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'''Churching''' is a service of thanksgiving and blessing of the mother and her child when they return to the church after childbirth. It is reminiscent of the [[Old Testament]] ceremony of purification (Lev. 12: 2-8) and the presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2: 22-29). There are separate services of churching for the mother and for the child.
In some traditions, it is customary to [[baptism|baptize]] the child on the eighth day, following the example of the [[Old Testament]] rite of ''bris'' or [[circumcision]] of boys with the naming of the child taking place in the [[temple]]. When this occurs, the mother does not attend and the child is presented by its [[godparent]]s. The more common custom, however, is for the naming to take place on the eighth day and for the baptism to occur after the churching on the fortieth.
===Churching of the mother===
