Hat’s Off For Little Blessings

My great-grandmother Dagny loved children. She gave birth to eight children herself, whom she loved dearly and often in abscense. In addition to being a mother to her own children, she took care of the children in the villages where she worked as a missionary, especially through the schools the stations organised. Dagny also wrote frequently for the mission’s paper under the heading “For Our Little Mission Friends.” She also wrote in the mission’s annual publication “Hans stjärna i Östern” (transl. “His Star in the East”), which aimed to convey the experiences of missionaries from the field and the conversions occurring in China. Most of the texts were intended for adult readers, but there were also stories aimed at the little mission friends – the missionaries’ children and children to donors at home.

In 1915, my grandfather Rudolf was 2 years old, and Dagny decided to describe how a boy’s birthday could be celebrated in China. Rudolf was born in China and had already been celebrated at his birth – it was always a significant event when a son was born in China. Now, a two years had passed and Dagny recalled Rudolf’s first ever birthday celebration – on March 24, 1913.

Rolland, Rudolf and Dagny.

“It was a great event, as the little man was about to turn one year old. It was his first birthday in life. He woke up early by himself, sat up in bed, and said, ‘Mama!’ He received heartfelt congratulations from his parents and older brother Rolland. A ball, hidden from the ‘Christmas box’ (Editor’s note: the box of Christmas presents sent to mission stations every year), made him very happy. Suddenly, a bell rang outside the door. Little Rudolf listened and his eyes widened. It was his nurse, honoring him in this way. Shortly after, she came in with a tray containing thirty eggs, two packets of cookies, and a beautiful hat in all the colors of the rainbow. Small glass beads were attached around it, and little butterflies were attached on spirals. Yes, the hat was so beautiful! A large red paper accompanied it. On it was written Luke 18:16, 17* and the names of the givers. The gifts were from the evangelists, household members, some old women who cherished little Rudolf, and the female opium patients. Another tray was brought in. On it lay also two packets of cookies, an accordion, a set of spoons, a fine hat, similar to the first one, and a pair of small boots made of red silk, embroidered with blue flowers. The boots were so long that they reached the little one’s knees. With this tray came a red list with the names of the givers, the male opium patients. The cook had baked a cake and put a candle in the middle. On the cake, it said: ‘Heavenly Father, protect the little baby! Bring happiness, peace, and blessings!’ Now, of course, the little man, having been so honored, had to treat his guests to a good meal for dinner. The Chinese do not eat meat every day, but today they had both meat and eggs. The female opium patients helped to cook the food. They chopped vegetables to be baked into strips of dough, which would be steamed and eaten with the meat and broth.

EDIT: Missionary boy Daniel Landin carried by Rudolf (not as I previously thought – the other way around! See the long discussion in the comments, until I finally realise my quite obvious mistake… 😅)

The birthday boy wore his finest hat with the dangling pearl band around the brim and the high boots. When someone came to look at little Rudolf, he pointed proudly with his chubby hand at his fine hat and his lovely boots. He is everyone’s darling, and his ability to walk makes for great admiration. He enjoyed everything to the fullest. He has the little habit that he likes to give those who come close to him a little pinch in the nose and then he wants them to say ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo.’ If they don’t understand, the nurse gives them a hint to crow like a rooster, and everyone obeys.”

Details of love
Rudolf was Dagny’s eighth and youngest child. She had sent several of her children home to Sweden for schooling, and she had lost two children before they turned five. I think this text reflects how happy she was with her son and how much she loved having children, talking to children, and watching children grow. She seems to have noticed every detail about her son. I can only imagine how sad she must have been to not be able to attend her other children’s birthdays, once they had been sent to Sweden. In fact, she was to send her son Rolland off to go to school in Stockholm, only half a year after she wrote this text. Perhaps she remembered the details of her everyday life with her children in China so vividly because she understood that each day with them was precious, with the awareness that their time together was limited from the very beginning.

AI-generated picture of a Chinese children’s hat with a vintage feel…

Just for fun, I tried generating a child’s hat via AI. It turned out like this.
A search on the internet led me to pictures that are probably more accurate, but as the photo credits are a challenge I can only relay a link to the search here.

*Luke 18:16-17,
16: But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17: Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

The photo at the top of the post: Rudolf, one year old.