Christening

Over Memorial Day weekend, I traveled north to attend my grandnephew’s Christening near Williamsburg, VA. My sister, the child’s grandmother, drove down to NC to give me a ride so I might attend. She was a sweetheart for so doing, as it allowed me to join in the celebration. Attendees were decidedly from the father’s side of the family (the Greeks in this tale and most assuredly the majority in attendance.)

This was a Greek Orthodox Church Christening so it was their Rites and Services on display. Moreover, the guest list was predominately of Greek extraction. My sister and her extended family were the only non-Greeks in attendance. This included her two other daughters and me as the hoi polloi of non-Greeks. The rest of the gathered horde was Greek down to the soles of their stiletto-heeled shoes.

The ceremony itself was quite the affair. Initially the godparents brought the infant to the altar clothed in shorts and a white undergarment. In short order, they removed his clothing leaving him in what some euphemistically refer to as the birthday suit. After assorted prayers and incantations were chanted over him, the primary business was at hand, the pontificate began his ablutions, lowering the child into the baptismal font once, twice and even a third time.

By the third immersion, the child began to wail, quite understandably, given his tiny frame exposed to the shivering chill of the chapel. With his slight  body exposed, the cleric chastely splayed him in front the altar, his pert bottom faced toward the congregation. Each time his small person plunged into the presumably chilly waters, he let go with a prodigious howl.

The bathing concluded, the child settled into the arms of his godmother, who toweled him off and ultimately removed the child, while the gathered repaired to the reception. There a group of waitpersons offered drinks and hors d’oeuvres while others prepared a dining room for a sit-down lunch.

Once ready, the wait staff offered a lunch of prime rib, prepared medium-well because so many in attendance preferred it that way, and crabmeat stuffed-chicken. Beyond the ill-prepared food, the luncheon was quite a success. Greeks treat Christenings in much the same way they do Weddings so the elaborate preparations were well within the norm. The child was feted and received gifts appropriate to the occasion

In the end, everyone enjoyed himself and herself. One of the highlights of Weddings is dancing. This was most certainly the case at this event. Children danced together and with adults. Being a Greek affair, this was most assuredly the case. Women and children joined in on traditional circular Greek dances, while traditional Greek music emitted from the DJ set-up. As I pondered the melancholic strains of the music wafting about me, I contemplated the familial nature of baptisms.


© Stephen Alexander 2011

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