Laudean Rituals & Customs
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Traditional Laudean Greetings and "Handshakes"
A man kisses, a woman is kissed; a lomale is ever changing.
Men greeting Men
If both parties are male they hold their hands outward with the palms up (similar to the traditional Vulcan gesture). They then touch the palms together.
Men greeting Women
If one Laudean is female and the other male the routine is the same, only after they touch palms the male Laudean kisses the woman on the cheek.
Women greeting Women
If both parties are female they touch palms (as above) and then both kiss one another on the cheek after touching palms.
Greeting Lomales
After touching palms with the lomale, if the greeter is male he kisses the lomale on the cheek. If the greeter is female she accepts a kiss on the cheek from the lomale but does not kiss back. Lomales do not kiss each other.
Laudean Birthing Ritual
- The full-term of a Laudean pregnancy is five months.
- Care during pregnancy is imperative. The woman should drink at least two 4-oz cups of Minevra tea daily to control violent heaving and headaches. After the first month of the five-month term, she will need a Fielding to help her throughout the rest of the pregnancy because of the fetuses accelerated growth. Generally, this Fielding uses his/her Fielding powers to stimulate the woman's birthing muscular structure. This is done by the laying on of hands, and if not done at least every two weeks, complications from the birth put the mother at grave risk.
- Giving Birth is either done at the home, in a hospital, or at the home of a Mid-Wife.
- No medication is used. Instead the oil taken from a root called Derma is used.
- In all settings a Mid-Wife is present.
- The Mid-Wife is specially trained to use her Fielding power to sense the unborn child's life energy.
The Mid-Wife is in charge of the ritual and normally only her the mother and the father are present, and sometimes a Mid-Wife Apprentice will observe.
The mid-wife lights special sweet smelling oil incense that releases endorphins into the air, putting all in the room at ease. Next, the mother is propped up with pillows under her legs and back. Then the Derma is poured on the mother, which numbs the area, allowing the infant to exit smoothly. The Mid-Wife now begins to palpate around the womans middle to insure the baby is in the proper position. While doing this, she chants a poem in the Ancient Laudean language. The poem is lyrical and sounds like a lullaby; in fact the poem is about the first birth, according to Laudean creation myths. She continues to repeat the chant until the baby has emerged. The umbilical cord is then cut using a conventional laser scalpel. The Mid-Wife then blesses the baby by placing the symbol for welcome on the infant's forehead, bringing the ritual to a close.
- see Embassy Sim 114 as an example.