Christening usually refers to infant baptism or naming ceremony. Baptism usually refers to an adult baptism or that of an older child.
Christening dates can frequently be used as a substitute for birth dates because the ritual is performed close to birth. In some church records you'll only find a christening date and not a birth date. Baptism dates can't be substituted for birth dates because that could be done many years later. Godparents are completely different. A godparent is an adult, usually a relative, chosen by the parents of the child, and who is present at the christening and who take an interest in the spiritual life of the child and who will take over in the event something happens to the parents. Definitions may vary somewhat depending on the religious tradition involved! Others may have slightly different interpretations of these terms. Thanks for using Legacy. Sherry Customer Support Millennia Corporation [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com We are changing the world of genealogy! When replying to this message, please include all previous correspondence. Thanks. ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of SKL 1750 Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 3:04 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Godfather / Godmother event I'm afraid "Baptism" & "Christening" are only in Christian context... but 'godparents' is more universal and applies to other religions or non-religious families as well... I don't know the exact difference between 'Baptism' and 'Christening' and they don't quite play in my family, I needed something else to capture the info. Instead of creating separate events, I use the Godfather/Godmother fields to capture essentially the same role. Legacy User Group guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For online technical support, please visit http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
