Kids Posh Togs

Religious Baptism or Civil Naming Ceremony – which is right for you? 

Nowadays, Christenings don’t always follow the same pattern as those of Victorian days.  For a start, there are more options.  Less babies are baptised now and even those that are, aren’t generally as young as their predecessors.  Parents quite often leave the choice of religion to the child to decide when he or she is much older.  Other parents, who want a ‘welcoming’ ceremony for their baby, but who don’t have specific religious beliefs themselves, opt for a civil naming ceremony rather than a religious baptism.  At naming ceremonies, other adults can be chosen by parents as sponsors to the child in much the same way as god-parents are for a Christening.   However, these ceremonies have no legal standing.  If you feel a naming ceremony is more suitable for your baby, contact your local authority to find out more information and how to book with the registrar (note:  you will need the baby’s birth certificate).

Having a baptism in church is all about welcoming a baby into the church and the faith, and promising to bring him / her up with christian beliefs and values.  Some denominations require that you are regular church-goers before they agree to baptise your child, but others are equally happy to welcome your child and conduct the service whether you are a member of their congregation or not.  Therefore, it is essential to contact the vicar of your chosen church as soon as possible to find out his views and obtain permission.

Once you’ve agreed on which type of ceremony is most appropriate, how do you start to plan what is the biggest day of your child’s life so far?

 Planning your baby’s Christening

Things you need to consider and organise:-

- What the baby will wear

- When and where the ceremony will be

- Who to invite

- Who do you want to choose as godparents / sponsors

- Where the venue for the reception will be

- What you will eat and drink

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Tags: Christening / Naming Ceremony, Planning Your Baby's Christening Ceremony

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm and is filed under Christening / Naming Ceremonies, What's New. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.