The results of these superstitions are different according to the culture, society, and its different versions. Most stories related to this question are from ancient times and there is no evidence of their truth or origin. The superstitions about the pregnant woman attending a funeral ceremony are in many cultures and religions. However, the consequences of this act are different and vary from culture to culture and society to society. Some people believe that a pregnant woman should not attend a funeral as it can cause a stillborn. Another version of this superstition says that it is risky as some evil spirits may cause damage to the baby or may take the baby away. Attending a funeral doesn’t cause any actual damage these are all superstitions. However other factors may cause some damages to the baby. If the woman remains under stress or grief for a long time then this stress and distress can cause some problems. When a person is under stress the body is affected by the hormone cortisol and this hormone is also released from the surrounding placenta of the baby. This hormone can cause fetal metabolism and could be harmful to the baby.
According to some cultures, it’s not good to mix the farewell of a deceased person and welcome a new soul on earth. Some cultures believe to the extent that attending a funeral can cause miscarriage. A pregnant woman should avoid attending the funeral if it will make her too emotional or if it can cause stress or depression. In general, the funeral is considered hard on pregnant women. The real thing that can cause problems or damages is grief, stress or depression, not the funeral.
Jewish Culture:
In the Jewish community around Singapore, it is believed that birth is a symbol of positivity and newness, it is a way of being blessed with happiness and joy just like that it is believed that death is full of negativity in all its aspects. It is considered as a bad and unlucky thing and is supposed that death also causes other problems as well and living human can also be affected by the negativity of the death and can cause damages to them. In Jewish culture, the people deeply believe in “evil eye” and according to the evil eye can ruin your life by turning your happiness into sadness and success into poverty and according to them the funeral or graves are one of the major places where bad spirits and evil eye can affect them. It is strictly prohibited for a pregnant woman to attend a funeral as it can cause problems for the baby or even for the mother. They also believe that the evils are mostly attracted to happy places, occasions, and people to destroy their happiness.
Chinese Culture:
In the Chinese communities around Singapore, there are many rules and regulations for a pregnant woman or for a newborn baby in this culture. These people also believe in many superstitions. According to their belief, the unborn baby is in the middle of two worlds the life and death at that time the child is unaware of life and he only knows about the spiritual life. When a person dies his soul is transferred to the spiritual world and if a pregnant woman attends the funeral then there are possibilities that the unborn child may decide to go to the spiritual world with the soul of the deceased person and this can result in miscarriage.
Christianity Culture:
In Christianity communities around Singapore, the pregnant woman is allowed to attend the funeral if it is essential. But there is a condition that pregnant women should not see the face of the deceased person as it is considered bad for the life of the baby. The beliefs in Christianity culture are related to the beliefs of Jewish culture. It is said that seeing the face of the deceased can curse the unborn child and the child may be born dead or looking dead because of the fear of the death or dead body. In Christianity, there are strong beliefs on the spirits and their unseen power. The pregnant woman is also prohibited to visit zoos or places where there are animals as this act can also cause the same results as seeing the face of the deceased. It is good to keep the unborn baby away from the negative energies and powers.
Hinduism:
In Hinduism, the pregnant woman is prohibited to attend the funeral as it can cause miscarriage or may cause problems while delivering the baby. There are many rules and regulations for pregnant women in this culture. It is believed that after the death of a person the attendees should take an immediate bath to protect themselves from bad evils and infection, the house should be painted again. In this culture, the pregnant woman is not even allowed to enter the house in which the person has died until the child is born. It is believed that the woman should not meet the wife or the closely related family members of the deceased as this can invite bad luck for her and for her unborn child.
Is it all a Superstitions:
There is no evidence to prove the origin of the belief that the pregnant woman is prohibited to attend a funeral. According to science and research, these beliefs are no more than superstitions and have no reality in them. These beliefs are considered as a mixture of social rules and some ancient people practices. The woman is prohibited to attend the funeral if the journey is long and can cause stress or the depression or the woman have some psychological problems on attending the funerals even in normal days because stress is more harmful to the pregnant woman and unborn child than any other thing. According to science the pregnant woman can attend funerals and there is no harm from the evils or spirits or by the graves, these are all superstitions and these superstitions have no root or origin. But I will not say that it is all myth or not, whatever your religion you should respect the customs and follow the devised rules.