Parenting & New Baby Advice Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Baptism’

Baby baptisms are special occasions. It’s the time when you will dedicate your baby to Christ and promise to raise him or her in a Christian tradition. You’ll also have god parents to choose who will promise to raise your children should anything happen to you and your husband, and who also will guide your child along through life.

So, who gets invited to this big day? It will depend on how you want to do it. First off, you’re going to pick two people to be god parents. These are typically the two closest members of your family—one male and one female. But it can also be anyone you choose from a close family friend to a cousin. It is considered an honor to be chosen as a god parent, so no one is likely going to turn your invitation down. Just be sure you choose someone trustworthy and who you know will be in your life forever.

The Catholic tradition baptizes babies. Other faiths have adult baptisms if they have them at all. So, it’s a cultural as well as a traditional custom used by only certain religious groups. When thinking about inviting people to the actual ceremony, consider their religion as well as their relationship to you. You want to include everyone from your immediate family as well as the people closest to you in your family. Aunts, uncles, cousins and other close family are always invited.

When it comes to your friends outside of your family, consider a few things. Will they have to travel a far distance to make it to the baptism? Will they be uncomfortable in your church if they are from another faith? Will it pose an inconvenience to them to have to make arrangements to come (are they ill or unable to travel)?

Most times it’s more a factor of how many people your event hall or home can hold rather than a person’s situation that will dictate who you invite to a baptism. For instance, if you’re having the reception at your house and only have room for 20 people, you’re going to have to start cutting some of your friends out. However, if you have a hall booked and can accommodate any number of people, go ahead and invite everyone you want. If someone is unable to travel, they can politely say no. They will usually send a baptism gift anyway even if they can’t make it.

You need to invite everyone to the actual baptism as well as the reception. The highlight of the day is seeing the baby get baptized. Many people have the event catered afterwards, but you can cook everything the night before and refrigerate it. When everyone gets to your house, just start warming things up. You can also decorate your home, and/or prepare baptism favors for your guests.

Baptisms are sometimes held on Saturday mornings so as not to interfere with the normal Sunday mass schedule. But you can ask at your church if Sunday afternoons are offered. Sometimes it’s easier to have it on a Saturday rather than a Sunday when people have to be up early for work the next day. But it will depend on when your church offers baptisms.

Related Articles:

• Baptism Gift Ideas for Baby
• Baptism Party Favor Ideas

Baptism is an important ritual in many faiths.  While the ceremonies differ, the symbolism is typically the same: baptism is a washing away of sin.  It has traditionally been, and remains, a purification ritual in which water plays a big part, both symbolically and literally.  How did this ritual develop?  How do different cultures celebrate baptism?  And what does it mean today?  Baptism is a beautiful ritual, and when you know its history, it becomes that much more meaningful.

We typically associate baptism with Christian religions, but the roots begin with Judaism.  Mikvah, or ritual immersion, was performed when one needed to be restored to purity.  This happened after being exposed to something deemed by the Torah to be “unclean.”  This could be anything from becoming defiled via contact with a corpse or being with a woman while she was menstruating. Women were to cleanse after menstruation or childbirth.  Until the person was cleansed, he/she was not allowed to attend temple.

The person who needed cleansing brought an offering, such as lambs, doves, or grains, and the priest would ritualistically cleanse the body with water, oils, and perfumes.  Converts to Judaism also underwent the ritual cleansing.  Mikvah is still very important to the Orthodox Jewish community, and often, the baths are elaborately done.

In Islam, there is a ritual called Ghusl, which is a ritual washing required for prayer or certain rituals.  It is done after having sex, menstruation, childbirth, and death by natural causes.  It is also commonly practiced before Friday and Eid prayers, in preparation for haji, or the journey to Mecca, and before converting to Islam. There are rules governing the prayers said during ablution, as well as what types of water are permitted for use.

Both of these rituals have much in common with the Christian idea of baptism.  One key difference, though, is that both mikvah and ghusl are performed on an as-needed basis, so to speak.  They are done repeatedly throughout life to regain purity.  The Christian ritual of baptism is done once in a person’s life.  Instead of purifying the person from a specific “unclean” act, the baptism represents the desire of the baptized to follow the ways of the church and repent from sin. It is not a purification of sin, per se, but a symbolic act.

There are different forms of baptism among Christian religions and different practices concerning the age at which one is baptized.  In the Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran Churches, for instance, baptism is performed near birth to wash away “Original Sin,” which it is believed all people are born with.  In many other faiths, baptism is delayed until a child is older, or even till adulthood.  This is because the belief in Original Sin is not universal in Christianity.  Also, many churches believe the person should be old enough to make the conscious choice to become baptized, and thus an official member of the church.

While water plays an important role in baptism, not all ceremonies are the same.  In Catholic ceremonies, for instance, the baby is held over the baptismal font, and water is sprinkled lightly over his head.  This is called aspersion baptism. In other faiths, the person to be baptized kneels and water is poured over his head.  He may also kneel in water.  This is affusion baptism.

Immersion baptism is when the congregant is fully submerged in water.  This is practiced by Anabaptists and Baptists.  In these faiths, people are not baptized until they are adults.  Immersion is often done in baptismal fonts, swimming pools, bathtubs, rivers, or lakes.  Some sects, including Armenian Baptists, and some Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Anglicans, partially immerse the baptized, dunking their heads under water. Other faiths, like the Baptists and Anabaptists, demand full immersion.

Despite the differences in baptismal practices among faiths, there are many more similarities.  Water purifies and removes sin, whether on a symbolic level or a literal level.  Converts to religions typically undergo baptism to indicate their dedication to following the tenants of the faith.  Whether it is done repeatedly, as with mikvah and ghusl, or once, as with Christian faiths, it is an important ceremony. Often times, after the baptism, family and friends congregate at the home of the little one and celebrate with a meal and baptism gifts.

Related Articles:

• Baptism Gift Ideas for Baby
• How Much Money Should You Give for a Baptism Gift?
• What to Give Your Godchild as a Baptism Gift
• How To Make Baby Baptism Invitations
• How to Choose Your Baby's Godparents

When you are chosen to be a Godparent in a new baby’s life, you are being honored in a very special way. You are being asked to help guide a baby’s religious upbringing and to promise to help raise the child should anything happen to the parents. It’s a true blessing to be a Godparent. You will have a special bond with your Godson or Goddaughter as they grow into adulthood and beyond.

The Baptism gift should be extra special since you are being honored with the spiritual care of the child. So, what can you give that will appropriately convey your love?

• Think about writing a special letter to your Godchild. Write about the day she was born and any special thoughts you have about her and sentiments for her future. Write it on special parchment or stationery and seal it in a decorative envelope. Write on it, “For Libby, To Be Opened on your 18th Birthday,” or some variation of it. Have her parents save it for her in her baby book or in another special place. You will both be so surprised to read it when all the years have passed.

• Give a photo album that’s engraved with your Godchild’s name and Baptism date. Then, as the years go by, offer to come over and fill it with special photos and mementos for the child. As the years pass, you will be creating a memory book that will be treasured.

• Traditional gifts, of course, include cash and savings bonds. You can even set up a special savings account for your Godchild now and tell her parents that you intend to add to it as the child grows up. Give the parents the passbook and account number. Then, as you make deposits, they can hold onto it for their child. You can include a letter wishing your Godchild happiness and hoping she will use the money for college.

• The day is all about bringing a new child into the Christian faith, so celebrate the big event with crosses. You can start a cross charm bracelet that you will add to over the years. Or, if you have a little Godson, you can start a collection of wall crosses or cross statues that you’ll keep adding to. If you travel, plan to purchase a cross everywhere you go and continually add to the growing collection. It will be a special reminder of a very special Godparent.

• Engraved pendants, lockets and other fine jewelry is also a nice idea. For a little Goddaughter, you might start her out with a real pearl necklace and add to it every holiday. By the time she’s 18, she’ll have a gorgeous strand of real pearls to wear to her prom. Or, start her out with a real silver or gold baby bracelet monogrammed with her initials. You can also purchase gem jewelry in her birthstone. You’ll probably be the first one to ever gift her with her birthday stone. A special pendant with a cross on it or a religious medal in silver or gold is also a fine choice.

The idea is to give a memorable gift that you can also keep adding to over the years. You will want to keep up your special relationship with your Godchild and having a special collection that’s started at birth will be a lovely way to do it.