Naming Ceremonies
I'd bake with
butter, cream cheese, and sour cream. Heaven!
Whenever I hit the 7th month of my various pregnancies, I
began to bake. Privy to the sex of my babies, I would plan my baking according
to the ceremony we'd be holding after the baby was born. If I were having a
boy, I would bake non-dairy goods that might be eaten after a meat meal,
according to Jewish dietary laws. If I were having a girl, I'd bake with
butter, cream cheese, and sour cream. Heaven!
A festive meat meal
Since we are Jewish, we gave our sons a Brit Milah circumcision ceremony
and this was the time we named our sons. After the circumcision, we hosted a
festive meat meal, hence the non-dairy goodies for dessert. My husband was
called up to the dais of our synagogue to name our daughters in the presence of
the congregation. Then we'd hold a festive Kiddush—the wine sanctification
ceremony accompanying most Jewish occasions—at which I'd serve a variety of home-baked
goodies along with fancy fingerfood. My biggest problem was to keep my friends
and my children from figuring out whether I was baking milchig (dairy) or parve
(neutral), because I didn't want to share my secret knowledge of the sex of our
baby.
Water, salt, honey, and wine
It isn't only Jews who include food in naming ceremonies. At the
Nigerian Yoruba naming ceremonies, several types of food are laid out on
a ceremonial table and are offered to the baby to taste and touch. Among the
traditional foods are: water, salt, palm oil, cola nut, bitter cola, alligator pepper,
honey, and wine. The baby is also given a pen, book, and money to touch. Sometimes,
the baby is guided to 'walk' a few steps. Some families have other items added
to the ceremonial table as symbols of clan deity, such as a knife or sword, to
connote Ogun, the god of iron. A poem consisting of many proverbs is then read.
Guests are then served traditional foods such as pounded yam and okra soup, rice
served with pepper soup, and mashed cassava soup. The Yorubas believe that if a
child is not named within 7-9 days after birth, the child will not outlive the
same-sexed parent.
Red egg and ginger party
The Chinese have a tradition to hold a red egg and ginger party when the
baby turns one month old. The baby is given a name at this time, since it is
presumed that having reached the age of one month; the baby will not be a
victim of infant mortality. This one month period is also considered a time
when the mother will need to rest indoors and recover. During this time, she is
fed a nutritious broth of pig's feet, eggs, vinegar and ginger. At the red egg
and ginger party, parents hand out red dyed eggs to the guests, who bring gifts
of money and jewelry for the infant.
