Baptism

The Lutheran Church of Sweden was front and center to village life as well as to the daily life of Swedes. The religious rites of passage were not only taken very seriously and considered to be important and necessary, they were also opportunities to bring family and friends together to participate in celebrations which could often last for days.

The rituals and customs of a child’s baptism in the Church of Sweden as established in the church handbook has changed over time, but, traditionally, baptism was an important and necessary rite of passage in every Swede’s life.

After the Swedish Reformation (in the 1500s) and until 1864, the law required that a newborn infant be baptized within its first eight days of life. Most children, however, were baptized much sooner. If it could be accomplished, a child was baptized the very day it was born, but it was more common that a child was baptized when it was two or three days old. Because of long-time superstitions, a baby that was not baptized was believed by some to be a danger both to itself and to others as trolls were on the lookout for pretty little human babies in whom to inhabit. Trolls were thought to be capable of exchanging their own ugly, stupid brat for the cute, desirable newborn. To ward off the trolls, various items were placed in the child’s cradle to offer protection prior to baptism such as a small pouch of spices, a steel knife, or a silver coin. As a general rule, no stranger was allowed to enter the house or cottage until the child was baptized, and, in many places, a fire was kept burning around the clock.

Because a child was considered to be a heathen before it was baptized, the baptismal font was often placed at the entrance of the church as heathens were not allowed to enter a church’s sacred places. Traditionally, baptisms were carried out only at church, but by the 19^th century it became fashionable to have a child baptized at home.

Beginning in the 18^th century, if a newborn was weak and/or sickly, or if the weather made it impossible to bring the child to church, a nöddop or emergency (private) baptism could be performed. Every baptized member of the Church of Sweden who was “godly and of lawful age” could perform an emergency baptism (and this is still true today). The baptism was completely valid, but much of the rural population did not believe that it “took” properly if it was not performed by a clergyman. Often the baptism would be repeated by the local priest at a later date. 

A woman who had just given birth and who was not yet “churched” was thought to be “unclean” and on par with a heathen, making herself, the farm, and all who lived there – human and animal – exposed to danger. (And for her husband to have intercourse with her, a pagan woman, during this time was considered to be a very serious sin.) Consequently, she was not allowed to be present at her own child’s baptism. This medieval custom remained in effect until early in the 20^th century. 

After giving birth, the woman had to stay indoors – preferably in the room where she had been delivered – until she was churched. All of her chores were done by neighboring women; this was the only time in her life when a woman could rest properly. Sometimes the women in the village held a feast for the newly delivered mother called a barnsängsöl or birthing beer, providing the new mother with extra nourishing food made from fresh milk, cream, and/or eggs. 

The churching of women originated within the Jewish faith as a means of purification. It was written that the Virgin Mary was received and purified at the temple 40 days after giving birth to Jesus. Although it was supposed to take place 40 days after the delivery, in practice it often took place four Sundays following the birth. In 1866, churching was officially moved to four weeks after the birth which allowed poorer women to be able to return to their household and farm chores. 

Before the churching was to occur, the woman’s husband would make the request with the priest and, up until the 1870s, pay the necessary fee. Because a newly delivered mother was believed to be unclean, churching was originally performed at the church door. As the Swedish Lutheran Church progressed, the official purpose of the ceremony became one of joy and gratitude that the newly delivered mother could return to the congregation healthy and with regained strength, and churching began to be performed inside the church. If there were several women slated to be churched on the same day, the more prominent women received churching first and the women of lesser means would have to wait in line. The ritual was very simple. Before the regular church service began, the woman about to be churched knelt on a plush, finely decorated stool before the altar and the priest read a short prayer expressing thankfulness. The woman would stand, and as the priest shook her hand he would say, The Lord guide you in His truth and fear, now and unto eternity. Amen.” 

The churching of unmarried mothers was vastly different from that of women with husbands. First, they were required to confess and apologize for their transgression in front of the entire congregation. (I’m assuming this was the case even if the pregnancy was the result of rape.) By the mid 19^th century, the confession was made in private to the priest. Following her confession and apology, she would kneel on the bare floor, or possibly a hard, uncovered stool, while a slightly different prayer was recited. The priest did not shake hands with the unwed mother nor wish her well after she rose. Often the priest would end with the admonition to “Go in peace and sin no more.”

Except for the child itself, the most important people at a baptism were the godparents. There was no prescribed number of godparents but there were often four: a married couple, an unmarried man, and an unmarried woman. It was the business of the entire extended family to provide as influential godparents as possible for the newborn child, and sometimes the child of a poor torpare could have the richest land-owning farmer in the parish as a godfather. In Swedish tradition, godparents did not have any sort of obligation to care or provide for the child if the parents became unable to do so, but they had a moral duty to insure the child had a Christian upbringing and education and, mostly, they were obligated to give gifts. 

Since the mother was not allowed to be present, in a very real sense the primary godmother was there to represent the mother, and, as such, the act of carrying and holding the baby was a very great honor which was seldom turned down, regardless of the mother’s standing in the community. It was not unusual for the wife of the most important parishioner to be asked to accomplish the task. The primary godmother could not, however, be pregnant herself as it was stipulated that “he who has children to bear shall not bear.” And the richer the godparents, the greater the chances were of receiving valuable christening gifts. 

Various rituals and superstitions associated with an infant baptism were often practiced in many parts of Sweden. In Southern Sweden in the early 1800s, as long as a child was unbaptized the fire in the stove was not allowed to be extinguished so that evil spirits could not enter the room. A pair of scissors and a book of psalms were placed beside the child at all times as weapons against the evil one. The day before the baptism was to be performed, the primary godmother and her husband would visit, bringing both food and clothing for the newborn child. A silver coin was to be tied to one article of the child’s clothing to insure wealth and happiness throughout its life. For the same reason, the primary godmother placed money in her shoe on the day of the baptism. Before the sun rose on baptism day, the child’s mother as well as the primary godmother would take the child outside where it would be placed in contact with the barn, the animals, and other objects, believing that everything that was touched would bring happiness.

 Prior to the Swedish Reformation, the father was allowed to stand in the armory during the baptismal service. The father would place the child in the arms of the primary godmother and reveal the child’s name for the first time. Mentioning the baby’s name prior to that event would bring misfortune. The priest would meet the godmother and the child at the entrance of the church. As an exorcism ritual, the priest would blow in the child’s face twice and say, “Go away devil from the image of this Lord and make room for the Holy Spirit – take the Holy Spirit, flee the devil, and be a dwelling for the Lord.” He would then bless some grains of salt and place them in the mouth of the child who was then worthy to be brought into the church and presented at the baptismal font. When the godmother entered the church, she would bump the child’s head and feet against the church door 3 times so that the child would not get scabies or itching. The priest would then ask the godparents what the child would be called. The godparents would repeat the child’s name three times, after which the priest would ask the child three questions which the godparents would answer on the child’s behalf. The naked infant would then be dipped three times in the baptismal font in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. During the 17^th century, the ritual outside the church was abandoned. Rather than dipping, the priest poured baptismal water on the child’s head and shoulders and dried it with a baptismal towel made of the finest linen.

The child being baptized was dressed as finely as could be achieved. Special baptismal gowns were common, even among the rural population. They could sometimes be decorated with silk ribbons, pearls, and lace. Baptismal gowns were most often made in the shape of a bag, especially if the child was completely wrapped and swaddled beneath the gown. Fancy caps, often made from silk, were placed on the baby’s head before and after the baptismal act.

In addition to gifts given by the godparents, the entire extended family was expected to give gifts which were as valuable as they could afford. The gifts were usually in the form of money, though by the 19^th century an engraved silver spoon was often expected. 

The primary godparents were also expected to continue providing gifts to the child, especially at other important rites of passage. The christening gifts were usually given at a feast held in connection with the baptism called a barnsöl or child beer. The party could last for days, although by the 1800s it became illegal to have it last more than two days. All of the guests would arrive carrying food and drink, so even the poorest backstugusittare wasn’t financially burdened by the event. The godmother played an important role here as well. With the child in her arms, she would be first to taste of all the various dishes and also let the child “taste” everything. She would briefly dance with the child before placing it in its cradle.

https://slakthistoria.se/slaktforskning/kyrkbocker/dopvittnen-avslojar-familjens-natverk

http://www.trollhattebygden.se/sed-folktro-omkring-dopet/

http://www.fridhem.nl/sob/06-2/barndop.html

https://wiki.rotter.se/index.php/Dop

http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1307891/FULLTEXT01.pdf

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