Kazim Bertahnik & 'Belah Mulut'

yesterday was my 3rd and last day of urut pantang at kak jah's house, so she sort off closed it by shaving off kazim's head followed by the 'bertahnik' ceremony, or 'belah mulut'.

the 'belah mulut', literally translated as 'cutting the mouth' sounds pretty brutal haha but it actually is a metaphor for

• giving the newborn baby a little taste of sweetness
• exercising the baby's tongue to facilitate latching during breastfeeding
• giving the baby the gift of gab - petah and bijak bercakap
• so that the baby reads the quran well, as well as speaking politely and thoughtfully

more on this 'bertahnik' and belah mulut ceremony further on.


here is kazim, in his final shot with hair on his 18th day. bye bye hair. hello sexy bald look!

kak jah spread a little hair gell in his hair, and proceeded to shave off his head ever so carefully. kazim slept soundly at first, but when the hair became less, and his naked head became more exposed to the cool water and air, he began to mengamuk le! hihi.


at first i had to just hold him tight. and when that couldn't work anymore, i breastfed him while kak jah continued. baru senyap!

shaving the baby's head is important so that the newborn's head is free from any unwanted skin disease or discomfort. the shaved off hair should be weighed. parents of newborn then extend charity in the same amount as the weight of the hair.


when all is done, kak jah tepek some bedak sejuk on kazim's head to cool it off. he looks funny, but oh-so adorable. *pinch pinch*

* * *

now we go back to bertahnik or belah mulut. these are my googled info!

what
this ceremony is sunah Rasulullah SAW, something that is advisable to be done, but there's nothing wrong if we don't do it. a hadith stated how Rasulullah SAW did the tahnik ceremony using buah tamar or dates which he munched and gave to a newborn baby.

when
advisable to be done as soon as the baby's born or just a day after, because the main reason to do the tahnik is to get the baby's mouth, tongue and lips ready to drink breastmilk. it's just that some waited for the 7th day, or did it together with the 'aqiqah' ceremony. i guess there's nothing wrong either way hihi.

actually the day we brought kazim back from the hospital, (which was day 2 for kazim) kak zaida already fed kazim some kurma and air zam-zam, when she and her family came by to visit and drop off khaleef and kahfi. so that was bertahnik already, right?

who
it can be done by the parents or relatives of the newborn, or someone religious. this is also not a must - it's just that some believed that the newborn baby will incorporate (ewah) the characteristics and goodness of the religious person who did the tahnik ceremony. god willing, with good upbringing and strong religious values, the baby will grow up well nontheless.

the rings, air zam-zam, and a spoonful of honey

with what
it can be done using zam-zam water (holy water from Mekah), kurma or dates - and if that's not available, anything sweet can be used, like honey.

how
kak jah used honey. she also used three rings - gold, while gold and suasa. rings were dipped into the zam-zam water and honey, and then fed to kazim. it is believed that apart from being petah and baik budi bicara, the baby will also be blessed with richness and wealth!

Allah knows best!

kak jah feeding kazim honey and air zam-zam

now my kazim is already botak, and bertahnik done. great! insyaAllah we'll plan an aqiqah by the end of the month while mr. khairul's mom is still here in dubai. wait for invites, people!

click here for this detailed explanation on the bertahnik ceremony, written in BM.