First Communion

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First Communion

The First Communion (First Holy Communion) is a Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
ceremony. It is the colloquial name for a person's first reception of the sacrament

Sacrament

A sacrament, as defined in Hexam's Concise Dictionary of Religion is "a rite in which God is uniquely active." Augustine of Hippo defined a Christian sacrament as "a visible sign of an invisible reality." The Anglican Book of Common Prayer speaks of them as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible Grace." Examples of sacram...
of the Eucharist

Eucharist

The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christianity sacrament commemorating, by consecrating bread and wine, the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest, and eventual crucifixion, when he gave them bread saying, "This is my body", and wine...
. Catholics believe this event to be very important, as the Eucharist is one of the central focuses of the Roman Catholic Church. First Communion is not practiced in the Eastern Catholic Churches, which practice Infant Communion

Infant communion

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The First Communion (First Holy Communion) is a Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

Sacrament

Eucharist

Infant communion

Infant Communion refers to the practice of giving the Eucharist, often in the form of consecrated wine, to infants and children. This practice is standard in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches; here, communion is given at the Divine Liturgy to all baptized and Chrismation church members regardless of age....
. First Communion is also celebrated by some Protestant denominations, particularly Lutherans. Celebration of this ceremony is typically less elaborate in Protestant churches that practice it. First Communion typically takes place at age seven or eight, depending on the country. Adults who have not received their First Communion can go through a separate program called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the process through which interested adults are gradually introduced to the Roman Catholic Church faith and way of life....
or RCIA to receive this sacrament.

Traditions

First Communion is traditionally an important festive occasion for Roman Catholic families.

Traditions surrounding First Communion usually include large family gatherings and parties to celebrate the event; special clothing is usually worn. The clothing is often white to symbolize purity

Purity

Purity is the absence of impurity in a substance.Purity may also refer to:* in Buddhism, Purity in Buddhism refers to a spiritual purity of character or essence....
. Girls often wear fancy dresses and a veil

Veil

A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. As a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space....
attached to a headdress, as well as either long or short white glove

Glove

A glove is a type of garment which covers the hand of a human. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves"....
s. In some parts of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
the special dress for First Communion can be extravagant, with prices sometimes exceeding $200. In Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, a similar style is being adopted with girls applying fake tan and being driven to the church in limo's. In other communities girls commonly wear dresses passed down to them from sisters or mothers, or even simply their school uniforms plus the veiled headdress and gloves.

In Scotland

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, boys typically wear smart dress, i.e shirt, tie and trousers for the ceremony. In many Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
countries, boys wear military-style dress uniforms with gold braid aiguilettes. In Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
, both boys and girls wear plain white robes with brown wooden cross

Cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire....
es around their necks.

Gifts of a religious nature are usually given, such as rosaries

Rosary

The Rosary is a popular traditional Roman Catholic devotion. The term denotes both a set of prayer beads and the devotional prayer itself, which combines vocal prayer and meditation....
, prayer

Prayer

Prayer is the act of communicating with a deity or spirit in worship. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting divine providence, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's emotional expression....
books, in addition to religious statues and icon

Icon

An 'icon' is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity. More broadly the term is used in a wide number of contexts for an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it either concretely or by analogy, as in semiotics; by extension, ...
s. Gifts of cash are also common.

Many families have formal professional photographs taken in addition to candid snapshot

Snapshot (photography)

A snapshot is popularly defined as a photography that is "shot" spontaneously and quickly, most often without artistic or journalistic intent....
s in order to commemorate the event.

First Communion

Traditions

See also

External links