Family traditions for the Baptism of the Lord?

[Kindness]

Does anyone have or know of any traditions associated with the Baptism of the Lord that would work well for a family? Ay new ideas would also be welcome! Our children are between 7-13. Thank you

 

[mikeeh]

There are probably very few. The Baptism of the Lord was originally celebrated on the same day as the Epiphany of the Lord until about the middle of last century. And even now, some years it could be only a few days after the Epiphany so most people stick with what they know.

I’ve been talking with my mother about starting a tradition on the Presentation of the Lord. She buys two turkeys every year and we have one on Christmas Day and the other some time in the winter. I told her we should celebrate the Presentation the way we celebrate Thanksgiving, that way we can be free from Black Friday and consumerism.

ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur207.htm

 

[babochka]

You might want to look to the traditions of the Christian East for ideas. We celebrate Theophany of January 6, which commemorates the Baptism of the Lord. (Christmas, Epiphany and Theophany used to be a single feast, celebrated on January 6.) Christmas was separated as its own feast at some point, and January 6 was celebrated as the coming of the Wisemen in the west and the Baptism of the Lord in the East.

So… how to celebrate?

Liturgically, we bless water during the Theophany liturgy. In many communities, it is traditional to go to the nearest river/lake/ocean and bless the water there.

A fun slavic tradition is to throw a cross into a river or lake, and brave souls dive into the water to retrieve the cross.

Christians of the Middle East (Chaldeans, Melkites, Maronites) also celebrate the Baptism of the Lord on January 6, so you might want to do some research into their traditions. They might have slightly warmer traditions that the Slavs.

Edit:

Here’s how Wikipedia describes the celebration:

Blessing of Waters: The Orthodox Churches perform the Great Blessing of Waters on Theophany.[42] The blessing is normally done twice: once on the Eve of the Feast—usually at a Baptismal font inside the church—and then again on the day of the feast, outdoors at a body of water. Following the Divine Liturgy, the clergy and people go in a Crucession (procession with the cross) to the nearest body of water, be it a beach, harbor, quay, river, lake, swimming pool, water depot, etc. (ideally, it should be a body of “living water”). At the end of the ceremony the priest will bless the waters. In the Greek practice, he does this by casting a cross into the water. If swimming is feasible on the spot, any number of volunteers may try to recover the cross. The person who gets the cross first swims back and returns it to the priest, who then delivers a special blessing to the swimmer and their household. Certain such ceremonies have achieved particular prominence, such as the one held annually at Tarpon Springs, Florida. In Russia, where the winters are severe, a hole will be cut into the ice so that the waters may be blessed. In such conditions, the cross is not cast into the water, but is held securely by the priest and dipped three times into the water.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Cross_being_thrown_at_Theophany.jpg/300px-Cross_being_thrown_at_Theophany.jpg bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.23wmf8/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png
Greek Orthodox bishop at the Great Blessing of Waters on Theophany, releasing the cross off the Glenelg Jetty, South Australia, for one of the swimmers below to retrieve.

 

[janeway529]

The Filipinos have a devotion to the Santo Nino, or the Child Jesus. Usually, there is a novena leading up to the Baptism of the Lord, which is the feast day. On the Feast Day, there is Mass and then a fiesta celebration, which includes traditional Sinulog dancing and sometimes a procession.

Here’s a tidbit of what happens in Cebu, Philippines, from last year:
youtube.com/watch?v=JEmQLOVfcbU

youtube.com/watch?v=NUsRmEbmhF0 - Sinulog 2013 - Turnover ceremony of Holy Images and Pontifical Mass

 

[Tablefor9]

If you’re looking for activities to do at home with the kids, maybe these could help:

Discussion:
You could have your evening discussion/prayers center around Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3, and their own baptisms and what baptism means for us.

Show & Tell/Activity:
If you haven’t already scrapbooked the kids’ baptismal photos, maybe they can help. If you have, you can look through those pages together and talk about how those godparents/other witnesses are called to help them live holy lives, they are part of our “cloud of witnesses” in the communion of saints. Get out the baptismal candle and talk about what it symbolizes–the city on a hill and the witness of our lives to the truth of the gospel.

Make a craft:
Scalloped shells are a baptismal symbol. On a shell, write the name and baptismal date on the shell. This can be as simple and inexpensive or as elaborate and memorable as you would like–you could do this and make candles with shells, a bracelet, necklace, Christmas ornament for next year (just make sure you pack it away by Candlemas), or make a Holy Water Font for the kid’s room with it…explaining that this water should remind us of our baptism, and the promises.

Have fun!
V