BABY’S FIRST LAUGH

By Michele Laughing-Reeves

It is Spring already. It seems like just yesterday it was snowing. As the weather warms, we look forward to green vegetation, blooming flowers, and babies of all kinds. Speaking of babies, doting mothers and fathers love to commemorate their baby’s “firsts”: first time sleeping through the night, first tooth, first word, first steps, etc. Of all the firsts, my favorite is a baby’s first laugh. For Navajos, it is a time for celebration. I’m sure there are significant symbolisms associated with this custom, but I appreciate the fact that the entire family gets together to celebrate the baby’s intrinsic expression of joy and happiness—a laugh party.

According to some cultural teachings, a baby’s first laugh and the laugh party are symbolic of the infant becoming an integral part of the larger familial community. However, I understood it to be a celebration of a baby’s discovery of joy and laughter, and the party is to bless the child with a lifetime of smiles, laughter, and humor. Perhaps others will have a slightly different perspective, but the point is the significance of this occasion is somewhat unique to the Navajo culture. The person, whether parent, relative, friend, or stranger, who is fortunate enough to make the baby laugh for the first time will host the party. By hosting the party, I mean this person is responsible for the entire event from invites to clean up—and that is why relatives will try to trick an unsuspecting person into tickling the baby. However, the laugh party isn’t just about eating together. There is a ceremonious giving of rock salt by the baby.

Before the meal is served, the host will place a piece of rock salt in the palm of the baby’s hand and then assist the baby in handing each guest a piece of rock salt. Or a Navajo basket is used to place the salt and goody bag, if any, and the guest will take it from there. Families will proceed through the ceremonious part in various ways, like placing the meal and goody bag in the basket with the rock salt or just the goody bag or just the meal. The act of giving at the before the meal demonstrates the importance of being generous, especially when sharing a meal and a joke or two.

Parents are very good at remembering their children’s milestones, but it is also a great honor to make a Navajo baby laugh for the first time. To be the one who coaxes a baby’s laugh means that you have introduced joy and happiness to this tiny human, so of course a party is in order. As the cliché goes “laughter is the best form of medicine.” Research has shown that laughing improves a person’s overall health and mental well-being. Laughing reduces stress, improves job performance, stimulates the immune system, improves circulation in the blood vessels, and overall, makes you a better person. Research also found that an average person will have a significant reduction of laughter between the ages of 25 and 70, which indicate that life interferes, and we tend to laugh a lot less. So, the next time you’re around a 3- or 4-month-old infant, don’t shy away from tickling or making faces. Be the host with the most, give the gift of laughter and a blessing of genuine, crying-tears laughter to deter life’s obstacles. If anything, it reminds us to not take life too seriously.

I hope you’ve laughed today!

JOKE #1:

At a party, a young wife admonished her husband, “That’s the fourth time you’ve gone back for ice cream and cake. Doesn’t it embarrass you?”

“Why should it?” answered the husband. “I keep telling them it’s for you.”

JOKE #2:

“Once, my father came home and found me in front of a roaring fire. That made my father very mad, as we didn’t have a fireplace.” —Victor Borge