ADOPTION CEREMONIES

Adoption ceremonies, often called entrustment or placement ceremonies, are commonly performed to recognize the transition from a child from one family to another. The ceremony can be performed at a home, hospital chapel, or even a garden and are generally attended by both the birth parents and the adoptive family. It can be as simple as a simple prayer to a lengthy ritual. All of the participants can provide wishes and promises to the child as the transition takes place. Adoption ceremonies are commonly very bittersweet, and full of tears for all involved. However, they can be quite powerful in symbolizing new hope for the child and the family.  

BAR MITZVAHS / BAT MITZVAHS

A bar mitzvah for boys and a bat mitzvah for girls is the coming of age ceremony and celebration that symbolizes the start of an obligation to religious commandments in the Jewish faith. The ceremony usually takes place when a boy is 13 or a girl is 12.

Shortly after the child’s birthday, they will be called to recite a blessing in front of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) during a Saturday’s morning services (Shabbat). The child may also be asked to recite the weekly torah reading and give a speech to the congregation.

A celebration often follows the ceremony, and they often are as sophisticated and expensive as a wedding.

In Reform Judaism, there is very little difference between a bar and a bat mitzvah. However, in Orthodox Judaism or Chasidism, girls are not permitted to participate in this religious ceremony.

A christening or baptism is considered the formal entry of a child (or sometimes an adult) into the Christian faith. Water is the primary symbol used in the ceremony to represent life, cleansing, and growth, and is commonly sprinkled on the head of the child in a symbolic gesture. While christenings or baptisms can take place at any age, it is common to have the ceremony for an infant. Because infants cannot answer the questions that are asked during the ritual, godparents are chosen to answer for the child. It is considered an honor to be chosen as a godparent, and they often will participate in the religious education of the child for years to come.

The ceremony generally takes place in the church, often as part of a service. The infant or child usually wears a white christening gown used solely for this purpose. The gown is frequently handed down generation to generation. Family, friends, and neighbors can be invited to participate, and usually a post-christening party or open house follows the ceremony.

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