What is a Christening

In general, a Christening is a service in which a baby is given a Christian name and made a member of the Christian church. The word ‘christen’ is derived from the name ‘Christ’. To christen a child roughly means to bring them to Christ (Source: http://www.baptism.org.uk/christening.htm).

Christenings differ from church to church and are not always the same thing as infant baptisms. In fact, the infant baptism is only one form of Christening service, of which there are other main types. As well as the baptism, Christening can also take the form of a simple blessing or, alternatively, a service of dedication, where parents commit themselves to certain forms of upbringing for their child.

For more information on baptisms, click here.

Christening Names

Regarding the naming of the child, Christening traditionally confers a Christian name upon the child. Strictly speaking, then, the Christian name is the name given to the individual during his or her christening or baptism. In some religious traditions, this actually involves a change of name in order to underline a change in condition such as a conversion to a particular faith.

However, in today’s culture, it is worthwhile to remember that children named before the Christening service takes place are already properly named as their birth certificate has officially registered the name the parents have chosen for them. Furthermore, the way we treat the Christian name today differs little from naming practices in non-Christian or secular cultures. In the same way that one’s surname distinguishes members of a family group, the Christian name is normally treated as simply a forename which distinguishes individuals within that group.

Although we use ‘Christian name’ as a synonym for ‘first name’, the term traditionally refers to biblical names or names with Christian significance. It used to be considered an appropriate practice to christen the child with a name taken from the Old or New Testament or with the name of a saint. This tradition is not so common now, and parents can christen their children with names taken from whichever origin they want, whether that be Celtic mythology or the contemporary cult of celebrity. However, biblical and apostolic names like Peter, Paul, John, and Mary are still popular.

Christening Gifts

It is traditional for friends and family to give gifts on the event of a christening. Click here for more information on Christening gifts.

Sources and further reading: http://www.baptism.org.uk/christening.htm
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/ce001006.htm
http://www.babynames.org.uk/biblical-baby-names.htm