For the adult who is just getting baptized into the religion of choice, this is a memorable day, much like getting married. It takes a lot of thinking and decision making to finally settle on getting baptized into a religion that one was not born and raised into. The baptism is usually held in a church while the celebration after it is usually held somewhere else. Of course, just like any christening, the guests usually bring in christening gifts to welcome the new member and receive baptism favors in return from the hosts. But that is easier said than done as it is easier to get a gift for a baby than it is for an adult. Here are some gift suggestions for adult baptism gifts:
A Sacred Book – no matter the religion there is always a sacred book and it is always a welcome and expected gift. There is no baptism that is without a sacred book given and if there is any, and then someone will rush out to get just to make sure there is at least one given to the celebrant.
A Holy Symbol – this is usually given as a pendant, a brooch or a ring. These symbols are also usually blessed by the celebrating official during the christening. Do not get one that will not represent the religion. In some cultures, receiving such a gift would mean wearing of the item at all times for at least a year.
Prayer Beads – there are several prayer beads used by the worshipper no matter what religion it is. Prayer beads help the worshipper to focus on their prayers and to also guide them through a set or series of prayers. These are usually used everyday especially on holy days.
Holy Oils – these are a little more expensive for these are pure essential oils which are later on blessed by the officiating priest. For Catholics, Frankincense oil is highly valued as much as oil of myrrh both of which were given to the infant Jesus by the Three Kings. The holy oil is used to guard against any form of spiritual warfare and is also used in the last rites.
Decorative Item or Symbol – this is similar to a pendant or a brooch but these are larger and are supposed to be placed on the altar or on the wall. These images may be antique or not, but the most valued are the antique works of art usually made of hand carved wood. The usual images are that of the Virgin Mary and some Saints. They are used as a reminder of the holiness and sacrifice made by the individuals that they represent and to guide the new member to emulate their holy lives.
Blessed Cloth – there are some cloths considered for holy use as they are usually placed on altars. Usually families have an old altar cloth that had been handed down from generation to generation and it is customary for a new member to be welcomed with one or two so they could start their own traditions.
Choosing a gift may be tough, but when one is pointed to the right direction, even getting gifts for newly christened adults can be easy.
Showing posts with label christening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christening. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Gift Ideas for Baptism
Sometimes, it is a lot easier to give gifts to grown-ups because you already know what a colleague likes or what the husband needs. Sometimes, they even have their wish list. But for babies and kids, giving gifts may be a little tricky because you may end up giving the same overalls or sweaters as the other guests because you bought them from the same local store. Your next baptismal gift should be cute, fun, yet useful as well – and by useful we mean applicable for baby’s play too. Here are some gift suggestions for baptisms.
Bed and baby bath items are both cute and practical. Blankets are cute and especially memorable when it’s the same blanket they use until they grow up. There are different cute and playful designs readily available in your local department store. Pillows also come in various designs and different shapes as well. You can give regular pillows or the ones shaped with a stuff toy animal head and the body would be the pillow. Baby oil and toiletry sets are also readily available. Opt for the trusted brands and check ingredient labels as there are some items that may be harsh on the baby’s sensitive skin.
Keepsake gifts will be received well too. A keepsake box to store all of baby’s special and memorable items is something that will be useful even until he or she grows up. Photo frames can be displayed in any home so that can work well too and a stuffed toy is considered great gift idea as well. You can give baby CDs such as Barney or Baby Einstein for a meaningful and educational gift.
You can also consider getting small keepsakes as reminders of the special day. Sometimes you can browse through baptism favors and gifts online for even more ideas.
Be careful with edible gifts as well such as baby food or formula unless you are close to the mother or you know exactly what the baby is being fed. These items are readily available and while you can have them wrapped at the store itself, you can have your own personalized gift wrap to make it more special. You can place the gift in another gift bag or you can place it in a special box and hand paint it. Sometimes it is a nice idea to get something for the parents as well as the child, especially if you are close to the family.
Bed and baby bath items are both cute and practical. Blankets are cute and especially memorable when it’s the same blanket they use until they grow up. There are different cute and playful designs readily available in your local department store. Pillows also come in various designs and different shapes as well. You can give regular pillows or the ones shaped with a stuff toy animal head and the body would be the pillow. Baby oil and toiletry sets are also readily available. Opt for the trusted brands and check ingredient labels as there are some items that may be harsh on the baby’s sensitive skin.
Keepsake gifts will be received well too. A keepsake box to store all of baby’s special and memorable items is something that will be useful even until he or she grows up. Photo frames can be displayed in any home so that can work well too and a stuffed toy is considered great gift idea as well. You can give baby CDs such as Barney or Baby Einstein for a meaningful and educational gift.
You can also consider getting small keepsakes as reminders of the special day. Sometimes you can browse through baptism favors and gifts online for even more ideas.
Be careful with edible gifts as well such as baby food or formula unless you are close to the mother or you know exactly what the baby is being fed. These items are readily available and while you can have them wrapped at the store itself, you can have your own personalized gift wrap to make it more special. You can place the gift in another gift bag or you can place it in a special box and hand paint it. Sometimes it is a nice idea to get something for the parents as well as the child, especially if you are close to the family.
Significance of Baptism for Catholics
Baptism is an important ritual in the Catholic community. This is the start of the child’s journey in his spirituality, and his or her parents, godparents, relatives, and friends are there to welcome him and support him. Beyond this welcoming ritual, baptism carries also with it other deep spiritual meanings and symbolisms that reflect some important aspects of the faith.
In baptism, the Holy Spirit gets to dwell in the child. Thus his spiritual life will be guided by the Holy Spirit, bringing him closer to Christ. This sacrament is a public proclamation that they acknowledge God in their life, and that they need Him in order to get through the challenges in their spiritual life and in other aspects of their life as well. Through baptism, God is honored because the sacrament in itself shows that God is the one powerful and loving enough to cleanse us from our sins.
It was mentioned in the bible that Christ was also baptized in River Jordan to show that being renewed again is possible only through God. Another mention of baptism in the bible is at Colossians 2, where it is said that the child, as he begins his life, can be freed from the sin he was born with, only through Christ. That’s why early on in his life, he should be baptized. Another deep significance of baptism is that during the ceremony, everyone is reminded of their baptism vows to turn away from sin and to acknowledge that sin brings us to death, and that the only way to be resurrected is through faith in Christ.
When the water is poured three times to the child’s forehead, it symbolizes that the child is one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This special occasion is marked by a whole day or half-day celebration complete with a reception, and all party necessities such as invitations, program and entertainment, baptism favors, and games. While the whole ceremony can be considered simple, the meaning of almost each activity, and every word used, is used to show that public proclamation of the child, and his involvement in the Christian community by becoming a person free from sin, saved only by God, denounces sin in his life, and the Holy Spirit dwells in him.
Baptism is important, sacred, and meaningful as its meaning goes beyond the one hour ceremony. The Catholic community is one with every child during baptism to show their love, support, and belief in one another.
In baptism, the Holy Spirit gets to dwell in the child. Thus his spiritual life will be guided by the Holy Spirit, bringing him closer to Christ. This sacrament is a public proclamation that they acknowledge God in their life, and that they need Him in order to get through the challenges in their spiritual life and in other aspects of their life as well. Through baptism, God is honored because the sacrament in itself shows that God is the one powerful and loving enough to cleanse us from our sins.
It was mentioned in the bible that Christ was also baptized in River Jordan to show that being renewed again is possible only through God. Another mention of baptism in the bible is at Colossians 2, where it is said that the child, as he begins his life, can be freed from the sin he was born with, only through Christ. That’s why early on in his life, he should be baptized. Another deep significance of baptism is that during the ceremony, everyone is reminded of their baptism vows to turn away from sin and to acknowledge that sin brings us to death, and that the only way to be resurrected is through faith in Christ.
When the water is poured three times to the child’s forehead, it symbolizes that the child is one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This special occasion is marked by a whole day or half-day celebration complete with a reception, and all party necessities such as invitations, program and entertainment, baptism favors, and games. While the whole ceremony can be considered simple, the meaning of almost each activity, and every word used, is used to show that public proclamation of the child, and his involvement in the Christian community by becoming a person free from sin, saved only by God, denounces sin in his life, and the Holy Spirit dwells in him.
Baptism is important, sacred, and meaningful as its meaning goes beyond the one hour ceremony. The Catholic community is one with every child during baptism to show their love, support, and belief in one another.
Creating Baptism Invitations is Cheap, Fast, and Easy
A baptism nowadays can set you hundreds to even thousands of dollars back as you need to purchase everything – from the invitations, to the decorations, food, and the baptism favors. However, while you will still be purchasing the raw materials, you need not purchase your baptism invitations from suppliers as you can make them on your own. Making them is cheap as the basic supplies are just simple paper products. You need not pre-order anything, and what’s best is you can make them as personalized as you want them to be. Here are the quick and easy steps to making your own baptism invitations.
First of all, find a good baptism invitation template. There are a lot available online or you can load up Microsoft Publisher for templates. You can still further personalize and customize these templates as you’ll find out later. Set it on a blue background if you are celebrating the baptism of a baby boy or use pink if it’s your cute little girl. If you want to play with the colors, other trendy colors include orange, yellow, and light green.
Next, personalize the template by putting in your own wordings, a photo of the baby, or placing images that are either fun or religious. Do not put too many photos though as you will still be needing white space to put in the wordings. For the wordings, keep it to a minimum as well so the invitation will not look too crowded with so many images and too much text. You can use just one side of the invitation as putting text and images on either two or all four sides of the invitation will indeed make it look very busy.
Use a fun and childish font, or you can have a formal font to show the solemnity of the occasion. When printing, especially if you are printing more than 50 pieces, check your cartridge regularly so that even up to the last piece, you have good quality and readable print. Buy envelopes that will fit your invitation perfectly. You can put stickers on them, print images on them, or just buy pre-printed envelopes.
Most importantly, have fun making these and consider this not just a hobby or any other task but rather, an accomplishment in terms of savings and in making your child’s baptism truly special with your hands-on approach.
First of all, find a good baptism invitation template. There are a lot available online or you can load up Microsoft Publisher for templates. You can still further personalize and customize these templates as you’ll find out later. Set it on a blue background if you are celebrating the baptism of a baby boy or use pink if it’s your cute little girl. If you want to play with the colors, other trendy colors include orange, yellow, and light green.
Next, personalize the template by putting in your own wordings, a photo of the baby, or placing images that are either fun or religious. Do not put too many photos though as you will still be needing white space to put in the wordings. For the wordings, keep it to a minimum as well so the invitation will not look too crowded with so many images and too much text. You can use just one side of the invitation as putting text and images on either two or all four sides of the invitation will indeed make it look very busy.
Use a fun and childish font, or you can have a formal font to show the solemnity of the occasion. When printing, especially if you are printing more than 50 pieces, check your cartridge regularly so that even up to the last piece, you have good quality and readable print. Buy envelopes that will fit your invitation perfectly. You can put stickers on them, print images on them, or just buy pre-printed envelopes.
Most importantly, have fun making these and consider this not just a hobby or any other task but rather, an accomplishment in terms of savings and in making your child’s baptism truly special with your hands-on approach.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
What Differs Between Baptism and Christening
In all parts of the world, different religions have their own way of welcoming the newest (or youngest) members to their belief or sect. Through rites of passage and rituals, almost all religions practiced this for hundreds of years. Whether they are local tribes, or Baptist or Pentecost, all have a certain tradition to follow in welcoming new people to show their growing number of members and the ones who will continue their belief.
In the Christian world, the words baptism and christening are almost always interchanged when referring to the sacrament that a child (or an older new member) goes through as he enters the Christian world. A celebration is being done complete with reception, photo and video, and even christening favors.
While there are differences between the two, it is quite common that they are interchanged because the two are being conducted together. In the same holy sacrament, baptism and christening happen at the same time. Here are some of the differences between the two:
- The word Baptism is generally coined by lay people in church communities.
- The word Baptism is generally a secular expression.
- Christening is regarded as an ‘event’ where a child will be given his or her name, while Baptism is not just any ‘event’, but rather, one of the 7 Holy Sacraments of the Catholic church.
- For some sects, they hold an ‘event’ similar to that of christening without holding a baptism or any purpose similar to that of baptism (e.g. welcoming the child in their religious community), thus the event is simply put, a naming ceremony.
- For the Catholic church, the words are used interchangeably as the rite in welcoming new members of the church generally involve both aspects – the Holy Sacrament itself, and the purpose of naming the child. This is the same with the Lutheran church.
- For the other churches like Pentecostal and Baptist churches or those generally within the Evangelical community, there are differences when it comes to the actual rites and sometimes, the purpose of the activity.
- During baptism, there are symbolisms and activities that are done that are specifically for the Catholic Church. In the Bible, Jesus Christ was baptized by his cousin (John) in the Jordan River. Hence, during baptism, water is poured from the forehead of the baby. To symbolize the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, the water is sprinkled thrice as well. Baptism also symbolize how water from the body of Christ can wash away sins, and therefore, ready to be welcomed in the Catholic world.
- After the Baptism, Christening follows where the child is being given a name.
What is most important in the Christian world is not the strict usage of the terms but rather reflecting and showing Christian-like ways in his daily life. By having undergone this holy sacrament, the Christian is expected to follow Christ’s footsteps and live by the guidance of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In the Christian world, the words baptism and christening are almost always interchanged when referring to the sacrament that a child (or an older new member) goes through as he enters the Christian world. A celebration is being done complete with reception, photo and video, and even christening favors.
While there are differences between the two, it is quite common that they are interchanged because the two are being conducted together. In the same holy sacrament, baptism and christening happen at the same time. Here are some of the differences between the two:
- The word Baptism is generally coined by lay people in church communities.
- The word Baptism is generally a secular expression.
- Christening is regarded as an ‘event’ where a child will be given his or her name, while Baptism is not just any ‘event’, but rather, one of the 7 Holy Sacraments of the Catholic church.
- For some sects, they hold an ‘event’ similar to that of christening without holding a baptism or any purpose similar to that of baptism (e.g. welcoming the child in their religious community), thus the event is simply put, a naming ceremony.
- For the Catholic church, the words are used interchangeably as the rite in welcoming new members of the church generally involve both aspects – the Holy Sacrament itself, and the purpose of naming the child. This is the same with the Lutheran church.
- For the other churches like Pentecostal and Baptist churches or those generally within the Evangelical community, there are differences when it comes to the actual rites and sometimes, the purpose of the activity.
- During baptism, there are symbolisms and activities that are done that are specifically for the Catholic Church. In the Bible, Jesus Christ was baptized by his cousin (John) in the Jordan River. Hence, during baptism, water is poured from the forehead of the baby. To symbolize the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, the water is sprinkled thrice as well. Baptism also symbolize how water from the body of Christ can wash away sins, and therefore, ready to be welcomed in the Catholic world.
- After the Baptism, Christening follows where the child is being given a name.
What is most important in the Christian world is not the strict usage of the terms but rather reflecting and showing Christian-like ways in his daily life. By having undergone this holy sacrament, the Christian is expected to follow Christ’s footsteps and live by the guidance of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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