Lullaby Ceremony of the Child God: Christian Tradition
With the reading of the following article you will be able to have a clearer and more complete vision about the ancient and beautiful tradition about the Ceremony of the Lullaby of the Child God , what it is, what it means, when it should be done, what is the correct way to lull it, how it should be to perform your prayer, what is its purpose and more.
Ceremony to lay down and lull the Christ Child
The first tradition of putting images of the Child Jesus or Child God comes from Europe, which began to make the first representations of the Holy Family, specifically in the cathedral in Ravenna, from the 11th and 12th centuries, where the Holy Kings going to Bethlehem, you can see the Byzantine mosaic on the wall, the manger of the Child Jesus, Joseph and Mary accompanying him.
It was not until the 6th century that the Christmas festival began to be celebrated, approximately in the year 330, so much so that in Mexico the first Christmas Mass was held in the 16th century by Fray Pedro de Gante. To conclude in the thirteenth century, 1223, the first living Nativity scene is set up in Greccio, Italy, by Saint Francis of Assisi, who said the following words;
“Everything we do in this meeting is supposed to be because of the joy we feel that Jesus comes to us. For this reason, it would be the most appropriate thing that before going to the family dinner we go to the Church, to celebrate with the Christian community, this great gift of God for humanity: Jesus Christ, our Lord».
Since then, the devotion to the manger began to spread in various parts of the world.
The Way of Lulling the Child God and his Prayer
Before lulling the Christ Child to sleep in the manger, the youngest of the family will have to kiss him, while reciting the following short prayer.
«To the rorro Child, to the rorro ro
sleep well my love, sleep my love.
Windy night, night of joy,
blessed sweet divine Mary.
Of the sovereigns You, owner and Lord;
You are born between straws only for my love.
The loving arms of a Holy Virgin,
They are the ones that serve as your first bed.
Sleep, beloved child, sleep, tender child
Use yourself as a cradle, my daughter, darling.
Hail, loving Child, who with tender zeal
You came down from heaven to save man.
After laying the Christ Child in the manger, some family members can say the following prayer out loud that says the following:
“At this time when the whole family has gathered to start the Christmas festivities, let us address our prayers to the Lord Jesus, Son of the living God and of Holy Mary, who also wanted to be the Son of a human family.
«Lord Jesus, eternal Word, who by coming into the world, announced joy to the earth, gladden our hearts with the joy of your visit. Let’s pray”.
“Reconciler of the world, that with your birth you have revealed to us the fidelity of God the Father to his promises, make us also be faithful to the promises of our baptism. Let’s pray”.
«King of heaven and earth, who through your angels announced peace to men, preserve our lives in your peace and may there be peace in our families and throughout the world. Let’s pray”.
«Son of Holy Mary, who wanted to become the Son of a woman, grant us to discover that Mary is also our Mother and help us to love her with the filial tenderness of your heart. Let’s pray”.
«God-with-us, who wanted to be born into a family, bless our home so that love may always reign in it, in a special way, remember the families who live in solitude and pain during these Christmas festivities and make them feel the consolation of knowing that you are children of the great family of God. Let’s pray”.
Finally, to conclude, the father or mother must recite this last prayer, which is shown below.
P/M: To prepare ourselves to receive God, who became man to save us, let us recognize that we are sinners and that we need his salvation.
All: I confess before almighty God and before you brothers, that I have sinned a lot of thought, word, deed and omission. Because of me, because of me, because of my great fault. Therefore, I ask Holy Mary, ever Virgin, the angels, the saints and you, brothers, to intercede for me before God, our Lord.
P/M: Let us remember what happened that blessed night almost two thousand years ago. (Read the Gospel of Saint Luke 2, 1-12). This is the word of God.
All: We praise you, Lord.
P/M: Before placing the Child Jesus in the Nativity, (the youngest of the family) is going to give it to us to kiss. Once everyone has kissed him, the Christ Child will be placed in the manger.
Christmas carol: It is sung or heard while kissing the Child. At the end, requests are made.
Requests: P/M: Let us ask the Child God, that just as he is the center of this birth today, he may be the center of our life every day.
All: We ask you, Lord.
P/M: May Jesus, who could have been born rich wanted to be born poor, teach us to be content with what we have.
All: We ask you, Lord.
P/M: May Jesus, who came to forgive us, teach us not to be spiteful towards others.
All: We ask you, Lord.
P/M: May He, who came to found the best family in the world, make love, unity and the desire to help each other and other families always reign in ours.
All: We ask you, Lord.