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Ceremonies to usher babies into the world of faith

Welcoming a baby into the world can be one of the most precious moments of our lives. Many faiths and cultures have special ceremonies for this, whether they are steeped in religious meaning or shaped by family customs. Beliefnet asked our readers and staff to share some of their baby-welcoming traditions.

Baptism

Abby was four months old when we had her baptism on April 17, 2005 at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick, MD. The reverend recited the triune baptismal language: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," which is the root of the ecumenical creeds recited throughout the year during Sunday worship. That was the beauty of Abby's baptism--how common it felt. Flowing water and familiar words made it feel more like a bath than a sacrament, but I think that's precisely the point. God's action in the world is most often mediated by human hands and lips.

Dave Albertson, Lutheran minister
Frederick, MD

Simchat Bat

When our daughter, Adira, was born, we were faced with the same dilemma many Jewish parents face: There are no traditional rituals to mark the birth of a girl. Luckily, several new ceremonies have developed in recent years and after looking at those, we put together a ceremony called a simchat bat (joy of a daughter). We wrapped Adira in my tallit (prayer shawl) and recited prayers to welcome her as a new member of the Jewish people. At the end her four grandparents recited a poem based on a Talmudic passage to express our wishes for the person we hope Adira will grow up to be.

Michael Kress
Bronx, NY

Anointed with Holy Oil

Our two special girls wore white dresses, and we put them into a big bowl of water as if it were the river Jordan. Their godmother and godfather held the girls, and we all prayed over them as they were anointed with holy oil. I don't think there was a dry eye in the church. It was a true love ceremony. My wife and I then took the godparents out for dinner while the rest of the family went back to our house to set up for a Irish party with laughing, eating, and drinking (within limits, though). I was a proud father that day.

TurkJ748@aol.com

Reciting the Call to Prayer

Immediately after my daughter was born (my second child), my father recited the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer in her right ear, as it is recommended to do in the Muslim religion. He said it softly, but with great conviction, as my husband, mother, and I watched. Islamic tradition calls for the adhan to be the first thing that a baby ever hears, as it is thought that hearing this prayer will guide the child on the right path through life.

Dilshad D. Ali
Richmond, VA

A Prayer and a Promise

I had five babies. And in the hospital as each was born, I said a prayer to God that I would raise our co-creation to the best of my ability, and that the day she married I would give her back to God to watch over her. I did just that--as each daughter stood in front of the minister, I prayed to God that I did my very best to protect and care for her. And now it was time to give her back to God to watch over her. Amen!

Sylvia Hodge

His First Sunset

When I became a grandmother, I was with my daughter in the birthing room, attending her through her labor. When the baby was born, the midwife invited me to cut the cord. Within moments I was holding a small, squirming, wrapped bundle. I held my grandson up to the west window, overlooking the Mississippi River, to show him his first sunset. I said to him, "Welcome home, little one. I wish you love and long life. May you be a blessing to the world." Then I placed him in his mother's arms and hugged them both.

The Rev. Carole Martignacco
Derby Line, VT

A Scottish Custom

It is a custom in Scotland for the baby's "head to be wet" by the fathers and their friends by having a dram (or two) of whiskey. And whenever a new baby is taken out in its pram, anyone looking in at the new baby will slip some silver coins under the covers. In this way the whole neighborhood becomes involved in the welcoming of its newest arrival.

Elizabeth Benjamin
Edinburgh, Scotland

A Bris and Naming Ceremony

We had a bris for my first great-nephew, Nathan Joseph Bender, son of my nephew Brian Bender and his wife Anne, at the hospital before he came home. Then on March 4, 2007 we had a baby-naming ceremony for him at his grandparents' home in Gaithersburg, MD. Nathan's great-grandmother gave him an adorable teeny kippah to wear and held him throughout the ceremony.

Joanne Serin

Unitarian Child Dedications

As a Unitarian Universalist minister I frequently perform child dedications in which the infant is presented to the community by the parents. Our ceremonies may be held in a church sanctuary, park, beach, or in a family home. We use water as a symbol of all that connects us with all life on earth. We dip a rosebud in water, a symbol of life unfolding, stripped of thorns, to signify our readiness to smooth the way in childhood and remove obstacles to growth until the child is ready to deal with life's harsher realities. A candle is lit to represent the brightness of this new spirit among us. We pledge on behalf of humanity to love, support, and appreciate the unfolding of this unique life.

The Rev. Carole Martignacco
Derby Line, VT

Muslim Aqueeka

Four weeks after our son was born, we did his aqueeka ceremony where my husband shaved off our son's hair as a symbol of cleansing. Muslim parents are advised to do the aqueeka seven days after the child is born, but many (like us) take more time. It's a joyous time of celebration, with prayers of thanks offered to God for the child. Parents often have big parties afterwards. Along with the aqueeka, a lamb is sacrificed, and the meat is distributed among the poor. My mother-in-law also made a paste of saffron and water and covered my sons head with it as a means of cooling it.

Dilshad D. Ali
Richmond, VA

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