CHILD NAMING CEREMONY AMONG THE YORUBAS.
The arrival of a new baby into a family among the Yorubas is usually greeted with joy. The reason is that the Yoruba people believe that the family which has the new baby is expanding and prosperous. They regard the gift of a child from Oduduwa, their progenitor, as a mark of the fact that the family is not forgotten by its forefathers.
Immediately a child is born, a message is sent to all the relations who are around in the village or town and to those who have gone to farm to come home for the naming ceremony of the baby. The naming ceremony for a male child f usually comes up on the ninth day after his birth while a female child is usually named on the eight day. The reason for this is that the Yoruba people believe that a man has nine bones while a woman has eight. So, those relations at home and those in the farm know the day a new baby will be named due to the sex of the new born baby.
On the day of the naming ceremony, the entire family will come together at the house of the "Olori-ebi", the head of the family, usually the eldest male member of the family. He is the one to preside over and direct the ceremony since everything usually takes place in his house. The reason is that among the Yoruba people, the family idol and shrine is located in the compound of the "olori-ebi". Before the naming ceremony commences, the baby must have been bathed very early in the morning by the wives of the members of the family. The baby is carried to the house of the head of the wives of the family who is usually the oldest among the wives. She is to carry the baby to the house of the head of the family for the ceremony and while the ceremony lasts, she is the one to carry the baby before handing him over to his mother after the ceremony.
During the naming ceremony, a lot of prayers are offered for the new baby using the following items: 'orogbo' (bitter cola), sugar, honey, sugar-cane and palm-oil. These items must be presented by the father of the baby and they are used in praying for the baby. The items are taken one after the other with a little bit of each put in the mouth of the baby while the people attending the ceremony eat the rest, with parts remaining to be offered at the family shrine.
The naming ceremony is not completed without taking the baby to the family shrine. The baby is given to the head of the family who is also the custodian of the family shrine for the remaining part of the ceremony. He would carry the baby to the shrine, offer him to the idol for guidance throughout his life and use the remaining items to appease the god and offer prayers. If the baby comes from the family of those with traditional tribal marks, he is branded with his family's tribal mark.
After this, the baby is then handed over to the eldest wife of the family amidst singing and dancing. At the end of the ceremony, the child is handed over to his mother.
Bunmi Omokija,
SS 3B.