| Show GIVE INFANT T A SEASONING Newly Born Greek ek Baby Invariably Sprinkled With Salt and Pepper Popper by Its Ita Father What would you think If It yon you w were weN r rn a n Greek baby boy horn born In one of the small villages or on a fArm and the first thing your daddy did to you was to sprinkle you with salt snit and pepper questions Temple Manning In th the Cleveland Plain Dealer You wouldn't like Uke It would you And yet this Is lg J exactly what Is done to the boy bo perhaps with the idea of giving gi him a foretaste of the hard bard lift life of ot that rocky section When the baby boby Is born bom with hair on his head hend the priest who priest who is 18 always alway present nt at such events In the homes of f the faithful faithful cuts cuts out oft a few hairs lie Ie Joins these hairs with the wax i from an altar taper then he be throws thrown them into the water in In which the child Is h to be he baptized After the baby's baby baptism the priest puts an amulet around his neck to guard him through through- throughout out life and the child may be said laid to he launched on his career No less Jess odd are ore the customs In other other other oth oth- oth- oth er sections of Greece For Instance In Athens Athen no matter how rich the famIly family fam fern ily may be so he-so BO long aa as th they y cling tot to t the old customs the customs the first clothing the baby wears wear Is 18 made from an old shirt his father wore Interesting as are the baptismal cu- cu t. of or Greece Greece- Greece and beautifully symbolic sym sym- symbolic bolic as BS they ar are they are they are somewhat like our own baptismal rites But what Is 18 very different la t. that from its baptism the baby has hns a name Until Un Do ill til his or her the child ha hu has been called caned This means meaDS Iron and the baby la is so 80 called caned b because because be be- j cause his parents hope that he or she r will be as strong as Iron IroD From now until he Is le three years yearn old the boy child when child when not called by his own name name-Ls name Is referred t to as baby He must be twelve years yean old before he Is la called youth and attain at at- attain tain Win the age of ot eighteen before anyone anyone any any- one thinks of ot speaking of him aa as young oung man But the proudest moment moment moment mo mo- ment of or all comes with his twenty twenty- se second ond birthday On that day be he IB Is first spoken of ot as grown full man mae maL maLAnd And the chances are he by now realizes re ye- why his father sprinkled him with salt and pepper the day he be was waa born |
