How to Choose an Irish Christening Gown
A christening is a blessed event in a familys life. It signifies not only the birth of a child into a Christian home but the ongoing commitment to their Christian faith. An Irish christening is no different in beliefs but the traditions are uniquely their own. It is an experience to remember and be celebrated in style.
The christening gown of a child of Irish descent is a mixture of faith and tradition. It combines the beauty of a christening with the symbols of Ireland. Together these make a beautiful and often times breathtaking combination sure to meet the demands of tradition and faith. There are many christening gowns out there but an Irish christening gown comes with some specific requirements.
Christening gowns are traditionally pure white to symbolize innocence and purity. An Irish christening gown tends to have common symbols of Ireland embroidered into the gown. There can be shamrocks which are aid to represent the Holy Trinity, not to be confused with the four-leaf clover thought to bring good luck, love, faith and hope. There is also the Celtic knot which looks like a circular braid. Not so common is the claddaugh, which is a pair of hands holding a heart between them usually with a crown sitting atop the heart. The heart stands for love, the crown loyalty and the heart friendship.
Any christening gown should be comfortable for the infant. While it should be white in color be sure to choose a fabric that is soft again the skin so it wont irritate the delicate skin of a child and cause your little one to become upset and fussy. That would certainly upset and mar a beautiful ceremony. Cluney lace is often found on Irish christening gowns as an adornment while the mail part of the gown is 100% cotton or pure Irish linen. Along with the gown you can find many matching accessories to compliment the outfit. Today companies often sell them together as a set. These sets could include a robe, bonnet, cap or bow. Besides looking adorable in their outfit the added accessories can keep the child warmer if it happens to be on the cooler side or if the location of the ceremony is at an older location with a draft.
Irish christening gowns do not differ much in style or design from boys or girls. Boys gowns tend to not be as frilly and the head gear is style slightly different as well. For boys the simpler the look the better, as you wouldnt want your little boy to be mistake for a girl. Boys gowns tend to have crosses or Celtic knows on their chest while girls embroidery is frillier and found extensively in the bottom part of the gown.
Although the traditional Irish christening gown is made of pure white, if you want to put in some color, you can do so with the embroidery threads. Go for light green or off white for the shamrocks and clovers, and a light-blue for the Irish Celtic cross.