| Godparents....where did the tradition come from? | | | | By the time of the Victorian Era, lavishly |
| They're not mentioned in the Bible, but the | | | | embellished gowns adorned with intricate |
| practice has certainly been around for many | | | | embroidery and lace were all the rage. After the |
| hundreds of years. | | | | firstborn in the family was baptized, the gown |
| The idea of godparents - or sponsors - dates | | | | was carefully packed away and used for each of |
| way back to the ancient church. When a person | | | | the children to follow. Many of the gowns were |
| wished to convert to Christianity, he or she had | | | | passed down through families, becoming heirlooms. |
| to find a Christian witness to vouch for the | | | | (It's amazing to see the prices some of those |
| sincerity of his or her belief. This "sponsor" would | | | | ornate antique christening dresses and bonnets |
| also assist the new convert in becoming a faithful | | | | fetch today!) |
| member of the church. | | | | And while we associate white with baptismal |
| With the advent of infant baptism, the role of | | | | dress, some accounts indicate that English babies |
| sponsors/godparents evolved into one of ensuring | | | | may have worn brightly colored robes throughout |
| that the child received a Christian education. | | | | the 17th century, and that christening dresses of |
| Though history indicates that the custom initially | | | | French babies were typically yellow or gold until |
| was for mothers and fathers to serve as | | | | the 18th century. |
| sponsors for their own children, by the Middle | | | | Fast forward to the present, where the more |
| Ages the practice of selecting other individuals as | | | | things change, the more they remain the same! If |
| godparents was well established. | | | | you'll soon be welcoming a new arrival into the |
| In Elizabethan England, godparents played another | | | | family and are already looking forward to baby's |
| important role, as babies were often named at | | | | baptism day, you may be getting ready to pull an |
| baptism after one of them. (During that period | | | | heirloom christening gown out of storage. Or |
| infants typically had three godparents: for girls, it | | | | perhaps you're going to start your own tradition |
| was two women and one man, while with boys it | | | | and are planning on purchasing a gown to pass |
| was the reverse - two men and one woman.) | | | | down through your own family. |
| Another baptism tradition that survives today is | | | | You may have already selected the people who |
| special attire. When we think of infant baptism, | | | | will be your child's "first friends in faith" - the |
| many of us conjure up a beautiful gown...a custom | | | | godparents - or if not, you're probably getting |
| still popular with many people today but whose | | | | close to making that decision. Depending on your |
| origins date back to somewhere around the 16th | | | | faith tradition, you may be counting on your child's |
| century. Rather than a gown or dress, though, | | | | godparents to actively support the spiritual |
| the baby was wrapped in a "bearing cloth" - a | | | | education and growth of their godchild. And since |
| large, single piece of fabric made from silk, satin, | | | | godparents are often very close relatives or |
| velvet or the like and edged with fancy trimmings | | | | friends, your baby might even be named after |
| of lace or braid. This evolved into a christening | | | | one of them. Not so different from hundreds of |
| robe in the 18th century, similar to what we think | | | | years ago! |
| of today. | | | | |