Year 1 Religious Education 1.1: Welcoming new life

Welcoming a new life

People often celebrate the arrival of a new baby as they are a very special addition to the family,

Here are some reasons it's often very exciting to welcome a baby:

• It gives you someone new to love.
• It gives you someone new to play with.
• It makes you happy to meet someone new.

Different ways of celebrating a new life

• A card to celebrate the birth
• Presents
• Pass things on which have been in the family for a long time

Families and friends celebrate new life in different ways. When this is repeated we call this a tradition:

• A Japanese tradition is for grandparents to cook for a whole month when a new baby is home.
• A British tradition is to buy a gift made of silver.
• A Czech tradition is buy colour nappies.

Special ceremonies to welcome a new family member

Both religious and non-religious people may have a special ceremony to welcome a new baby. This is an event to celebrate a special occasion.

Christians will often thank God for the new life in a special ceremony. In this they will ask God to look after the new life and help the family to bring them up. They may give gifts in the form of a candle.