Everything you need to know about Christenings
Christening your baby is an exciting time and a great excuse to get all your friends and family together to celebrate but where do you start and what you need to organise?
In this blog post, we'll go over the different aspects of christening ceremonies, some of the most frequently asked questions we get asked when selling christening gifts and how you can prepare for yours!
- What is a christening?
- Who performs the christenings ceremony?
- What do you need to organise for a christening?
- What should you wear to a christening?
- What is the role of godparents?
- What gift should I bring to a christening?
- How can I celebrate after the ceremony?
- What are the alternatives to christenings?
- What is a christening?
Christenings are a ceremony of Christian baptism. They can be held at any age, but usually take place for babies who are less than one year old. When your christenings will take place differs depending on the denominations you are from.
In the Church of England christening normally take place as part of the regular Sunday service and happens in front of the entire congregation. The baby will be taken to font, usually at the front of the church and be sprinkled with holy water from the font. The parents and godparents will promised to bring up the child in the Christian faith.
In the Catholic Church christeings usually take place as a separate service. The baby is blessed will holy water, a candle is lit to signify Jesus as the light of the world and the parents and godparents will make vows. In some churches the priest may ask that parents attend preparation classes for the christenings to fully understand the meaning of Baptism.
Don't worry if you are not religious, we've listed all the alternatives to christenings at the end of this blog post.
2. Who performs the christening ceremonies?
A priest or someone approved by the church is responsible for performing the baptisms. The person's responsibility will depend on your denomination and location (city, state or country).
3. What you need to organise for a christening?
The majority of the time, all that is required from guests at the ceremony are their presence. In some instances though, attendants and godparents (people who will take on responsibility during your child's life) may be requested beforehand. We recommend checking with your church for more details on this.
4. What should you wear to a christening?
Attending the christening ceremony doesn't require specific attire, but we do recommend wearing something formal-fitting for such an occasion. Think of any time that you would dress up and go out in public (e.g weddings). This is always a safe option!
5. What is the role of godparents?
During the christenings ceremony, godparents are asked to promise that they will guide and protect your child in their spiritual life. In some denominations it is a requirement for them to take an active role in this part of the process (e.g reading bible passages).
6. What gift should I bring to a christening?
When choosing a christening gift look for something special that will be treasured for years to come. A personalised christening gift is a great way to add a personal touch and create a wonderful gift.
Here are some of our top picks including keepsakes, Bibles, wall art and jewellery. View our personalised christening gifts.
7. How can I celebrate after the ceremony? Christenings usually take place during Sunday mornings which means most people will be free afterwards to spend their day however they like! Some popular activities include: family gatherings at home or restaurants, sightseeing tours and shopping trips with friends are just some examples of what could work well as celebrations following your child's baptism.
8. What are the alternatives to baptisms?
If attending a christening ceremony isn't your cup of tea or you simply can't make it, there are always alternatives such as a blessing service. During this type of event, the baptisms and other important elements will still take place – but only those who were invited to participate in the baptism itself (as opposed to attending) are allowed to attend the blessing service afterwards.