Rites of Passage

Birth: Naming Ceremony

The birth of a child is always a time of great rejoicing. It means that a couple was blessed with [Page 570]fertility and a safe delivery, and that the family lineage and the community are being perpetuated and strengthened. In many African communities, however, festivities to celebrate the arrival of a baby do not start until a few days after birth because one must make sure that the baby is healthy and will live on. Only then will the rejoicing start. In fact, and more important, the new child does not officially start existing until he or she has been named as part of his or her first rite of passage, that is, the naming ceremony. Among the Akamba people, a child is named after 3 days. A goat is then slaughtered as a token of appreciation for the ancestors who are responsible for human fertility. Among the Akan, a girl or a boy is named on the eighth day after being physically born. Among the Yoruba, the child is named on the eighth day as well. For the Hutu, it is on the seventh day that naming ceremonies take place. Until then, both mother and baby are expected to remain alone in the home. However, regardless of when the naming ceremony takes place, what is underscored is that existence is first and foremost a social experience. Although one may be born in the physical sense, one's existence starts only when one has been acknowledged as a member of a community. Through the naming ceremony, a new human being comes into being as it becomes integrated into a community. Only at that point is someone considered to exist. Thus, the fundamental assertion undergirding the naming ceremony is that existence is a corporate experience, not an individual one. The names given to the child further assign him or her a place in the family, the community, and the universe. This is why all community members take part in the naming of the child, because the child belongs to the whole community and because all have a stake in its proper insertion in the society. Among the Edo people, the naming ceremony occurs on the seventh day after a child is born. In the morning, close relatives and elders assemble to pray for the newborn child and its parents: they pray that they will be blessed with prosperity, good health, and a long life. The elders, usually after having engaged in divination, offer a name to the baby's father. Divination helps determine which ancestor may be coming back through the child. Later on, in the evening, others in the community join to officially welcome the newborn. Specific ritual food and drinks will be used, such as kola nuts, honey, sugar, and alligator pepper for prayers; and gin and palm wine for prayers and libation. A coconut full of water will be broken and shown to the women as a symbolic representation of the mystery of life. Yams will be cooked and shared by the women. All those in attendance will give a name to the child and partake in a meal. In Africa, names are always meaningful and are believed to be an essential part of one's spiritual and social identity. Names are therefore sacred.

...