Around the World Spotlights

Ghana

Among the Akan people of Ghana, pregnancy is considered a time of shared belonging. Community members often offer blessings not only to the pregnant parent, but also to the ancestors, thanking them for guiding new life into being. The first months are accompanied by prayers and songs that remind the family: you are not beginning alone, you are part of a lineage that continues through you.

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Japan

In Japan, many pregnant parents visit a Shinto shrine around the fifth month of pregnancy for the Obi-Iwai ritual. A sacred sash, called an iwanai obi, is wrapped around the belly, often by older women in the family, as a blessing for safe growth and steady protection. The sash symbolizes both physical support and the presence of generations who stand behind the new parent.

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Mexico

In Mexico, traditional parteras (midwives) often speak of pregnancy as a journey walked with both the living and the ancestors. Families may light candles or share food with neighbors as a way of honoring the beginning, affirming that the whole community holds a stake in the life to come. This practice makes pregnancy visible as collective, not hidden or solitary.