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The Forty-Day Blessing (Churching) (taken from A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America by Marilyn Rouvelas ) The most important custom for the newborn and the mother is the forty-day blessing (sarantismos), a reenactment of Mary's bringing Jesus to the temple on the fortieth day after his birth (The Presentation of Jesus Christ in the Temple). The mother brings her baby to church on the fortieth day (or the closest following Sunday) for a brief service of purification and to formally bring the baby into the church. According to tradition, this is the first time that the new mother and the baby are allowed to enter the church. (in the past some people believed that going outside the house before the prescribed forty days would bring bad luck). The mother and child remain in the church narthex and do not enter the nave until the priest has offered a prayer. Then the priest carries the baby to the front of the church, followed by the mother and sometimes other participants. The priest proclaims: "The servant of God is brought within the church in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Male children are carried around the altar. Females must remain at the altar gates in keeping with the Orthodox practice that only males may enter the sanctuary area. After the forty-day blessing, close family members say, "Na mas zisi" ("May he/she live for us") or "Na zisi "("May he/she live"). Since the mother and child are still in delicate condition, no celebration or reception afterwards is necessary. The prohibition of a new mother from entering the church for forty days after birth stems from the church's policy on cleanliness. According to the Old Testament, women were considered unclean after childbirth. A period of purification lasting forty days was required before entering the church, a controversial tradition today. |
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