San zhao, the third day
On the third day after birth the baby is washed in water boiled with mugwort, pomelo leaf and old ginger, and that same day the midwife and the family’s elders are asked to a meal.
Pronunciation sān zhāo｜Rites of passage｜One entry in the Chaoshan glossary
What it means
The washing on the third day is called washing the third morning; the water is boiled with mugwort leaf, pomelo leaf and old ginger. The same day the midwife and the household’s elders are asked to drink, which is the third-day wine, and those who come bring gifts and congratulations to the mother.
From birth to the twelfth day the house keeps a protective confinement called qi la: the mother binds her head in a cloth, wears more than usual, keeps the curtains drawn and the windows shut, and calls on nobody. On the third or the seventh day her own parents send pork and eggs to build her up, which is called wang la; once the twelfth day passes and the child is well, the confinement is over.
When you see it
Only in a house that has added a mouth. Water is boiled early on the third day and the table is laid at noon. The midwife and the closest kin are asked, not the neighbourhood, and the scale is far smaller than a full-month feast.
Words easily confused
The third day and the full month are two occasions: the first is about washing and thanking the midwife, the second about the first haircut and the first taste of meat. The third-day wine is a family table; the guests come at the full month.
Read next: Birth rites: the third day, the full month, the first birthday.
See also: Rites of passage: five thresholds.
Same group: reporting the birth, qi la, the confinement, the full month, the first taste of meat.
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Last revised: 3 November 2026