Understanding the Zulu custom of throwing milk teeth onto the roof
The significance of the Zulu tradition of throwing milk teeth on the roof.
Image: Xolile Mtembu/IOL
The Zulu culture is rich in heritage and traditions, many of which are starting to disappear. One of these is that of children throwing milk teeth onto the roof.
A rite of passage according to the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) academic and cultural expert, Professor Sihawukele Ngubane, children with achy gums assist nature by gently pushing on loose teeth in anticipation of the tradition.
Once the tooth finally relents, the child is told to throw the tooth on the roof and recite:
Hloyile, Hloyile (Grey go-away bird, Grey go-away bird)
Ngizokunika elidala (I'll give you the old one)
Wena unginike elisha (You give me a new one)
Children leave the teeth on the roof for the Grey go-away bird to come and scoop up in exchange for new and stronger adult teeth. This tradition may be interpreted to fall close to superstitions. However, Ngubane dispelled this.
"The tooth is disposed by either burying it or throwing it in a specific direction like the roof. The baby tooth is believed to have a spiritual connection, and it is viewed as a transition from infancy to childhood.
"It is a preliminary rite of passage on the journey to adulthood. In some communities the child is advised to request for a bigger tooth. We can, therefore, not consider the throwing of the tooth as superstition but it forms an integral part of the life's journey," he said.
Throwing milk teeth on the roof is a popular ritual in many cultures, including Greece, India, China, Vietnam, and Korea, as an alternative to the Tooth Fairy.
The specific beliefs differ by culture, but in general, the activity is thought to provide good luck or ensure that the new tooth grows straight and strongly.
Some customs entail throwing lower teeth on the roof and burying higher teeth, while others involve a specific prayer or a wish for a particular animal to retrieve the tooth and leave a new one.
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