Learn · Glossary
Postpartum term
Sealing ceremony
“Sealing ceremony” is an English phrase some people use for postpartum wrapping or closing work — the same family as closing the bones and Spanish cierre de caderas. It is not uniquely Mexican. The cloth is usually a cotton rebozo; 98 inches is the default. Learn from a trained person.
English mouths invent several labels for related rites. Sealing ceremony is one of them. Teachers who write for English readers more often say closing the bones. Mexican rooms say cierre de caderas. A simple belly bind at home is support — not the full ceremony. I sell the cloth. The rite stays with the people who teach it.
| Name | What it usually means | Cloth |
|---|---|---|
| Sealing ceremony | English alternate some searchers use for postpartum wrap/rite work — same family as closing the bones. | Cotton rebozo; often several of the same length for a fuller rite. |
| Closing the bones | Common English teacher phrase for hip-and-belly (often whole-body) wrapping after birth. | Often several 98″ cotton rebozos. |
| Cierre de caderas | Spanish: closing of the hips. Mexican name held by parteras as a class. | Cotton rebozo. More of the same length for a fuller rite. |
| Simple belly binding | One rectangle around low belly or hips for support. Not a ceremony. | One 98″ cotton rebozo. |
Credit
Sophie Messager orients English readers toward closing the bones for this family of work. “Sealing ceremony” shows up as another English mouth for related postpartum wrapping — useful search language, not a second rite Lola invented. Full map: closing the bones guide · rebozo postpartum.
One question
Is a sealing ceremony the same as closing the bones?
Often yes in the room that matters: both names point at postpartum wrapping of hips and belly (sometimes more of the body) with cloth. Teachers prefer different English words; Spanish speakers may say cierre de caderas. A simple belly bind is thinner than a full ceremony. Learn from a trained person. Wait for a healed cesarean and provider OK.