THE 40 DAY RELEASE

BY: RIPSIME CHAVCHYANDR. LEANNA WOLFE - ANTHROPOLOGY 121

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

The Hand OffThis is a picture which I called

“The Handoff.” The couple hands their child to the priest

who will proceed to recite prayers. This portion of the ceremony is symbolic since the couple is trusting their baby in the hands of God.

They allow the priest to take their child and send his

blessing from God to the child. This is an important ceremony because the prayers allow the child to leave the house freely.

The PrayersAfter the child is handed off to the priest, he proceeds to say prayers. He turns and carries the child to the platform on the stage and send his blessings to the

child. He does this prayer with songs and sometimes the audience begins to sing along. They are celebrating

the fact that the child can leave the house again.

The ReleaseThe priest returns the child to

the couple and announces that the baby has been released

from its bond to the home. This means that from this moment

on, the child can officially leave home without worrying about danger or health issues. Prior to this moment, the family is not allowed to remove the

baby from the house unless there is an emergency. This is due to the fear/superstition

that the child will get ill or be in danger in the outside world.

Walk AroundThe priest retrieves the child once more and carries the

child around the platform. He does this while reciting more prayers. These prayers are to

wish the child well in its adventures outside of the

home. This is the first official trip for the child as it is

moved out of the site of its parents. The child is now

ready to be returned to the parents and is ready to be let

go from the hold.

Letting GoNow the priest returns the child to the parents and announces the end of the ceremony. The prayers of the ceremony have

been heard and the child is safe to go anywhere. The

superstitions and fears of the parents and family are removed a large step forward has been

made in their lives. This tradition comes from very old times

where parents were never sure if their child would survive those first 40 days. This is why they would keep the child home to

give the child the best chance of safety and survival.

Family SupportNow that the family has their child back, they can rejoice in happiness. The child is safe

from harm and has been removed of its hold. The rest of the family is happy to see

the new member of the family completely safe from harm. They congratulate the

couple and wish them the best of luck.

The Holy Water

The priest sprinkles holy water on the child. The

purpose of this is to assure that no harm comes to the

child after it leaves the church and enters the next stage of its life. The holy

water protects the child from the evils it may be

confronted with in life. This is an important part of the ceremony as it is very

religious and spiritual. It helps the family feel safe

about taking the child home.

I PromiseThis is the final portion of the

ceremony that takes place inside the Cathedral. The

mother of the child holds him or her and recites a few lines

to the priest promising to properly take care of the

child. The mother vows to teach him or her right from wrong and to always give

advice in the right direction. She swears to follow the

Christian ways and to teach the child those ways.

CelebrationNow that the

religious/spiritual portion of the ceremony is complete,

the family returns to the the new parents’ home and

celebrate the miracle that is the child. They sing, dance,

eat, drink and make beautiful speeches and enjoy the

happiness that comes with new life. They congratulate and wish good luck to the

parents. The people who have participated in this ceremony also take a moment to give

advice to the younger people in the family and remind them

that they are next.

DessertAfter the celebration, they bring out cake or some

form of dessert. Before receiving a slice, each person makes a short speech about the child and how they plan to contribute to the child’s life. The purpose of the dessert is to symbolizes the sweet

feeling of being around new life and new love.