The Sweet Meaning Behind Red Eggs on a Baby’s 100th Day

When it comes to celebrating certain holidays and milestones, we tend to associate them with specific foods that reflect tradition, heritage or historical context. It’s not Thanksgiving without turkey. You toast with a glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve, and birthdays are synonymous with blowing out candles on a frosted cake.

In many Asian cultures, a baby’s 100th day is celebrated with red eggs.

What is a baby’s 100th day ceremony?

This custom dates back centuries, to a time when infant mortality rates were high. As a result, a baby’s first 100 days were considered a momentous milestone, worthy of celebrating the child’s introduction to family and friends. While other cultures may observe similar traditions in different ways, like in the Korean or Japanese rituals, a baby’s 100-day for a Chinese celebration, also known as Bai Ri Yan, features red eggs, pickled ginger and other traditional practices.

What are the traditions and practices?

When my daughter reached this milestone, I wanted to celebrate the tradition, especially since my parents hosted a 100th-day celebration for me when I was a baby. We began with a customary banquet dinner for family and friends to share in the joy, serving traditional dishes like steamed fish, longevity noodles and roasted pork.

This is then followed by a ceremony featuring several other rituals. For the occasion, we dressed my daughter in the traditional colors of red and gold, decorated in patterns of dragons or flowers and typically in a cheongsam dress for girls and boys often wear a Tang suit. The celebration also includes snipping a lock of the baby’s hair — which, in the past, was often saved and crafted into a calligraphy brush to symbolize future academic and professional success — gifting the baby hongbaos (red envelopes containing cash), gold pendants and jade jewelry to bestow prosperity and placing an arborvitae leaf in the baby’s hair as a symbol of good luck.

And last but not least, the red eggs. Before the ceremony, a few hard-boiled eggs are dyed red to symbolize luck and prosperity in Chinese culture. My mom was in charge of this task and soaked the eggs in vinegar first because she had heard this would achieve a more vibrant color. However, when the vinegar-soaked eggs met the red food coloring, they turned neon yellow — definitely not the result we were hoping for. I recommend skipping the vinegar and using the food coloring directly to achieve a true red hue. Once prepared, the red eggs are gently rubbed on the baby’s face, cheeks and head to symbolize renewal and fertility. Afterward, family and friends share the red eggs along with bowls of pickled ginger to mark the conclusion of the ceremony and celebrate the milestone.

Why is a 100th day ceremony important?

While these traditions can require a great deal of effort, I’m happy to continue them because they serve as a meaningful reminder of the important role food, customs and family play in our lives. More than that, they highlight how deeply connected these traditions are and how they help keep our culture and family history alive by preserving connections across generations.

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