亞美尼亞人也“抓周”，半歲開始“職業(yè)規(guī)劃”

Children in Armenia start thinking about their careers at a very young age — around six months or so.

亞美尼亞的孩子在很小的時候——大約六個月大時——就開始考慮自己的職業(yè)。

When an infant’s first tooth arrives, typically in four to seven months, a celebration takes place known variously as the “agra hadig” or “atam hatik.”

當(dāng)嬰兒長出第一顆牙時——往往是在四個月到七個月大期間——會舉行一場慶祝活動。人們對這個活動的叫法不一，有人叫它agra hadig，也有人叫它atam hatik。

As part of the ritual, objects symbolizing different professions are arrayed in front of a child: a microphone for an entertainer, a stethoscope for a doctor, scissors for a tailor or money for a banker. Whichever object the baby chooses first is thought to be a sign of where the child’s professional aptitude lies.

作為慶祝儀式的一部分，象征不同職業(yè)的物品會被擺在孩子面前：象征藝人的麥克風(fēng)、象征醫(yī)生的聽診器、象征裁縫的剪刀或象征銀行業(yè)從業(yè)人員的現(xiàn)金。無論孩子選擇哪一樣，都會被認(rèn)為象征著孩子的職業(yè)傾向。

With the appearance of teeth, a child can begin to eat solid food, and the acquisition of this skill is believed to be a propitious time to foretell what the future holds, said Yulia Antonyan, a professor in the department of cultural studies at Yerevan State University in Armenia’s capital.

位于亞美尼亞首都的埃里溫國立大學(xué)(Yerevan State University)文化研究學(xué)院教授尤利婭·安東尼揚(Yulia Antonyan)說，隨著牙齒的長出，孩子可以開始吃固體食物，獲得這種能力的時候，被認(rèn)為是預(yù)測孩子未來的最佳時機。

There are no obligatory objects, but sets available for purchase will often include traditional artisan tools and choices epitomizing a more modern lifestyle. Parents are free to add to or omit from the mix as they wish.

沒有必須要出現(xiàn)的物品，不過能買到的成套物品常常包括傳統(tǒng)的匠人工具和象征更現(xiàn)代的生活方式的選擇。父母可按自己的意愿隨意增減物品。

“Parents may orchestrate the future life of their offspring by choosing only those objects that symbolize prestigious and desired professions,” Professor Antonyan said. “A book for a scientist or writer; a pencil for an architect, designer or artist; a calculator for an accountant.”

“家長也許會通過只選那些象征有聲望的理想職業(yè)的物品來安排子女未來的生活，”安東尼揚說。“一本象征科學(xué)家或作家的書，一支象征建筑師、設(shè)計師或藝術(shù)家的鉛筆，或是一個象征會計師的計算器。”

Parents can also game the selection by positioning objects nearer to or farther from their infant’s reach. At one recent ceremony, “the father of the baby asked to place a ladle a bit far from his daughter to save her from a destiny of a housewife,” Professor Antonyan said.

家長也可以通過把物品放在離孩子更近或更遠(yuǎn)的地方，來左右孩子的選擇。在最近的一場儀式上，“孩子的父親要求把一個長柄勺放在離他女兒稍微遠(yuǎn)一點的地方，以防她落入家庭主婦的命運，”安東尼楊說。

At the foundation of the ritual, and reflected in its names, is a magical association between teeth (agra or atam) and grain (hadig or hatik), according to Professor Antonyan.

據(jù)安東尼揚介紹，作為該儀式的基礎(chǔ)，是牙齒(agra或atam)和谷物(hadig或hatik)之間的奇妙聯(lián)系，這在它的名字中也有反映。

The ceremony begins by pouring various cereal grains over and around the child. Typically but not always, the baby’s head is protected by a piece of fabric, a pair of hands or sometimes even an umbrella.

儀式開始時，人們會朝孩子身上和周圍撒各種谷物顆粒。孩子的頭部往往會用一塊布料、一雙手有時候甚至是一把雨傘保護起來，但也不總是這樣。

The ritual sprinkling is thought to ensure that the child will have healthy, even teeth. It could also have fertility associations, akin to throwing rice at a wedding, according to Levon Abrahamian, a cultural anthropologist in Yerevan.

儀式上拋撒谷物這個環(huán)節(jié)被認(rèn)為是確保孩子將擁有一口健康、整齊的牙齒。據(jù)埃里溫的文化人類學(xué)者列翁·阿布拉哈米安(Levon Abrahamian)稱，這么做還和子孫興旺的寓意有關(guān)，類似于在婚禮上撒大米。

Today, teeth-shaped cakes, toys, candy and balloons are popular party favors at these celebrations, which are widely practiced in Armenia and across the Armenian diaspora.

如今，做成牙齒形狀的蛋糕、玩具、糖果和氣球都是這些慶祝活動上的熱門物品。在亞美尼亞國內(nèi)和身居國外的亞美尼亞人群體中，這種儀式廣泛存在。

In the earliest written references to the ritual, from the 19th century, just two objects were put before the teething child. The prediction then was not about an adult profession but the sex of the next sibling: Grasping a knife meant a brother was on the way, a comb (or mirror) a sister.

提到該儀式的最早文獻(xiàn)出現(xiàn)在19世紀(jì)。據(jù)記載，當(dāng)時擺在正在長牙的孩子面前的只有兩樣?xùn)|西，預(yù)測的也不是孩子成年后的職業(yè)，而是下一個孩子的性別：拿起小刀意味著會迎來一個弟弟，拿起梳子(或鏡子)則意味著接下來會是個妹妹。

“The divination for the future profession was developed much later in the urbanized and modernized environment of Soviet Armenia and the diaspora,” Professor Antonyan said, “when the future career would determine the baby’s life.”

“預(yù)測未來的職業(yè)是很久后在蘇聯(lián)時代的亞美尼亞城市化、現(xiàn)代化環(huán)境下以及國外僑民中發(fā)展出來的，”安東尼揚說。“當(dāng)時，未來的職業(yè)會決定孩子的生活。”