Last month while I was walking through our neighborhood, I spotted this Stork wood post and suddenly, my husband told me that “They’ve got a new baby!” I asked, “How do you know?” and he said that it is an old tradition not only in Bavaria but also in some European countries  like Holland. It is a common sight to put the stork pole in front of the yard or garden of the family who had a new baby.In the beak stork holding a baby in a diaper fixed. A blue ribbons to the diaper means that a boy is born, a pink bow for a girl. Quite similar to  Dutch baby traditions just without the infamous Geboortekaartje (Birth card )  and Beschuit met Muisjes.

It is indeed clear that a happy event took place in this house. A very proper way of announcing to the whole neighborhood, right?

Only in the Netherlands : Sleep-Deprived situation Alert!

Handmade card with Stork & Babies when my daughter was born

The other day, I went on another street and again,  found another familiar wood Stork ,  this time it was a bit different because it has some accessories such as the baby clothes of a girl and a boy.

Kindsbaum or also known as Stork ( Storch) pole is a traditional way of announcing the arrival of babies in Germany. Especially in southern Bavaria, it is customary to set up a so-called child tree for the wedding (in some regions it is called wedding tree). It is about a 5 to 10 m long, white-blue painted trunk, be suspended from the “branches” various baby stuff (bodysuits, pacifier, bottle, etc.). Usually a stork is mounted at the top of the child harness. In addition, located at the bottom of the tree at eye level a blackboard with a poem in which the newly married couple is reminded of his duty to bring to the world within a year. The setting up of a child tree is a particularly beautiful tradition that is lived mainly in southern Bavaria, and always a wonderful surprise for the wedding couple.

So after a year and the couple haven’t had a baby yet, their friends will show up on their wedding anniversary and they are obliged to throw a feast,let’s say  maybe 15 liters of beers ,sausages,and other threats. Pretty simple right?

If Stork bird symbolizes birth & Fertility here in Germany then  what happened to the Stork population  knowing it’s the only country in Europe which  has drastically declining child-birth & has a low birth rate same as Japan? Did the stork migrated to India, Philippines & China? Germany needs more Babies, it’s very clear in statistics and not a mythical opinion.

Have you had any  experience of unique Birth traditions?

Did I miss anything from this post? please feel free to comment below, I would love to hear it.