Holy Communion season without the 'holy' part: Costa del Sol kids celebrate lay 'confirmation'
Tuesday, May 31, 2016 @ 11:48 PM
HOLY Communion season is well under way, with most children's ceremonies taking place in May and mid-June – although in at least one town in Spain, they will be a non-religious affair.
Confirmation ceremonies in Spain follow a year's worth of catechism, or Sunday school, and are better known as a huge party for family and friends where the child dresses up in a pricey gown resembling a wedding dress, for girls, or a sailor's uniform, for boys, and receive heaps of presents.
The pomp and circumstance legitimately calls the entire meaning of being confirmed into the Catholic Church into question – at around the age of eight to 10, children all over the country start looking forward to their party, presents and pretty dresses, normally taking place in a hired restaurant hall with up to 200 guests, most of whom will be bringing gifts.
For children brought up in an atheist household, especially if – given the choice – they would rather not go to Sunday school and pass tests to show they have understood the material, the whole First Communion experience is a rite of passage they miss out on.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com