TRADITIONAL NAMING CEREMONY
The birth of a baby brings joy and excitement to the entire family and the community at large.This then leads to the naming when names will given to the new baby.Names are generally given depending on the circumstances of the birth of the baby the belief and the vocation of the baby's family.
The following items are compulsory for the traditional naming ceremony among Yoruba speaking towns and villages.: Salt,honey,alligator pepper,koala nut,water and palm oil.
Naming ceremony cannot be possible without marriage,conception and birth of a child.Naming ceremony outside wedlock where the father of the baby is not known.,The girls father will name the baby just for identification purpose,because this is an antithesis to the culture of the people.
The naming ceremony will not be elaborate like that of a genuine marriage,or where the man accepts the baby,baby will be taken to the man's house for naming,nothing is attached to it,it's just for the baby to bear the father s name and if they have (Oro ile) family belife,it will be performed on the baby.
Naming ceremony of a new baby takes place 6, 7, 8, or 9 day after the birth of the baby,depending on the sex
of the baby,7 days for a girl, 8 or 9 days for a boy,but in an exceptional cases,on the 6 day naming ceremony is done for both sexes.
The kind of name to be given depends on the circumstances of the birth of the baby, The names to be given to the baby will be handed over to the oldest person in the family by the father of the new born baby ..but will not be announced until the day of the naming ceremony and the items that will be used be present depending on the compound....(Agbole).
In some other family and culture example...( lle-ife) additional items are included in the items need in a traditional naming ceremony.
For example the following items are required apart from those previously mentioned above..They include: knife,needle,rope,small beads tied with raffia strings,fresh yam and roasted antelope thigh.
The items will be picked one after the other and pronouncing it along side with the baby's name,while prayer is offered.
For instance..Iyo.(.Salt)..aiye ani yo...meaning...baby's life will have teast...
Oyin..(honey)...aiye re aloyin...meaning.baby's life will be sweet like honey......and so on
Among the Ageda tribe in benue state...some of them give (Ogogoro) local gin ...using teaspoon..to their baby's during naming ceremony.
My visit to the museum in ibadan and facts I could gather from indulgence of benue state could not give me a definite answer on why (ogogoro) local gin is given to a new born baby on their naming ceremony...maybe because they are chronic drinkers...they are many in the village I work as a missionary by 8:00 am they are smelling of alcohol.
Types of names.
Baby's are giving different names by different people at the occasion.
These names can be classified:
1.Natural names.....
2.Names that have religious connotation.
3.Names with family back ground.
The birth of some babies bring about the name to be given(names are said to be given in heaven) , for instance Oke- the baby was inside a sack when he or she was born; Olugbodi(with six fingers); Aina, ige(when the two legs come out first); Taiye,Kehinde(Twins); Idowu,Alaba,(for children given birth to after twins.
The Yoruba believe in re -incantation thus Babatunda Iyabode,Yetunda are names given to baby born immediately after the death of the baby's grand father or grand mother.
Royal family names start with Ade as this is the Yoruba word for crown worn by traditional rulers in Yoruba land.
Children born to families who are drummers or make drums as a vocation has Ayan as a prefix to their names..for example. Ayanwale,Ayanjide,Ayankunle.
Devotees of Ogun,God of iron among the Yoruba have Ogun as prefix to their names. for example..Ogungbemi,Ogunwale among others.
Worshipers of sango...God of thunder and lightning among the Yoruba have sango as prefix to their names...for example. sangodino,sangowanwa.
How ever with civilization and coming of Christianity some Christians choose to give their children biblical names such as John,Matthew,Phillip,Aaron and Andrew but it is interesting to know that after public opinion and questions many do not know the meaning of these Christian names they gave to their babies.
Naming ceremony cannot be possible without marriage,conception and birth of a child.Naming ceremony outside wedlock where the father of the baby is not known.,The girls father will name the baby just for identification purpose,because this is an antithesis to the culture of the people.
The naming ceremony will not be elaborate like that of a genuine marriage,or where the man accepts the baby,baby will be taken to the man's house for naming,nothing is attached to it,it's just for the baby to bear the father s name and if they have (Oro ile) family belife,it will be performed on the baby.
Naming ceremony of a new baby takes place 6, 7, 8, or 9 day after the birth of the baby,depending on the sex
of the baby,7 days for a girl, 8 or 9 days for a boy,but in an exceptional cases,on the 6 day naming ceremony is done for both sexes.
The kind of name to be given depends on the circumstances of the birth of the baby, The names to be given to the baby will be handed over to the oldest person in the family by the father of the new born baby ..but will not be announced until the day of the naming ceremony and the items that will be used be present depending on the compound....(Agbole).
In some other family and culture example...( lle-ife) additional items are included in the items need in a traditional naming ceremony.
For example the following items are required apart from those previously mentioned above..They include: knife,needle,rope,small beads tied with raffia strings,fresh yam and roasted antelope thigh.
The items will be picked one after the other and pronouncing it along side with the baby's name,while prayer is offered.
For instance..Iyo.(.Salt)..aiye ani yo...meaning...baby's life will have teast...
Oyin..(honey)...aiye re aloyin...meaning.baby's life will be sweet like honey......and so on
Among the Ageda tribe in benue state...some of them give (Ogogoro) local gin ...using teaspoon..to their baby's during naming ceremony.
My visit to the museum in ibadan and facts I could gather from indulgence of benue state could not give me a definite answer on why (ogogoro) local gin is given to a new born baby on their naming ceremony...maybe because they are chronic drinkers...they are many in the village I work as a missionary by 8:00 am they are smelling of alcohol.
Types of names.
Baby's are giving different names by different people at the occasion.
These names can be classified:
1.Natural names.....
2.Names that have religious connotation.
3.Names with family back ground.
The birth of some babies bring about the name to be given(names are said to be given in heaven) , for instance Oke- the baby was inside a sack when he or she was born; Olugbodi(with six fingers); Aina, ige(when the two legs come out first); Taiye,Kehinde(Twins); Idowu,Alaba,(for children given birth to after twins.
The Yoruba believe in re -incantation thus Babatunda Iyabode,Yetunda are names given to baby born immediately after the death of the baby's grand father or grand mother.
Royal family names start with Ade as this is the Yoruba word for crown worn by traditional rulers in Yoruba land.
Children born to families who are drummers or make drums as a vocation has Ayan as a prefix to their names..for example. Ayanwale,Ayanjide,Ayankunle.
Devotees of Ogun,God of iron among the Yoruba have Ogun as prefix to their names. for example..Ogungbemi,Ogunwale among others.
Worshipers of sango...God of thunder and lightning among the Yoruba have sango as prefix to their names...for example. sangodino,sangowanwa.
How ever with civilization and coming of Christianity some Christians choose to give their children biblical names such as John,Matthew,Phillip,Aaron and Andrew but it is interesting to know that after public opinion and questions many do not know the meaning of these Christian names they gave to their babies.
