HollekreischThis ritual, in which the infant was given a non-Jewish name, was customary
for both boys and girls. In the case of boys, this name was in addition to the one
given the baby at the circumcision ceremony. In the case of girls, no other nam-
ing ritual is mentioned in the sources. A ceremony called Hollekreisch is re-
ferred to in sources from the fifteenth century, such as the writings of R. Moses
Mintz (1415 –1483).^1 According to his description, the ceremony took place
on the Sabbath on which the parturient first left the house. During the
Hollekreisch ceremony, a number of children—girls for a girl, boys for a boy—
gathered around the infant’s cradle. The baby was lifted up and the participants
recited a number of verses from the liturgy and the scriptures, especially the
verses of Isaac’s blessing of Jacob (Gen. 27), and then called out “Holle, Holle,
what will this baby be named?” This was recited three times and, finally, the
baby was given his/her name. Then cakes were served (figures 5a and 5b).^2
Despite the fact that this ceremony, known by the name of Hollekreisch, ap-
pears only in sources from the fifteenth century and later, some earlier sources
describe a custom that shares many aspects of the Hollekreisch. The earliest
reference to such a ceremony can be found in Mah·zor Vitry:
It is a custom that at a convenient time, shortly after the circumcision ceremony,
ten [men] gather. And they take a Pentateuch. And the little one is in the cradle
dressed like on the day of his circumcision ceremony in grandeur. And they place
a book on him and say “let this one [the boy] keep what is written in this [the Pen-
tateuch].” And he says: “May God give you of the dew of heaven” [Gen. 27:28 –
29] and all the verses of blessings until “and only then you will be successful”
[ Josh. 1:8].^3 And they put a quill and ink in his hand so that he will be a scribe,
adept in the Torah of God.^4While this custom is not identical with the Hollekreisch custom, it does con-
tain some similar elements. This ceremony, like the Hollekreisch ceremony,
took place around the baby’s cradle and the verses recited during this ritual
were the same as those recited during the Hollekreisch ceremony. However,
in contrast to the Hollekreisch ritual, there is no mention of children partici-
pating in the ceremony or of any name-giving procedure. This custom, as it
appears in Mah·zor Vitry, is reminiscent of a custom practiced in Christian Eu-
rope. In order to protect children from demons and harmful elements, it was
customary to place a New Testament in the baby’s cradle under his head. The
belief was that the Holy Scriptures could both chase away any evil spirits and
ensure a bright future for the newborn.^5
The custom of gathering around the cradle that appears in Mah·zor Vitryhas
parallels in other contemporary sources. The author of Sefer H·asidim tells of a
similar practice: “‘This is the record of Adam’s line’ [Gen. 5:1]: From this we
learn that they put the boy in a cradle and give him a name and place the book