Orthodox Blessings

There are several blessings traditionally offered in the Orthodox church when a woman has a baby.

There is the Blessing on the first day which is usually done in the hospital (or home for those crazy home birth people). Here the priest offers prayers for the recovery of the mother and the protection of the child. Father Dionisy was kind enough to come to the hospital to perform this blessing. All the nurses there thought we were Jewish and just performed a circumcision. What would give them that idea?

There is the Blessing on the eighth day. This blessing inolves the naming of the child (in the tradition that Jesus was given his name on the 8th day, Luke 2:21). This blessing was given by Father Dionisy in Shenzhen at the small Russian parish. Sorry, no pictures.

Fourty day blessing: This is often the first visit that the mother and child make to the church. This is a continuation of an old testament tradition (see Luke 2:22-24). Women usually wait until this ceremony is performed before they partake in the Eucharist. However, this tradition is not strictly observed at my former parish All Saints Orthodox Church and although I celebrated this ceremony on the 40th day, I was allowed to participate in the Eucharist before the ceremony was performed. I also took the baby to church and I myself attended church before this time. We attend a Russian parish here and I was not allowed to take Eucharist until this ceremony was performed. Since the church only meets occasionally, we haven't done this ceremony yet.