Pregnancy in Ra evina customs

The paper discusses the representation of pregnancy in the customs and beliefs of a region in Serbia known as Ra evina. The research was aimed at recording and preserving the customs and lexis regarding pregnancy in this part of Serbia. We obtained the lexis through topic guided conversations with the informants. The article is divided into several sections: on pregnancy before pregnancy, prohibitions during pregnancy and consequences if they are not observed, revealing the baby's gender, conclusion and glossary. Ra evina used to have a system of regulations that the pregnant woman had to adhere to. Special attention was paid to the behavior of the pregnant woman herself. It was in larger part regulated by means of numerous prohibitions and limitations. Most of those prohibitions were based on the assumption of a magical relation of the future mother and the fetus in her womb. It is interesting to note that some prohibitions were observed before pregnancy itself, during the wedding ritual. In this period, the community tended to facilitate the bride's conception of a fair, healthy male child. During pregnancy itself the pregnant woman used certain objects to protect herself from evil and negative influences of her surroundings. The largest number of prohibitions during pregnancy were implemented so that a healthy, but also fair child should be born. Apart from that, the prohibitions were intended to influence the child's longevity. The section on pregnancy before pregnancy lists the techniques applied in the wedding ritual which influenced the bride's fertility with imitative magic. We also shed some light on the traditional revealing of the future child's gender, and the paper is ends with a glossary.