First Communion

Today I will talk about first communion dresses.  Traditions that accompany first communion may vary across the globe, but in most cases the children receiving their first communion wear white garments to symbolize innocence. The event itself is usually followed by a celebration of some kind as many families use this occasion to spend some quality time together. There is a widespread tradition of young ladies wearing white communion dresses.  First communion is a very special and important ceremony in many Christian traditions. 

There are slight theological differences between different Christian traditions when it comes to the question of the presence of Christ during Eucharist (Orthodox Christians believe that Christ turns into water and bread and call it a mystery while Catholics believe the same thing but call it transubstantiation. Luther was of the opinion that what is important is that Christ is present at Eucharist and he didn't place importance on whether Jesus actually becomes water and wine. Protestant faiths have varying teachings when it comes to this subject. Some Protestants practice communion while others don't.) 

Despite these theological differences, all Christian churches see communion as a joyous religious act. In the Eastern Christianity ( Orthodox Christianity), communion is practised simultaneously with baptism, usually at young (infant) age. In those Christian faiths (Roman Christianity and some Protestant faiths) that practice first communion, the age of children receiving it ranges from 7 to 13.  The communion is most commonly celebrated among the Catholics, who see the first holy communion as one of the holy sacraments and hence place great importance on it. It is celebrated in the same manner as other holy sacraments, usually in a semi-formal gathering where all the family and usually also many friends are present. Many parents choose to have their family photographs and portraits taken on this day. Some even hire a professional photographer to document the event. The chuches themselves often hire a professional photographer.

For me personally, my first communion was a very happy and memorable event. I can distinctly remember the long dress with lace sleeves that I wore. As I said, traditions vary from country to country. They also sometimes change with time. When I was a little girl, we used to get dressed up as little brides and we loved it. The dresses for first communion could be rented only at one place in the city and that was in the monastery where the nuns would sew them themselves. I remember we were all very happy about that arrangement because each dress was different from the other one and every girl could select a dress that suited her taste. I think the price of renting was very reasonable since the nuns didn't run the business for profit. As far as I remember, all of us young ladies were very excited about the whole process of getting dressed up for the holy communion. 

Today some churches do not allow this but insist that all children should wear identical long white dresses, so that there wouldn't be any social difference between the quality of garments. However, the parents still buy special dresses for their little ladies, probably because they (as do I) feel it is harmless fun. I don't see anything wrong with little girls picking their dresses for this special day and enjoying the process. Moreover, for many of them it will be a nice opportunity to have their photograph taken with their loved ones so natually they (and their parents) want to look their best. I've made a little selection of communion dresses to share with you today. These white dresses for girls can naturally be worn for other events as well. If you have a daughter, a niece or some other family member you want to surprise with a beautiful dress, keep this store in mind.