Friday 10 January 2020

A baptism

Sunday was a cool day but fine when the families gathered at the church for Alice Dawn's baptism. Alice looked beautiful in her new white gown and cape with a bow on a band on her head. The photos don't do justice to the wee dress, it was beautiful.

with her Mummy and Daddy waiting for people to arrive

 And yes, we all managed to find the church and arrive on time. It was a private family baptism but we managed to almost fill the little church. The service started with a hymn, in Tongan, so only half the congregation joined in but it was beautiful to listen to. No accompaniment, one of the men lead and they all joined in.


I love this picture of the parents and Godparents all paying attention to the pastor and Alice looking as well, as if she knew what was going on :) 


I also love this one, if you look closely you can see her bottom lip dropping, she'd had enough by this stage but didn't cry until it was all over and everyone wanted photos. 


We had a lovely day, it was a very joyful baptism, with half a dozen other babies and toddlers of varying stages and ages in attendance.
Arlo was also there but by the time his mother realised all the babies were being photographed Alice was making her needs known in no uncertain manner. As far as she was concerned her bottle was more important than photo calls with all and sundry.
After all, she couldn't take part in the feast that had been prepared for the adults afterwards in the hall.


 A whole pig was just part of what was on offer. There was ham on the bone, fish including salmon, prawns, salads, chicken and soft drinks to wash it all down. Some of the fare was European but a lot of it was prepared the Tongan way so gave some of us some new food experiences.

 

 Three Christening cakes on Tapa cloth.



I'll leave you with a photo of the grandparents, 
one set looking much more comfortable than the other.

Until next time,
Diana

7 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures, and such a wonderful time for the family. I am not familiar with "Tongan"...please share a little more if you can. Sounds like there was quite a feast afterwards. Would love to see little Alice Dawn's dress up close. It looks so beautiful. Thank you for sharing this special time with us.

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  2. Oh she is such a sweet baby, and I love her dress. I don't know anything about this culture, so I will have to go look it up!

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  3. That is a beautiful dress.
    Not too sure about the whole pig! : ) Looks kind of creepy.

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  4. Oh, what a beautiful ceremony! Little Alice's dress is amazing, and I always enjoy hearing about the traditions and customs of other cultures. How interesting!

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  5. God Bless dear little Alice Dawn. I just watched the Pope baptizing 32 babies in the Sistine Chapel! The Church celebrates the baptism of Jesus today, January 12.

    We're horrified here in the States over the fires in Australia, knowing how devastating they've been in our western states. Let's pray for rain!

    I just discovered your lovely blog today. Thank you for introducing folks to New Zealand!

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  6. That was an interesting post. Many things looking familiar but many others not so. What an amazing feast. Don't think I have ever been to one with a whole pig to be devoured.

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  7. Thank you for sharing photos and the description of the christening ceremony. It must have been a joyful and special occasion for everyone present. God bless the families in attendance, the little children and especially Alice Dawn so beautiful in her gorgeous dress.

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