There
are 3 central mythical figures in the western world: Father Christmas or Santa
Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. The origins of these
traditions date back to Pagan times and have naturally evolved through time and
geography. Different kids in different continents celebrate the losing of a
baby tooth slightly differently to what we are used to…
UK/USA
In the
UK & USA the tooth fairy is what it says on the tin – a fairy that collects
teeth from children. The usual custom is for the child to place his/her tooth
under their pillow at night and at some point the tooth fairy will arrive to
exchange the tooth for some money. This is done to help ease the trauma of
losing a tooth.
The
average tooth rate in London has gone up to a high £2.50 per tooth! A
considerably higher rate than the 50p we remember receiving for losing a tooth!
Spanish countries
Many
Spanish-speaking countries don’t believe in the tooth fairy at all, but a mouse
called Perez. Like the Tooth Fairy, Perez also collects baby teeth but instead
of money, children are given a gift.
In some
Spanish speaking countries, kids stick their teeth in a glass of water before
bed so Perez can rehydrate himself after the thirsty work of collecting
children’s teeth. He then leaves the small gift in the empty glass.
India, China, Japan, Korea
What
child wants to place their tooth under their pillow if they can toss it up in
the air? When a tooth is lost from the lower jaw, kids throw their tooth on the
roof but when it is from their upper jaw, it is thrown to the ground. Kids do
this while yelling out a wish that the missing tooth be replaced by the tooth
of a mouse, as mice have teeth that continually grow!
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