“Vítání občánků“: Social Analysis of a Czech Baby-Welcoming Ceremony

• Thesis title in Czech: Sociologická analýza Vítání občánků
• Thesis title in English: “Vítání občánků“: Social Analysis of a Czech Baby-Welcoming Ceremony
• Key words: Vítání občánků, přechodový rituál, znovuvynalezená tradice, komunismus
• English key words: rite of passage, reinvented tradition, institutional entrepreneur, Communist tradition, baby-welcoming ceremony, transition to democracy
• Academic year of topic announcement: 2021/2022
• Thesis type: diploma thesis
• Thesis language: angličtina
• Department: Department of Sociology (23-KS)
• Supervisor: doc. Alessandro Testa, Ph.D.
• Author: hidden - assigned by the advisor
• Date of registration: 24.06.2022
• Date of assignment: 27.06.2022
• Date and time of defence: 18.09.2023 09:00
• Venue of defence: Areál Jinonice, B216, 216, seminární místnost ISS
• Date of electronic submission: 31.07.2023
• Date of proceeded defence: 18.09.2023
• Opponents: Mgr. Jitka Wirthová, Ph.D.

References

BLOKKER, Paul. Post-communist modernization, transition studies, and diversity in Europe. European journal of social theory, 2005, 8.4: 503-525. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1368431005059703?casa_token=j1sIrYTomHUAAAAA:I-kQq4AlJ4yTewSrN751pBzW3s99U7B3Za9O4PgGxPTbqNRt28dEqDOb7naydsiUbyOL7I2Ux-utEw
Český statistický úřad. Tab. 10.1 Obyvatelstvo podle náboženské víry v letech 1991 až 2021. In: Náboženská víra. [online] ČSÚ, 2021. Available at: https://www.czso.cz/csu/scitani2021/nabozenska-vira
Eurydice. Czech Republic. Population: demographic situation, languages and religions. European Commission: 2022. Available at: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/population-demographic-situation-languages-and-religions-21_en
FROESE, Paul. Secular Czechs and devout Slovaks: Explaining religious differences. Review of Religious Research, 2005, 269-283.
GRISWOLD, Wendy. A methodological framework for the sociology of culture. Sociological methodology, 1987, 1-35.
GUENDOUZI, Jackie. “The guilt thing”: Balancing domestic and professional roles. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2006, 68.4: 901-909.
JOHNSON, Todd M., ZURLO, Gina A. and Peter F. CROSSING. The world by religion. In: GRIM, Brian J., JOHNSON, Todd M., SKIRBEKK, Vegard and Gina A. ZURLO (Eds.). Yearbook of International Religious Demography 2016. Brill, 2016. p. 1-83. DOI: 10.1163/9789004322141_013
KŘÍŽKOVÁ, Alena. 2002. „Česká žena v práci a rodině posledního desetiletí“. Pp. 148–160 in Mansfeldová, Z., Tuček, M 2002: Současná česká společnost. Sociologické studie. Praha: Sociologický ústav AV ČR.
LANEY, Elizabeth K., LEWIS HALL, M. Elizabeth, ANDERSON, Tamara L. & Michele M. WILLINGHAM (2015) Becoming a Mother: The Influence of Motherhood on Women's Identity Development, Identity, 15:2, 126-145, DOI: 10.1080/15283488.2015.1023440
LISS, Miriam, et al. Development and validation of a quantitative measure of intensive parenting attitudes. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2013, 22.5: 621-636.
MILLER, Geoffrey P. The legal function of ritual. Chi.-Kent L. Rev., 2005, 80: 1181. Available at: https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview/vol80/iss3/8
MINARIK, Pavol. The persistence of opposition in an oppressive regime: The case of the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia. Rationality and society [online]. London, England: SAGE Publications, 2022, 34(2), 218-236 [cit. 2022-05-30]. ISSN 1043-4631. Available at: doi:10.1177/10434631221092759
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV). Vybrané statistické údaje. Počet příjemců rodičovského příspěvku podle pohlaví. 2021. Available at: https://www.mpsv.cz/web/cz/vybrane-statisticke-udaje
NEŠPOROVÁ, Olga, et al. Obavy a těžkosti rané fáze rodičovství: Zjištění longitudinálního výzkumu prvorodičů. Sociologický časopis/Czech Sociological Review, 2019, 55.1: 3-30. https://doi.org/10.13060/00380288.2019.55.1.446
PAUKŠTYTĖ-ŠAKNIENĖ, Rasa, et al. Ritual, power and historical perspective: baptism and name-giving in Lithuania and Latvia. Journal of ethnology and folkloristics, 2007, 1.1-2: 115-129.
PAVLICOVÁ, M. Náklady intenzivního mateřství. Praha: Sociologický ústav AV ČR, 2016. Available at: https://diverzita.cz/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/N%C3%A1klady-intenzivn%C3%ADho-mate%C5%99stv%C3%AD-v-%C4%8CR-Martina-Pavlicov%C3%A1_edit-1.pdf
PETKŪNAS, Darius, et al. The introduction of secular rites of passage in Lithuania–communist alternatives to Christian rites. Soter: religijos mokslo žurnalas, 2013, 75.47: 93-112.
POWELL, David. The effectiveness of Soviet anti-religious propaganda. Public Opinion Quarterly, 1967, 31.3: 366-380.
RASAK, Bamidele. Naming ceremony: comparative analysis of the Igbo and Yoruba culture in Nigeria. Continental J. Arts and Humanities, 2010, 2.1: 7-16. ISSN: 2141 – 4092 Available at: http://eprints.lmu.edu.ng/1207/1/NAMING%20CEREMONY%20%20OF%20THE%20IGBO%20AND%20YORUBA%20CULTURE%20IN.pdf
REJOWSKA, Agata, et al. Between Ritual and Performance. Humanist Marriage Ceremonies in Poland. Polish Sociological Review, 2020, 210.2: 245-260.
VÁCLAVÍK, David. Český ateismus ve dvacátém století K vývoji a institucionalizaci v letech 1948–1989. Soudobé dějiny [online]. Ústav pro soudobé dějiny AV ČR, 2007, XIV(2-03), 471-487. ISSN 1210-7050.
WALL, Glenda. Is your child's brain potential maximized?: Mothering in an age of new brain research. Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture & Social Justice, 2004, 28.2: 41-50.
WOJTKOWIAK, Joanna. Ritualizing Pregnancy and Childbirth in Secular Societies: Exploring Embodied Spirituality at the Start of Life. Religions, 2020, 11.9: 458.

Preliminary scope of work

Diplomová práce se bude zabývat obřadem zvaným "Vítání občánků", který je ve společenských vědách zatím spíše přehlížen. Přestože jsou Češi známí svými ateistickými, respektive ireligiózními tendencemi, tento obřad se těší vysoké oblibě a je dodržován v obcích všech velikostí po celé republice. Původně byl zpopularizován za dob komunismu jako náhražka za křest, neboť komunistická strana se snažila omezit vliv náboženství. Obřad samotný tak částečně reflektuje komunistickou ideologii, například důrazem na komunitu, zároveň však v sobě nese i univerzální symboliku spojenou s narozením a přivítáním dítěte či přechodem k rodičovství. Na rozdíl od jiných komunistických tradic, jako jsou dožínky či Mezinárodní den žen, zůstalo Vítání občánků relevantním a populárním obřadem, který se navíc vyvíjí s dobou. V práci bych chtěla prozkoumat, jakým vývojem Vítání občánků prošlo a jak se v jeho podobě projevovaly a projevují hodnoty a ideologie relevantní pro českou společnost.

Přechod k rodičovství je jednou z nejtěžších životních změn, již současný člověk podstupuje, neboť se zcela změní jeho identita, hodnoty i způsob života. Ač Češi velmi rychle přijali neo-liberální hodnoty spojené se seberozvojem a kariérním i osobním růstem, rodičovství je nutí tyto hodnoty v praxi upozadit. České podmínky, jako je dlouhá rodičovská dovolená, nedostatek zařízení pro malé děti a málo flexibilních zaměstnání, tento přechod pro Čechy, respektive Češky, jelikož jsou to ve valné většině případů ženy, které zůstávají na rodičovské dovolené, ještě ztěžuje. Dále bych proto ve své práci chtěla zjistit, zda a jakou roli hraje Vítání občánků pro novopečené rodiče při jejich přechodu k rodičovství.

Preliminary scope of work in English

Statement of the problem
In my diploma thesis, I would like to explore a Czech baby-welcoming ceremony called “Vítání občánků”. Czechs are known for their atheistic and irreligious attitudes (ČSÚ, 2022: Tab. 10.1; Froese, 2005; Johnson, Zurlo, Crossing, 2016) which lead to lower adherence to religious traditions, yet this ceremony continues to be observed across the whole country. Despite its continued popularity, it has been mostly overlooked by social scientists. Due to its association with greater societal trends and influences, such as state ideology, secularization and neo-liberalism, I believe it can serve as a valuable reflection of the Czech society. A particular focus shall be put on mothers with the intention of seeing what role the ceremony plays in their transition to motherhood since they are typically the ones most affected by the arrival of a newborn.

Aims and Research Questions
The aim of my thesis is to explore how “Vítání občánků” is performed and perceived nowadays and subsequently explain why. My research will be guided by the following research questions:
1. What is “Vítání občánků”, when and why was it established?
2. What transformations has “Vítání občánků” undergone during the transition to democracy?
2.1 How is “Vítání občánků” performed nowadays and are there any local differences?
2.2 How and why do municipalities organize the event nowadays?
2.3 In which aspects does it retain its communist legacy?
2.4 Which trends have shaped the way “Vítání občánků” is performed and perceived nowadays?
3. What role does “Vítání občánků” play in the parents’ transition to parenthood?
3.1 Why do parents attend the ceremony?
3.2 How do the parents experience the ceremony?
Nevertheless, the qualitative design of the research will allow me to flexibly react to newly-gained information and as a result, in the course of research I may diverge from the research questions as they stand now.

State of the Art and Theoretical Framework
“Vítání občánků” was popularized during Communism in an attempt to replace baptism. The effort to eradicate the influence of religion and the Catholic Church in particular was an intrinsic part of the regime (Minarik, 2022: 220; Václavík, 2007: 480) and can be traced across all the Soviet Union and its satellites (e.g. Paukštyté-Šakniené, 2007; Petkūnas, 2013, Powell, 1967). In many ways, the ceremony reflects the Communist ideals. Unlike other baby-welcoming ceremonies, it is organized by municipalities and gathers several unrelated babies who are symbolically referred to as “little citizens”. Its aim is thus to reinforce the meaning and cohesiveness of community.

However, it is not just a relic of the Communist past. For one, much of its symbolism is universal, especially when it comes to easing the transition to parenthood and welcoming a new person into a community. It may be found in other baby-welcoming rituals, such as gender-reveal parties or name-giving ceremonies, as well. Furthermore, “Vítání občánků” is likely to have undergone changes as part of the process commonly referred to as “transition” from communism to democracy during which the Czech Republic has been trying to embrace the “Western modern project” (Blokker, 2005: 504). This is because culture is not fixed, rather, it constantly evolves together with society. Hence it is susceptible to the environment, development and advancement of the society, including the rise and fall of religion, or technology (Rasak, 2010: 10-11). We may even come across examples of accumulated culture which is the result of newly invented, discovered or borrowed elements being added to the present culture, and which is part of the process of cultural growth (ibid.: 7). An example of this would be the addition of a tree-planting ritual which had not been a part of “Vítání občánků” until very recently.
Moreover, while traditional birth rituals have been decreasing due to modernization and secularization, attempts to re-discover old rituals and perform them in a way that reflects contemporary values have been made. That is the case of secular and humanist naming ceremonies in Norway, United Kingdom and elsewhere, or “Mother’s Blessing”, an American ceremony inspired by a Native American Navajo tradition (Wojtowiak, 2020). Likewise, marriages, funerals and other traditions have been undergoing a similar process even in very religious countries, such as Poland (Rejowska, 2020). “Vítání občánků” is presumably one of the most established fully-secularized, functional and meaningful baby-related ceremony and may thus serve as an example of such a ceremony in contemporary society.

In addition, “Vítání občánků” may also fulfill the function of a ritual of transition. Birth is a fundamental life passage which affects the whole community and causes feelings of existentialist and spiritual ambiguity and uncertainty (Wojtowiak, 2020). The significance of its consequences for Czech mothers is further enhanced by the legal and cultural conditions in the Czech Republic, such as an unusually long parental leave or the lack of options of flexible employment and institutional childcare for young children. I am using a gendered term ‘mothers’ since it is still mostly them who stay at home with the child and thus are affected by its arrival the most. For instance, in 2020, 98 % of parental allowance recipients were women (MPSV, 2021).

The value of primary care was embraced by the Czechs during the transition to democracy as a reaction to the communist suppression of maternity. At the same time, neo-liberal values of self-enhancement, self-fulfilment and individualism were also embraced which was immediately manifested by a sharp decline in fertility and natality, increase in the age of first-time mothers and the number of children born out of marriage (Eurydice, 2022). These neo-liberal values had led to the formation of a new way of parenting called “intensive mothering” or “intensive parenting”, according to which a good upbringing of a child requires intensive care and incessant accessibility from the parent (Wall, 2004). This concept includes the ideas that children must be cognitively stimulated by parents and that their needs must be prioritized, that parenting is difficult, yet fulfilling and that it is the domain of women (Liss et al., 2013). In addition to the intensive care for the child, parents are faced with contradictory expectations of fulfilling one’s own individual needs in other spheres of their lives which is difficult to achieve and leads to increased stress and feelings of guilt and inadequacy (Guendouzi, 2006). This trend originated in the Western world a long time ago but has already been observed in the Czech Republic, as well, with intensive mothering being practiced more by mothers who live in bigger cities and have higher degrees (Nešporová, 2019; Pavlicová, 2016).

The transition from a self-centred identity defined by self-actualization in the fields of education, work or personal interests to the identity of a full-time mother is difficult and may cause mothers to experience “fractured identities” due to the need to redefine their sense of the self by incorporating the child into it (Laney et al., 2015). It has been observed that while the pre-family behaviour as well as the plans and ideals of Czech post-communist generations are notably shaped by the Western values, when it comes to the reality of parenthood, they continue to fall back into the model of conventional gender roles as mothers-caregivers and fathers-breadwinners (Křížková, 2002; Nešporová, 2019). One function of rituals is to control behaviour by defining and assigning social roles while demanding and encouraging both the assignees and others to respect these roles (Miller, 2005: 1187). “Vítání občánků” may thus ease the sharp and difficult transition to parenthood.

Methodology and Ethical Considerations
Due to the nature of the aims, the data and methods will be qualitative. I would like to attend the ceremony and through non-participant observation gain insight into how it is performed. In order to acquire more information on how it has evolved I would also like to interview relevant clerks and search in available documents, such as local journals, chronicles and websites. By in-depth interviews with parents, I would like to find out how they perceive the ceremony.

To ensure that the data are gained and used ethically and that all interviewees are fully informed, I will be employing various measures, such as informed consent, anonymization of personal information, authorization and possibly also other means. To analyse the data, I will use Griswold’s methodological framework which was designed in the realm of sociology of culture and whose advantages include its sensitivity to social meanings and interactions (Griswold, 1987).