Zhuazhou

Zhuazhou (抓週 – literally, "pick" and "anniversary", meaning "one-year-old catch" ) is a Chinese ritual held at a child's first birthday party, when the child is 1 year, i.e. typically twelve months since birth (although variable reckonings as to what constitutes a year of age for entitlement for zhuazhou exist), old.

There is a clear record of the ceremony of Zhuazhou in the Yanshi Jiaxun of Yan Zhitui of Northern Qi.

When many writings talk about the history of the Zhuazhou custom, they all say that this custom has been popular in the Jiangnan area (regions south of the Yangtze River) of China at least during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and gradually spread throughout China during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

This kind of ceremony was held more solemnly by the royal family, with more complicated procedures and more styles of objects.

However, there is a huge gap between the imperial family and the folks, and there are also great differences in etiquette levels and objects.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, this kind of Zhuazhou ceremony was still popular among the people in Beijing.

The ceremony is mainly for the elders to have high hopes and best wishes for the children.Each of the common object to catch has a different implication of future vocation or wealth of the child: 1.