
Impact and influence
Modern zhuazhou also uses newer objects.1
No tale about this food has been found.