Namings and Christenings

Naming Ceremonies

People often ask what are Naming Ceremony is, and the simplest answer is that it is a welcome to the world for a new family member, and a celebration.

A new member of the family is welcomed . . . to the immediate family To the wider family (including grandparents, aunts, uncles etc) To friends of the family And to wider Australian society.

The first part of the ceremony is generally like an ever-widening zoom lens which starts with the child, then the parents and the child, then the grandparents the parents and the child, then the godparents and everybody present who represent wider Australian society.

At the end of this first section, the parents take the child around to everybody present to welcome him or her to the world.

The second part of the ceremony is the naming . . . where the parents announce the name of the child, and everybody confirms the name of the new family member. It is often thought that the name is the source of a persons identity and strength.

FAQs

* Naming Ceremonies are usually performed during the first 18 months of a child’s life, although they can be done for older children (and on some occasions for adults).
* A naming ceremony will run for about 30 minutes, although the flow is (more often than not) determined by the child whose naming ceremony it is, as well as the other children present. This generally makes them very happy occasions, enjoyed by all present . . . specially with refreshments or a meal served afterwards.
* Most naming ceremonies tend to take place either just before morning or afternoon tea (10 AM or 3 PM), or before lunch (11 AM or 11:30 AM). There are no hard and fast rules about this . . . it’s whatever works for you!

Christenings

Christenings are essentially religious ceremonies. Usually, ceremony takes place in a church, and is presided over by the minister or priest of the particular church.

It does not have to be, and can be included as part of a naming ceremony, on a nondenominational basis. Taking the purpose of the naming ceremony a step further, we could say that the christening or baptism is a welcome to the Universe.

The point about christenings, or the sacrament of baptism – to use its proper name, is that anyone may baptise. The essential matter of the sacrament is that water is poured three times on the forehead of the recipient, and the person doing the baptising must say, "[Name], I baptise you in the name of the Father, And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." There is the old saying that even a Jewish doctor (or Muslim or Hindu or a person of any religion) may perform a valid baptism.

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