2024-01-15 14:41:18
There are many different cultures in this world. Every community has its own customs and rituals. Similarly, it is said here about the custom of Mizuko Kuyo which exists in Japan.
This ritual is for ‘babies’ who are lost through abortion or miscarriage. This Japanese-Buddhist ceremony is usually performed for those who have suffered a miscarriage or suffered an abortion. In the 1970s, shrines dedicated to Mizuko Kuyo began to be established. With this, this ritual gained great importance.
The purpose of this ceremony is to understand the grief of the parents, comfort the soul of the unborn child, and empower women to overcome the guilt associated with abortion. According to Buddhist belief, unborn children cannot enter heaven. The reason for this, they see, is that those who do good deeds enter heaven. It means that these children do not get a chance to do such good deeds.
Therefore, these unborn children are enshrined as statues at Sai no Kawara, located on the banks of the Sansu River. This shows the grief of their parents. Through the Mizuko Kuyo ritual, parents can unconditionally express their grief and ask forgiveness for their unborn children.
This ceremony is usually performed by Buddhist priests. Offerings can be made here to Jizo, the bodhisattva who is believed to protect children. They believe that this will guide unborn children to the afterlife, protect them from demons and help them reach heaven.
The practice is believed to have originated in the Edo period, when poverty caused infant mortality and miscarriage.
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Last Updated Jan 15, 2024, 8:11 PM IST
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