Good day everyone,
I will be participating in this great contest whose topic states "Reflecting the arrival of a new child"
The naming ceremony in my culture is always taken seriously because we the yorubas believe that a child eventually lives out the meaning of his or her name.
A child's name is mostly derived from the family circumstances before the child is given birth to.Long standing traditions,professions or religion play a significant role in selecting names for a baby.For instance those with the name Babatunde ,Babajide those whose name starts with Baba are those who were given north to around the passing of a family elder. Also when a woman gives birth to twins,they name the first child to come out Taiwo,while they name the second child Kehinde,but if she gives birth to three children then the third one would be named Idowu.
The naming ceremony usually begins with a prayer from a bonafide member of the family,then the introduction of the baby,alongside welcoming of the guests and well wishers.
The presiding elder then preside over with majorly 7 symbolic items that are traditionally used to express the hope or path of a successful life
.These items are rubbed against the child's lips. These items includes Water,Palm oil,Salt,Honey,Bitter kola,Kolanut,Pepper.
Each of these items are believed to have a symbolic significance on he child's life .
1.Water:They believe if the child drinks the water then he will never be thirsty in his life and no enemy will be able to slow his growth in life.
2.Honey:The baby is given honey for a sweet and a happy life.
3.Bitter kola:The child is given bitter kola so that he would be able to live for a long time.
4.Salt:The baby is given salt so that he could preserve all the good things in life.
5.Palm oil:The baby is given palm oil for a smooth and easy life.
6.Pepper:We all know pepper has lots of seeds,so the baby is given pepper for a fruitful life with lots of children.
7.Kolanut:The baby is given Kolanut to repel every evil in his life.
8.Holy book:This involves the bible and the quran,but this majorly included for those who are christians or muslims .
With each of these items been given to the child ,the child's would now be ned by his or her grandparents and parents ,then after they have each given the child the name they want for him or her,all the names that was given to the baby will now be called out repeatedly by those that attended the naming ceremony.
The ceremony concludes with serving of food and drinks to guests,playing of songs and celebration to honor his new life.
After all this they would all live for their various houses.
Go here for more information about the contest,I invite @projectmamabg,@merit.ahama ,@blukei ,@mrenglish and @kemmyb to also participate in this amazing contest.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day.