| Since the Victorian era, one of the most popular | | | | Part of the cup's legacy may come from the ritual of |
| Christening gifts for a baby boy has been a silver cup | | | | sharing a drink from a single cup, as in the Loving Cups |
| or silver tankard - a beautiful present that is often | | | | and Grace Cups drunk at formal banquets and dinners. |
| passed down from generation to generation. But why | | | | Trust and communal bonds are reaffirmed when |
| should such a seemingly utilitarian object become | | | | drinking from the same cup and this is mirrored in the |
| associated with such an important rite of passage? | | | | chalice and the Communion service in the Christian |
| Although the Christening cup became increasingly | | | | Church. |
| popular in Victorian times, the myths and tradition | | | | The Christening cup obviously has precedents from |
| surrounding cups themselves have roots going back | | | | our distant past, which have been adopted over time |
| many thousands of years. | | | | and assumed a greater religious significance. From the |
| Drinking vessels have had a deep and enduring | | | | concept of plenty - "My Cup Runneth Over" - in Psalm |
| significance in people's lives since early prehistory. | | | | 23, to the cup of judgement and obligation in Christ's |
| From the cups and jars used in Sumerian and Egyptian | | | | words in Gethsemane - "Let this cup pass from me" - |
| funeral rites to the Beaker and Celtic cultures of | | | | the cup itself has a resonance throughout Christian |
| Western Europe, cups and goblets have been used | | | | tradition. |
| for millennia to carry the ashes and remains of the | | | | One of the world's most celebrated cups is the Holy |
| dead, drink the blood of vanquished foes and seal | | | | Grail. This was the cup used by Christ at the Last |
| binding vows. | | | | Supper and later by Joseph of Arimathea to catch |
| Think of the cauldrons of the druids, the Vikings' horned | | | | Christ's blood at the crucifixion. It features in Arthurian |
| cups and the Celtic quaich and it is plain that cups, | | | | myth and countless legends, imbued as it was with |
| tankards and goblets carry a significance way beyond | | | | great power. |
| their simple function. Then consider that sports teams | | | | So, perhaps the baby boy who receives a Christening |
| compete for cups. The World Cup, the FA Cup, the | | | | cup on the day of his Baptism is receiving something |
| Ryder Cup and the America's Cup are all fought over | | | | more than a simple cup, he is receiving a Christening |
| with passion and skill, but why are they competing for | | | | gift that reflects fundamental beliefs and traditions |
| cups rather than forks, saucepans or kettles? | | | | from our distant past. |