In Christian tradition churching of women was the ceremony whereby women were recieved back into the congregation after childbirth. The original basis was Mosaic law (Lev. xii. 6) and its superstitions regarding to menstruation and the female anatomy in general. Churching was a ritual whereby the impure were purified, and as such the ceremony was performed not only for women but for convicted criminals and adulterers as well. A congregation is an assembly of people for a given purpose. ... Torah, (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or especially law. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Five Books of Moses, but can also be used in the general sense to also include both the Written... The menstrual cycle is the periodic change in a womans body that occurs every month between puberty and menopause and that relates to reproduction. ...

In ancient times the ceremony was usual but not obligatory in England. In the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches at one time it was imperative. The custom is first mentioned in the pseudo-Nicene Arabic canons. No ancient form of service exists, and that which figures in the English prayer-book of to-day dates only from the middle ages. In Finland the custom was introduced in the late 17th century and abolished around the turn of the 19th century. Custom differs, but the usual date of churching was the fortieth day after confinement, in accordance with the Biblical date of the presentment of the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus at the Temple. It was formerly regarded as unlucky for a woman to leave her house to go out at all after confinement till she went to be churched. It was not unusual for the churching service to be said in private houses. In Herefordshire it was not considered proper for the husband to appear in church at the service, or at all events in the same pew. In some parishes there was a special pew known as the churching seat. The words in the rubric requiring the woman to come decently apparelled refer to the times when it was thought unbecoming for a woman to come to the service with the elaborate head-dress then the fashion. A veil was usually worn, and in some parishes this was provided by the church, for an inventory of goods belonging to St Benets, Gracechurch Street, in 1560, includes A churching cloth, fringed, white damask. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... The Roman Catholic Church (also known as the Catholic Church) is that Christian Church which is led by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that it is the one holy catholic and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. ... Middle age is a non-specific age when a person is not old, not young, but somewhere in the middle. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Virgin Mary has several different meanings: Mary, the mother of Jesus, the historical and multi-denominational concept of Mary Blessed Virgin Mary, the Roman Catholic theological and doctrinal concept of Mary Marian apparitions shrines to the Virgin Mary Virgin Mary in Islam, the Islamic theological and doctrinal concept... The Akshardham Hindu temple, Delhi, India The word temple has different meanings in the fields of architecture, religion, geography, anatomy, and education. ... Herefordshire is a traditional and ceremonial county and unitary district in the West Midlands region of England in the United Kingdom. ... Pews in rows in a church A pew is a long bench used for seating of a church congregation. ... Veils are articles of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, which cover some part of the head or face. ...

The convenient place, which, according to the rubric, the woman must occupy, was in pre-Reformation times the churchdoor. In the first prayer-book of Edward VI, she was to be nigh unto the quire door. In the second of his books, she was to be nigh unto the place where the Table standeth. Bishop Wrens orders for the diocese of Norwich in 1636 are that women to be churched come and kneel at a side near the Communion Table without the rail, being veiled according to custom, and not covered with a hat. In Devonshire churching was sometimes called being uprose. Churchings were formerly registered in some parishes. In pre-Reformation days it was the custom in England for women to carry lighted tapers when being churched, in allusion to the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (February 2nd), the day chosen by the Roman Catholic church for the blessing of the candles for the whole year (see Candlemas). At her churching a woman was expected to make some offering to the church, such as the chrisom or alb thrown over the child at christening. Edward Tudor redirects here; for another (though unlikely) Edward Tudor, see a putative younger son of Henry VII of England, who, if existed, would be the uncle of this Edward Edward VI (12 October 1537–6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland from 28 January 1547... Events February 24 - King Christian of Denmark gives an order that all beggars that are able to work must be sent to Brinholmen Island to build ships or as galley rowers March 26 - Utrecht University founded in The Netherlands. ... There are many different styles of hats A hat is an item of clothing which is worn on the head – a kind of headgear. ... This page is about the English county, for alternative meanings see Devon (disambiguation). ... In cymbal making, taper refers to the gradual change in thickness from the bell to the rim of the cymbal. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Candlemas (Russian: Sretenie, Spanish: Candelaria) is a Christian feast commemorating the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. ...

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain. The 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1910–1911) is the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...