What happens at a christening?
In short
At a christening, a baby or young child is baptised with water as parents and godparents make promises to raise them in the Christian faith. It marks the child's welcome into the church, though its meaning varies between denominations. Other traditions mark birth and belonging with their own rituals, and secular thought sees such ceremonies as meaningful milestones of family and community.
Perspectives across traditions
Christianity
In the UK, a christening is the name most people use for the baptism of a baby or young child, especially in the Church of England and the Catholic Church. It often takes place during a Sunday service, with family, friends and godparents gathered around the font. The parents and godparents make promises on the child's behalf: to turn away from evil, to turn to Christ, and to help the child grow up in the faith. The minister makes the sign of the cross on the child's forehead, sometimes with oil, then pours water over their head three times in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, using the child's name. A lit candle is often given to the family, and the congregation welcomes the child into the church. Some churches, including Baptists, baptise only those old enough to declare their own faith, often by full immersion in a pool.
Islam
Islam does not practise baptism, but it has a comparable ritual called the Aqiqah and, more directly, the concept of Fitrah, the idea that every person is born in a state of natural purity. When someone converts to Islam, they take the Shahada (the declaration of faith) and perform a full ritual washing called Ghusl, which is understood to purify them as they begin their new life as a Muslim. The emphasis is on inner intention and sincere commitment rather than an external sacrament administered by a religious leader.
Judaism
Judaism does not practise baptism as a sacrament, but ritual immersion in a body of water called a Mikveh is an important part of Jewish life. Converts to Judaism are required to immerse in the Mikveh as part of their formal entry into the Jewish people, alongside other requirements such as appearing before a rabbinical court. The immersion is understood as a moment of spiritual transition, moving from one status to another, and it echoes throughout Jewish practice at other significant life moments as well.
Hinduism
Hinduism has a rich tradition of ritual bathing and purification in sacred waters, most famously in rivers considered holy such as the Ganges. The Samskaras, a series of rites of passage from birth to death, include Jatakarma (birth rituals) and Namakarana (naming ceremonies) that serve a somewhat similar function to baptism in marking the entry of a new person into the community. Water is seen as spiritually purifying, and bathing at pilgrimage sites is believed to cleanse accumulated karma. These are not sacraments administered by a single act, but part of a continuous spiritual life.
Buddhism
Traditional Buddhism does not have a baptism ritual, as there is no concept of original sin requiring cleansing, and entry into the faith is typically marked by taking the Three Refuges (in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha) and the Five Precepts. Some Buddhist traditions do have blessing ceremonies for newborns where monks chant and holy water may be used, particularly in Southeast Asian Theravada practice. The emphasis is always on the intention of the practitioner and the cultivation of understanding rather than a single transformative external rite.
Sikhism
Sikhism has its own initiation ceremony called Amrit Sanchar (sometimes called Khande di Pahul), which is a meaningful rite of passage into the Khalsa, the community of committed Sikhs. During this ceremony, Amrit (a mixture of water and sugar stirred with a double-edged sword while prayers are recited) is administered by five initiated Sikhs, and the initiate receives it by drinking and having it applied to their eyes and hair. This is understood as a moment of spiritual rebirth and commitment to living by Sikh values. Infant naming ceremonies, called Naam Karan, are held at the Gurdwara but are separate from this initiation.
Secular / Philosophical
From a secular perspective, baptism and similar rituals are understood as powerful social and psychological ceremonies that mark identity, belonging, and transition. Philosophers and sociologists such as Émile Durkheim have long noted that communal rituals serve to bind people together and give shared meaning to life's passages. Whether or not one holds any religious belief, the experience of being welcomed into a community, given a name or identity, and surrounded by people who commit to supporting you has real human value. Many non-religious families still choose naming ceremonies for similar reasons.
Common ground
Across traditions, there is a shared recognition that certain moments in life deserve to be marked with intention, community, and ritual. Water, in particular, carries near-universal significance as a symbol of cleansing, renewal, and new beginnings. Whether the act is seen as spiritually transformative or socially meaningful, most traditions agree that how we mark our beginnings matters.
“What does it mean to truly begin again, and what role does a community play in making that possible for any individual?”
How this was written: answers on this site are written by artificial intelligence, drawing on the published teaching, scripture and scholarship of each tradition, and a person reads and approves every one before it appears here. They explain what a tradition holds rather than argue that it is right.
They are shared for reflection and are not a substitute for professional religious, medical, legal or mental-health advice. If we have misrepresented your tradition, please tell us and we will put it right, or read more about how we work.
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