# showing off a baby's testicles -- mostrar los testículos de un bebé



## fenixpollo

En un correo de "la palabra del día" que recibí de un sitio de internet de etymología castellana, encontré la siguiente origen de la palabra _testículo_: 





> El *testículo* es un 'pequeño testigo' de la virilidad de un hombre. No es raro (y nunca lo fue desde la más remota antigüedad) que los padres muestren a sus amigos los testículos de sus bebés, como prueba de la condición viril de sus herederos varones.





> En latín, _testiculos _es un diminutivo de _testis _(testigo).


 Como nunca he observado (literalmente) esa práctica en los Estados Unidos o en México, ese párrafo provocó algunas preguntas:

Es una práctica cultural común en España o en otro lado mostrar los testículos de un bebé a la familia y a los amigos de los padres? 

Si se te mostraran los testículos del bebé de tus amigos, ¿sería algo normal y cotidiano, o sería otra cosa? 

¿Los testículos de un bebé son un buen criterio para averiguar su virilidad?

---------------------------------

In a recent "word of the day" email that I received from a Spanish etymology website, the following origin was given for the word _testicle_:





> The *testicle* is a "little witness" to the virility of a man. It is not rare (and it never has been since the most ancient times) that the parents show the testicles of their babies to their friends, as proof of the virile condition of their male heirs.
> In Latin, _testiculos_ is a diminutive of _testis_ (witness).


 Since I have never observed (literally) that practice in the US or in Mexico, that paragraph led to a few questions:

Is it a common cultural practice in Spain or in other places to display a baby's testicles to the parents' friends and family? 

If you were shown the testicles of your friends' baby, would this be a normal and everyday thing, or would it be something else? 

Are a baby's testicles a good criteria for determining his virility?


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## Lugubert

Years may be needed for the testicles to travel down from the abdomen to their ultimate destination. I don't know what percentage baby boys have got both of them in their scrotums at birth, but I'd guess not too many if any at all.

Any show like described would, I hope, be regarded as close to perverted in Sweden. I certainly, at the ripe age of 64, haven't heard anything along those lines from anywhere.


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## juancaminante

No normal parent shows their boy's testicles to their friends

Every one knows , as Lugubert points out , that testicles will be properly visible until puberty or just before


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## nightlone

juancaminante said:


> No normal parent shows their boy's testicles to their friends
> 
> Every one knows , as Lugubert points out , that testicles will be properly visible until puberty or just before


Does everyone know that? I didn't.

I agree though that no "normal" parent would shows their child's testicles to their friends.



			
				Lugubert said:
			
		

> Any show like described would, I hope, be regarded as close to perverted in Sweden. I certainly, at the ripe age of 64, haven't heard anything along those lines from anywhere.


Me neither (in the UK). It would be regarded as perverted here too.


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## Forero

This sounds weird to me too.  And it doesn't prove anything, except the sex of the child.  Is that supposed to make the father more viril?

And I can see lots of problems with such a practice.


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## divisortheory

I can't vouch for the truth but I've heard that in Vietnam poking, rubbing, squeezing, etc to a male toddler's genitalia is similar to in America squeezing their cheek (a playful indication that the person thinks the baby is cute). I also don't know the extent to which this is practiced either, whether it be immediate family only, all family, family and friends, etc.


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## etabetapi

It is probably just an ancient practice such as the soldiers raping men as an acceptable show of victory of the invaders over the invaded.
I have never heard or seen this happening in my part of the world.


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## Kajjo

fenixpollo said:


> In a recent "word of the day" email that I received from a Spanish etymology website, the following origin was given for the word _testicle_


Sounds like a joke. I have never heard about this custom in Germany or other.

However, the biological issues detailed in preceding contributions are not entirely correct. In the vast majority of cases the testicles descend into the scrotum between the 7th and 9th month of pregnancy. Only about 2-4 % of all male babies are born with a _maldescensus testis _(one- or two-sided) and in more than 75% of cases this state corrects itself during the first six months. Thus, proper visible testis actually are a sign of health and (later) virility, while _maldescensus testis _after the first year will not correct itself, but needs surgery. However, the baby's testicles are fairly small and the scrotum quite flat, so the testicles are not as prominent as in mature men but they are clearly palpable.

Kajjo


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## Arrius

I have heard that at least provincial Italians hold up the naked neonate, immediately after birth, exhibiting its front side with the triumphant cry: "È maschio!". We Brits are much calmer about all this and do not particularly mind if it's a girl as long as it's a healthy baby. In fact, many of us prefer a girl.


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## RIU

Hola, 



fenixpollo said:


> Es una práctica cultural común en España o en otro lado mostrar los testículos de un bebé a la familia y a los amigos de los padres?


 
No, nunca lo he visto hacer.



fenixpollo said:


> Si se te mostraran los testículos del bebé de tus amigos, ¿sería algo normal y cotidiano, o sería otra cosa?


 
De un mal gusto considerable, a mi entender.



fenixpollo said:


> ¿Los testículos de un bebé son un buen criterio para averiguar su virilidad?


 
Virilidad no, pero si son una buena muestra del estado de salud, indirectamente, claro. Fijaos -los que tengais crios varones- que cuando están enfermos, el aspecto del escroto es muy laxo y arrugado.


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## Vagabond

Arrius said:


> I have heard that at least provincial Italians hold up the naked neonate, immediately after birth, exhibiting its front side with the triumphant cry: "È maschio!". We Brits are much calmer about all this and do not particularly mind if it's a girl as long as it's a healthy baby. In fact, many of us prefer a girl.


Hmm, I wonder if they specifically do that with boys. I mean, you can see that in Greece too, with both boys and girls, and the cry announcing the baby's gender will be triumphant either way.


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## TraductoraPobleSec

What is true is that in our culture nakedness is not regarded as something dirty. This is why lots of people practice nudism and many, many women don't wear a top on the beach. At least here in this part of the Mediterranean.

I have never heard of people showing their kids' genitalia to others, but they don't hide them, either. That is, if you go to visit a friend who has a baby, she or he might bathe the baby or change the diaper in front of you and that won't be a problem.

I personally love this relation with our bodies in our culture.


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## GEmatt

fenixpollo said:


> Is it a common cultural practice in Spain or in other places to display a baby's testicles to the parents' friends and family?


Never seen or heard of anything like that, here.





> If you were shown the testicles of your friends' baby, would this be a normal and everyday thing, or would it be something else?


I would be really taken aback, since as mentioned, I do not believe this practice exists in Switzerland.





> Are a baby's testicles a good criteria for determining his virility?


"Virility" is not a quality I associate with male newborns. I think it is more specific to adult men, although maybe I'm being too narrow in the definition department. The idea of it sounds almost divinatory.


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## Vagabond

TraductoraPobleSec said:


> What is true is that in our culture nackedness is not regarded as something dirty. This is why lots of people practice nudism and many, many women don't wear a top on the beach. At least here in this part of the Mediterranean.
> 
> I have never heard of people showing their kids' genitalia to others, but they don't hide them, either. That is, if you go to visit a friend who has a baby, she or he might bathe the baby or change the diaper in front of you and that won't be a problem.
> 
> I personally love this relation with our bodies in our culture.


Oh, same on this side of the Mediterranean as well... (Greece. Not the UK... heheh).


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## TraductoraPobleSec

Vagabond said:


> Oh, same on this side of the Mediterranean as well... (Greece. Not the UK... heheh).


 
I go to Sardinia very often and there it is not very common to practice top-less. I think it's the same in some parts of Spain. I speak for Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, where nudity is no big deal.

By the way, I was an au-pair many years ago in the States and, during an orientation meeting in NY City, we were told never to take a picture of our babies being naked. Then, some years later, I worked as camp counselor in Ohio and boys were not allowed in the girls' cabin. As European, these rules shocked me; though, of course, I respected them.


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## Outsider

fenixpollo said:


> Is it a common cultural practice in Spain or in other places to display a baby's testicles to the parents' friends and family?


I have never heard of such a practice. 



fenixpollo said:


> If you were shown the testicles of your friends' baby, would this be a normal and everyday thing, or would it be something else?


Certainly not an everyday thing. Perhaps the parents would do that if they were concerned that their baby might have health issues, and wanted my opinion. Not that I'd be able to given them a good one. I would just redirect them to the nearest doctor. 



fenixpollo said:


> Are a baby's testicles a good criteria for determining his virility?


Other than what Kajjo has said about health considerations, I don't know how to answer that.


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## Arrius

we were told never to take a picture of our babies being naked. *Traductora Poblesec*.
That's true: there have even been cases of a mother being arrested and put on trial in the States after taking snaps to have developed of her children leaping up and down on the bed _in their underwear_!


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## EmilyD

I have been present for at least 3 ritual circumcisions of infant boys(the Yiddish term is "Bris", in Hebrew,[forgive my transliteration] "Brit Mila"), and all testicles were ignored (pointedly), and as soon as the "procedure" was completed, the baby was swaddled and/or nursed and the mothers wept.

Everyone then gave the baby as much privacy as possible, and focussed on eating ("noshing" really) and talking about anything *except* body parts.

Please note:  I am NEITHER endorsing nor condemning the above Ritual.

*In summation:  No testicles were "shown off" despite the opportunity.

*_Nomi_


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## Sepia

To me too, this sounds pretty primitive. Not so much letting people see, but to let them touch. I think we all instinctively want to protect especially vulnerable body parts - babies too, although they may not yet be able to - so I cannot believe they feel comfortable with that.


Any info on what history this strange custom has, where it is practiced?


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## Guachipem

> El *testículo* es un 'pequeño testigo' de la virilidad de un hombre. No es raro (y nunca lo fue desde la más remota antigüedad) que los padres muestren a sus amigos los testículos de sus bebés, como prueba de la condición viril de sus herederos varones.


 
Que yo sepa, la palabra "testigo" viene de que los romanos, cuando estaban en un juicio, como símbolo de que decían la verdad, lo hacían agarrándose los testículos con la mano derecha.

Yo nunca había oído que se enseñaran los testículos de ningún bebé, me parecería de mal gusto. Además, no le veo lógica al hacerlo.


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## scotu

Quote:


> The testicle is a "little witness"_ (witness doesn't work for me here; maybe: small clue, attestation, indication)_ to the virility of a man. It is not rare (and it never has been since the most ancient times) that the parents show the testicles of their babies to their friends, as proof of the virile condition of their male heirs.


 
You can rely on a males genitals as an indication of his virility in the same way that you can rely on a woman's breasts as an indication of her fecundity.

scotu


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## divisortheory

I confirmed with my wife, who is Vietnamese, and she said it is pretty much unheard of NOT to do such things in Vietnam.  Apparently having a male child is something to be proud of and they use the genitalia as a way of "showing off" their male heirs.  She said pretty much *everyone* will take a picture of their male children's genital area to show off to friends.  She's also the member of various Vietnamese forums where women chat about various life related things, and in some cases some forum members have been known to use pictures of their sons' genital and testicles as their forum avatars.  

As far as the touching thing, she said it usually stops around 12-18 months, I guess whenever the baby can walk.


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## tvdxer

Lugubert said:


> Years may be needed for the testicles to travel down from the abdomen to their ultimate destination. I don't know what percentage baby boys have got both of them in their scrotums at birth, but I'd guess not too many if any at all.
> 
> Any show like described would, I hope, be regarded as close to perverted in Sweden. I certainly, at the ripe age of 64, haven't heard anything along those lines from anywhere.



Same as in the U.S.  The U.S. culture shuns the idea of conferring any trait of sexuality onto children or babies.  

Plus, I think the concept of "virility" in the traditional sense of the word, the power to procreate, is somewhat obsolete in modern American culture.  The idea of valuing man's ability to have many descendants seems to be something found more in "traditional" cultures than industrialized ones where smaller families are favored.


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## TraductoraPobleSec

tvdxer said:


> The idea of valuing man's ability to have many descendants seems to be something found more in "traditional" cultures than industrialized ones where smaller families are favored.


 
I agree.


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## Fernando

Yes, it is a common practice in Spain.

Every time a child is born, both parents call all the friends and family, as well the local priest.

As a preliminary, we sacrifice a bull throwing it missiles and swords. Its blood will help to heal the baby.

Then, we light a big fire. After a black Mass, we burn alive a slave Moor, a Protestant and a Jew. Audience dance in circles around the fire.

Then the big moment arrives. The proud father show his children's testicles to the people. They sing a Te Deum, while they hit to death 3 or 4 hundreds Indians brought for the event.

As a big ending, we fornicate with each other while a giant phallus is erected.


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## Fernando

tvdxer said:


> Plus, I think the concept of "virility" in the traditional sense of the word, the power to procreate, is somewhat obsolete in modern American culture.  The idea of valuing man's ability to have many descendants seems to be something found more in "traditional" cultures than industrialized ones where smaller families are favored.



Oh, yes. Last time I saw American Pie (US) or Full Monty (UK) there was hardly any comment about the size of genitalia or women's breasts.


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## juancaminante

Fernando said:


> Yes, it is a common practice in Spain.
> 
> Every time a child is born, both parents call all the friends and family, as well the local priest.
> 
> As a preliminary, we sacrifice a bull throwing it missiles and swords. Its blood will help to heal the baby.
> 
> Then, we light a big fire. After a black Mass, we burn alive a slave Moor, a Protestant and a Jew. Audience dance in circles around the fire.
> 
> Then the big moment arrives. The proud father show his children's testicles to the people. They sing a Te Deum, while they hit to death 3 or 4 hundreds Indians brought for the event.
> 
> As a big ending, we fornicate with each other while a giant phallus is erected.




JAJAJA

Yes but you forgot to say that since Franco died , this ceremony is only carried out on Friday , the 32nd of February


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## Chaska Ñawi

This thread seems to be losing its virility - has anyone any more seminal information to disseminate?


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## fenixpollo

Thanks to those who have commented so far. You have confirmed my assumption that this practice is unheard of in Western culture.  

One thought that I had is that perhaps the intent of the author of the "word-of-the-day" blurb was to say that the practice has historical precedence in human history -- rather than saying that the practice is not rare in Spain.  Thoughts?

Another possibility is that, even though this practice might be unknown in modern times, it might have been common in Europe in pre-industrial times. Perhaps it was something that used to be practiced, but that was left behind.  





divisortheory said:


> I confirmed with my wife, who is Vietnamese, and she said it is pretty much unheard of NOT to do such things in Vietnam. Apparently having a male child is something to be proud of and they use the genitalia as a way of "showing off" their male heirs. She said pretty much *everyone* will take a picture of their male children's genital area to show off to friends. She's also the member of various Vietnamese forums where women chat about various life related things, and in some cases some forum members have been known to use pictures of their sons' genital and testicles as their forum avatars.
> 
> As far as the touching thing, she said it usually stops around 12-18 months, I guess whenever the baby can walk.


 Thanks, DT, for the only (anecdotal) proof positive that this practice exists!


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## gotitadeleche

Arrius said:


> we were told never to take a picture of our babies being naked. *Traductora Poblesec*.
> That's true: there have even been cases of a mother being arrested and put on trial in the States after taking snaps to have developed of her children leaping up and down on the bed _in their underwear_!



I find this very odd. It´s not unusual for parents to take pictures of their nude babies, though it is usually when they are quite young and they are in the tub or on their tummies so the testicles are not visible. In fact I have a framed picture of my nephew in such a pose. Also, there was a billboard up a few years ago that showed a very muscular (no shirt) man holding a little naked baby. You could not see the sexual organs, but the baby was clearly nude. Much of the concern nowadays about letting children run around unclothed, is the fear of sexual predators.


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## divisortheory

gotitadeleche said:


> I find this very odd. It´s not unusual for parents to take pictures of their nude babies, though it is usually when they are quite young and they are in the tub or on their tummies so the testicles are not visible. In fact I have a framed picture of my nephew in such a pose. Also, there was a billboard up a few years ago that showed a very muscular (no shirt) man holding a little naked baby. You could not see the sexual organs, but the baby was clearly nude. Much of the concern nowadays about letting children run around unclothed, is the fear of sexual predators.


 
I can totally see it.  Pedophilia is growing more and more prevalent every day it seems like, and the guy at the photo booth doesn't know the difference between a parent taking playful pictures of their kid, and a pedophile who is taking pictures for sexual reasons.  I agree it might have been overboard to put her on trial or whatever, but I can absolutely envision the photo clerk calling authorities over it.


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## _forumuser_

I have never been shown a baby's testicles, but I see nothing wrong with proudly displaying your baby's body, or your own for that matter. Having grown up in a family and in a society that teaches to be ashamed of or disgusted by your body, I am absolutely frightened to show mine, but I rejoice when I see people (whether from the culture I grew up in or another) disregard these stupid, culturally-instilled prejudices against nudity.



Arrius said:


> I have heard that at least provincial Italians hold up the naked neonate, immediately after birth, exhibiting its front side with the triumphant cry: "È maschio!". We Britsare much calmer about all this and do not particularly mind if it's a girl as long as it's a healthy baby. In fact, many of us prefer a girl.



Preference for male children existed in British society and only weakened in recent decades, as it did in Italy, thanks to the improved status of women in societies worldwide. This 1954 study conducted in the United States among university sociology students shows that as of this date there was still "an overwhelming preference for male children" (p. 129). The hardest culture to know well is often our own.


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## Etcetera

fenixpollo said:


> Is it a common cultural practice in Spain or in other places to display a baby's testicles to the parents' friends and family?


For Russia, the answer is "no". But it's very common to see babies (both male and female) walking naked along beaches. It's seen as perfectly normal - although I, for one, don't feel comfortable with this practice.


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## Kajjo

Etcetera said:


> For Russia, the answer is "no". But it's very common to see babies (both male and female) walking naked along beaches. It's seen as perfectly normal - although I, for one, don't feel comfortable with this practice.


But as opposed to "showing off testicles" the "having babies walk naked" is a sign of indifference and normalcy of nakedness, not and indicator of ascribing any high importance to baby genitalia.

Kajjo


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## Etcetera

Kajjo said:


> But as opposed to "showing off testicles" the "having babies walk naked" is a sign of indifference and normalcy of nakedness, not and indicator of ascribing any high importance to baby genitalia.


Yes, of course.

The reason why I don't like this practice is that I find it a bit unhygienic.


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## LV4-26

fenixpollo said:


> Is it a common cultural practice in Spain or in other places to display a baby's testicles to the parents' friends and family?


It does happen here, yes. But only to take advice from friends, when the testicles in question appear to be turquoise green, or square-shaped of if there are four and a half of them. 
Otherwise, no. 

In other (more serious) words, they're neither "displayed" nor concealed. In the families I know, that is.


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## _forumuser_

Male and female genitalia have always had enormous symbolic importance for cultures worldwide since the beginning of time. They have been displayed, celebrated, and even venerated in a variety of forms by societies worldwide, as a tribute to life and a prayer for perpetuation. You are very welcome to keep you baby's diaper sealed, but please don't call "abnormal," "perverted," "primitive" or "unhygienic" what we, for historical reasons, no longer understand.


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## fenixpollo

_forumuser_ said:


> Male and female genitalia have always had enormous symbolic importance for cultures worldwide since the beginning of time. They have been displayed, celebrated, and even venerated in a variety of forms by societies worldwide, as a tribute to life and a prayer for perpetuation.


 The purpose of this thread was to explore statements like yours, forumuser. It's all well and good to make generalizations like "throughout human history", which it's assumed can be supported by the facts.

However, those statments are not relevant to the present, and this thread isn't about anthropology, archaeology or phallus statues from Africa.  I want to know, *What examples have you seen in which your society displays, celebrates and even venerates genitalia?* (especially that of male babies)


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## _forumuser_

fenixpollo said:


> The purpose of this thread was to explore statements like yours, forumuser. It's all well and good to make generalizations like "throughout human history", which it's assumed can be supported by the facts.
> 
> However, those statments are not relevant to the present, and this thread isn't about anthropology, archaeology or phallus statues from Africa.  I want to know, *What examples have you seen in which your society displays, celebrates and even venerates genitalia?* (especially that of male babies)



Of course they are relevant. If you know that penis displaying in general has a long and complex history, perhaps you will be less inclined to dismiss it as the deviant behavior of a few eccentrics. Some random examples of penis displaying and worship from around the world, taken off the net:

Penis festival in Japan
http://news.softpedia.com/news/What-is-the-Kanamara-Iron-Penis-Festival-60707.shtml

The penis in classical Greek and Roman art
http://www.circumstitions.com/Art1.html

On sacred and ornamental penises in contemporary Bhutan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4381893.stm

On Tantrism, school of yoga involving penis and vulva worship
http://users.cyberone.com.au/myers/walker.html

Thai penis and vulva amulets
http://www.luckymojo.com/penisamulets.html

An old but informative scholarly paper on phallus worship:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/sex/pw/pw.htm

Other paper with references to phallus worship in the Bible (warning: poor English)
http://kspark.kaist.ac.kr/Old%20Testament/Phallic%20Elements%20in%20Religion.htm

If all this is off-topic, please take it out.


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## fenixpollo

Thanks for those links, but they are still irrelevant. Your ability to produce pictures of anything pre-20th-century speaks to your erudition and your research skills, but they don't answer the thread question. The thread question was specifically about Spanish culture, but applies to any culture with which the poster has direct experience.  The question is, _does this practice occur now?_

I can understand that you were frustrated by previous posts that showed intolerance for public display of genitalia, but what I'm asking for is NOT academic references to sacred and ornamental penises in various world cultures, past and present.  I want to hear your personal experiences with and observations of this kind of practice.


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## Vagabond

I think forumuser clearly responded to the "eww" cries of some other posters before the possibility of someone allowing a baby's genitals be seen in public. I do realise that, in some parts of the world, they go so far as to make female babies and toddlers wear bikini tops at the beach (to cover their potential future breasts, presumably..?), but to call "perverted" cultures that do not follow their example, is way out of line; same goes with displaying babies' genitals.

And yes, I am well aware of the fact that this is not what the OP was asking, but if comments that are offensive to some cultures are going to be allowed, representatives of said cultures should be allowed to respond as well.

On my side of the world, people don't make a point out of fondling babies' genitals, but we definitely don't attribute any sexual qualities to them either - that is to say, babies go around naked on the beach, little girls don't have to cross their legs when they are wearing dresses, an aunt bathing a baby boy is not seen as sexually mollesting him, neither is a father bathing his baby girl. Baby genitals are displayed fully during baptism (which in Greece happens when you are still a baby - you're sitting in a vessel in water and the priest will pick you up out of it, genitals in full display) whether you are a boy or a girl, and no one thinks anything about it, because when you are two, you are simply not seen as a sexual being.


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## Tetabiakti

fenixpollo said:


> Si se te mostraran los testículos del bebé de tus amigos, ¿sería algo normal y cotidiano, o sería otra cosa?​




En Holanda, un bebé desnudo es considerado algo muy inofensivo, inocente y natural. Muchos padres nuevos te invitan a ver cómo bañan al bebé, o hasta cómo le cambian el pañal cacoso.  En el verano, se puede ver a muchos peques desnudos gateando por la arena de la playa. Nadie se siente ofendido. 

Sin embargo, si mis amigos me mostrarán los testículos de su bebé para pregonar la 'virilidad' del niño, ¡estaría muy escandalizada y enfadada! Me parece una costumbre sumamente machista. Para mí, un niño varón tiene nada especial o sobresaliente que merecería tal exhibicionismo. Los niños de ambos sexos son una preciosidad, siempre.​


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## Tetabiakti

Fernando said:


> Yes, it is a common practice in Spain.
> 
> Every time a child is born, both parents call all the friends and family, as well the local priest.
> 
> As a preliminary, we sacrifice a bull throwing it missiles and swords. Its blood will help to heal the baby.
> 
> Then, we light a big fire. After a black Mass, we burn alive a slave Moor, a Protestant and a Jew. Audience dance in circles around the fire.
> 
> Then the big moment arrives. The proud father show his children's testicles to the people. They sing a Te Deum, while they hit to death 3 or 4 hundreds Indians brought for the event.
> 
> As a big ending, we fornicate with each other while a giant phallus is erected.


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## ERASMO_GALENO

Guachipem said:


> Que yo sepa, la palabra "testigo" viene de que los romanos, cuando estaban en un juicio, como símbolo de que decían la verdad, lo hacían agarrándose los testículos con la mano derecha.
> 
> 
> 
> Hola,
> 
> Yo había escuchado algo similar a lo que colocó Guachipem, que en la antigüedad los *testigos* (varones) juraban por sus *genitales*, y de ahí venía la palabra *testículo*.
> 
> En Perú no se tiene por costumbre mostrar los genitales de los bebés. Aunque casi todo el mundo tiene una foto de pequeño(a) en la tina de baño sin prenda alguna. En la tele se ven muchos comerciales en los que salen las pompas de los bebés, a las mamás besándolas e incluso recuerdo un comercial con un "desnudo frontal". Nada de eso se considera ofensivo, al menos aquí.
> 
> Atentamente,
Click to expand...


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## kdl77

Fernando said:


> Yes, it is a common practice in Spain.
> 
> Every time a child is born, both parents call all the friends and family, as well the local priest.
> 
> As a preliminary, we sacrifice a bull throwing it missiles and swords. Its blood will help to heal the baby.
> 
> Then, we light a big fire. After a black Mass, we burn alive a slave Moor, a Protestant and a Jew. Audience dance in circles around the fire.
> 
> Then the big moment arrives. The proud father show his children's testicles to the people. They sing a Te Deum, while they hit to death 3 or 4 hundreds Indians brought for the event.
> 
> As a big ending, we fornicate with each other while a giant phallus is erected.


 
I'm reading this in my very-serious office but I cannot stop laughing!


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## tpettit

wow, i don't mean to sound offensive, but this type of behavior would get you in a lot of trouble in france. you'd be concidered a complete pervert if you went about "showing off" your baby's privates. Being topless on the beach is no problem though, and there are a lot of nude beaches too.

"hey mike look at those balls."
*gets real close*
"wow looks like you've got a future president here"


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## alexacohen

> El *testículo* es un 'pequeño testigo' de la virilidad de un hombre. No es raro (y nunca lo fue desde la más remota antigüedad) que los padres muestren a sus amigos los testículos de sus bebés, como prueba de la condición viril de sus herederos varones.


I saw it only once. When my aunt, after three girls, gave birth to a son, her son was photographed naked on purpose showing his genitalia (in fact his father held his legs apart to get a better shot).
However, my uncle was not a Spaniard: he was a citizen of the Sahara Republic, which is now part of Morocco. He wanted to send the photos to his family to prove that his wife had, finally, produced a male heir.
I don't know if this was a common practice in his country of origin, or it was just his particular obsession for a male heir, and I cannot ask him any longer.
It would be up to another Saharaui to confirm it, or discard it.

But I agree with the other Spaniards. It's not an Spanish thing.


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## romarsan

No creo que forme parte de la cultura española el hecho en sí de mostrar los testículos del bebé "al mundo entero" como muestra del orgullo que se siente por haber tenido un hijo varón, aunque tradicionalmente y durante muchos años, las familias preferían mayoritariamente un heredero varón, entre otras cosas, porque "heredero y varón" eran dos términos que iban siempre juntos, cosa que no sucedía con "heredera y hembra", ya que en muchas ocasiones, aparte de no poder transmitir el apellido familiar, tampoco podían heredar los bienes que componían la hacienda familiar. Esto unido a que, una gran parte de la población española, acepta como inocente la visión del cuerpo desnudo de un bebé, pudo dar lugar a que, en tiempos en que el hecho de tener un hijo varón afectaba al estatus familiar y a su futura proyección tanto en el terreno social, como en el económico, se mostrarán publicamente los testículos de un bebé recien nacido con el orgullo del que ha conseguido una meta y se atribuye todos los méritos por ello.


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## Lingvisten

If a friend of mine, as a proud father wanted to show of his new born sons testicles I would consider it odd behavior, not perverded. There's no tradition of doing this in Denmark, but at the same time not a fear of the naked body. I think everybody here have seen pictures of them self, as a kid, naked with visible genetals and all.
by the way, topless sunbathing is the norm in Denmark.


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## anothersmith

Tetabiakti said:


> Sin embargo, si mis amigos me mostrarán los testículos de su bebé para pregonar la 'virilidad' del niño, ¡estaría muy escandalizada y enfadada! Me parece una costumbre sumamente machista. Para mí, un niño varón tiene nada especial o sobresaliente que merecería tal exhibicionismo. Los niños de ambos sexos son una preciosidad, siempre.



Estoy de acuerdo.


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## romarsan

anothersmith said:


> Estoy de acuerdo.


 
Creo que actualmente en España, la mayor parte de la población también estamos de acuerdo con esto, pero la cuestión es que, hubo un tiempo, en que las cosas eran diferentes por aquí.
Saludos


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