Catholic baptism is a religious event but it is nearly always celebrated and that is done in the usual way, the christening party. Normally baptism for Catholics happens in the first year of a child life and despite the religious connotations the celebration party is about celebrating the child’s birth.
Traditionally the baby was always christened in a family christening robe but nowadays not everyone has a robe passed down the generations and a white robe is often used. It is still customary for guests to dress up for the church festivities.
The actual party celebrations will depend on how far the guests have traveled. It may be an occasion that some of the guests have not seen the child. In some cases an afternoon tea of sandwiches and cakes and picnic type food may be enough.
On other occasions you may wish to serve a more substantial repast. Food is not really the important issue the issue is hope and celebration.
Remember that you should plan to be able to enjoy the party as well so finger food or buffet type food that can be reheated is an excellent choice.
Europeans have a tradition that the top tier of the wedding cake is served as the cake at christenings. As such traditionally the christening cake is a fruit cake with white icing.
However American will prefer a sponge cake but white icing to celebrate the purity of a new born child is traditional. Modern families are tending to get the wedding cake re-iced with the baby’s name and also the date of the christening.
The other European tradition is that the Godfather proposes the first toast. Alcohol is nearly always served so that the adults can “wet the child’s head”
Children should not be forgotten at a christening party. You may want to provide a video to keep small children occupied and the adults can take it in turns to baby sit.
It may be a good idea if there are to be more than a few children present to provide games for the children as you would at a child’s party.
There are really no hard and fast rules about a christening as everyone’s family circumstances and sizes of family are different.
It is just as acceptable to have a meal in a restaurant as it is to organize a party at home or an outside venue. The purpose is to show off a baby in public and it is always the baby who is star of the show.