An Italian tradition (superstition) used a threaded needle test to determine the sex of an unborn child. (1) Thread an ordinary sewing needle with a foot-long thread. (2) Hold the end of the thread. (3) Dangle the needle six inches above the expecting mother’s stomach. (4) Observe the needle’s motion. If it moves in a circle, the baby is a girl. If it moves back and forth, it’s a boy. Sometimes a ring was substituted for the needle. Read more about pregnancy and childbirth 100 years ago in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
