Wedding Reception At A Orthodox Baptism - 1035 Words

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go to a greek orthodox baptism. I am agnostic so outside of weddings I do not attend religious ceremonies and have never attended a baptism before. I am not very comfortable in church settings but this is was an important event because it was a close friends event and I knew is was very important to her. The event was on sunday so on saturday evening I called the mother of the baby to ask what the dress code was, if I should bring anything outside the gift and to get a little idea of what to expect. My friend Breanna mother of Alex who was being baptised told me to dress in a nice cocktail dress and wear comfortable shoes because there is a lot standing during the ceremony. I was not sure what to expect but I certainly did not realize that this was an all day event and as lavish as a wedding reception. The baptism itself lasted an hour and was so different from anything I had experienced. I knew that it was a religious service, that the baby would be splashed with water to absolve the original sin but beyond that everything was new. The priest was really wonderful and before the service began gave a speech that explained what would happen during the service and what it all symbolically meant so that those who were unfamiliar (like me) with this process would feel more included or at the very least at ease. Most of the ceremony was spoken in the greek language but because the priest gave the introduction I felt like I understood the