The rite of the churching of women after childbirth fascinates me, in part, because of its multiple theological meanings and the way those meanings have evolved over time. The Scriptural underpinnings for churching are found in the prescriptions of the Mosaic law for purification after childbirth (
Fascinating - thanks for sharing your research with us!
I've been reading a book on raising boys & what they need developmentally, and towards the end it is talking about the lack of formal rites of passage for boys becoming men (physically, relationally, and spiritually). There is a "man hunger" that results if this need isn't filled by the men in their life during crucial times (and they often find other means of such "rites" elsewhere, to make sense of and validate themselves as a man.) The authors pointed to girls' monthly menstruation as a more cut and dry event to help mark girls' entrance into womanhood, and having some different needs from boys in this way.
Anyways, this write-up made me think of that chapter. Rites of passage, in their various forms, do so much good for marking such huge points in our lives. Reading your summary of the purification, thanksgiving, blessing, healing, and reintroduction of mothers made me realize how somewhat disappointing it was to have that life-altering change happen in me when I first became a mother, and there were no formal ways of acknowledging and honoring it by the spiritual community. Baby showers and casual congratulations are amazing but don't quite fulfill that need.
Looking forward to learning more from your future posts. :)
Thanks so much for reading! It means a lot that there’s at least a few people interested enough to follow along with my deep dive into a special interest! I agree about the need for rites of passage in general—I’ve been thinking about how this gap exists in our culture for new motherhood (obviously the focus here) but also many other times/stages.
Fascinating - thanks for sharing your research with us!
I've been reading a book on raising boys & what they need developmentally, and towards the end it is talking about the lack of formal rites of passage for boys becoming men (physically, relationally, and spiritually). There is a "man hunger" that results if this need isn't filled by the men in their life during crucial times (and they often find other means of such "rites" elsewhere, to make sense of and validate themselves as a man.) The authors pointed to girls' monthly menstruation as a more cut and dry event to help mark girls' entrance into womanhood, and having some different needs from boys in this way.
Anyways, this write-up made me think of that chapter. Rites of passage, in their various forms, do so much good for marking such huge points in our lives. Reading your summary of the purification, thanksgiving, blessing, healing, and reintroduction of mothers made me realize how somewhat disappointing it was to have that life-altering change happen in me when I first became a mother, and there were no formal ways of acknowledging and honoring it by the spiritual community. Baby showers and casual congratulations are amazing but don't quite fulfill that need.
Looking forward to learning more from your future posts. :)
Thanks so much for reading! It means a lot that there’s at least a few people interested enough to follow along with my deep dive into a special interest! I agree about the need for rites of passage in general—I’ve been thinking about how this gap exists in our culture for new motherhood (obviously the focus here) but also many other times/stages.