The Engleson Files

Stop the press, hold the fort, yes, today is Svea’s 100th day birthday!! Now, I realize many of of may be saying to yourselves, “yeah, so?” Well, don’t worry, I said the same thing as well one time, but, here in China when a child turns 100 days old it is a huge celebration. I am not sure of the significance of the 100 days, but I do know the day is supposed to look something like this: the child must wear red all day, I think boys must get their heads shaved, and a lot of family and friends should be around to help celebrate this big event. Also, one should expect there to be a lot of cigarette smoking and beer swilling by Dad and his buddies, and, usually, all those present give the child a “Hongbao”, or red envelope (with cash inside!). Needless to say, we did not partake in many of the traditional customs for Svea, but we did the best we could to show our spirit for the day and help celebrate her big coming out party. Happy 100 Svea!

Click here and scroll down to the bottom for more detail on the big 100 day traditional celebration.