Italian (United States), Catholic
HEALTH Maintenance
Eat (solved emotional and physical problems); fruit at end of meal cleans teeth; early to bed and early to rise
Hearty and varied nutritional intake; lots of fruit, pasta, wine (even for children), cheese, home grown vegetables, and salads; exercise in form of physical labor; molasses on a piece of bread, or oil and sugar on bread; hard bread (good for the teeth)
Table 7–1 continued
HEALTH Restoration (continued)
Familial HEALTH Traditions ■ 169
Pregnancy: Two weeks early: girl Two weeks late: boy Heartburn: baby with lots of hair
HEALTH Protection
Eat properly Garlic cloves strung on a piece of string around the neck of infants and children to prevent colds and “evil” stares from other people, which they believed could cause headaches and a pain or stiffness in the back or neck (a piece of red ribbon or cloth on an infant served the same purpose)
If infants got their nights and days mixed up, they were tied upside down and turned all the way around
Keep feet warm Keep warm in cold weather Never wash hair before going outdoors or at night Never wash hair or bathe during period Stay out of drafts To prevent bowlegs and keep ankles straight, up to the age of 6 to 8 months a bandage was wrapped around the baby from the waist to the feet
To prevent “evil” in the newborn, a scissor was kept open under the mattress of the crib
Norwegian (Norway), Lutheran
HEALTH Maintenance