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Baptism of Ka‘iulani
Ka Lahui Hawaii. 30 Dekemaba 1875.
Ka Bapetiso Roiala.
I ka hora 1 o ka ʻauinalā o ka lā Karisimaka i kūnewa hope akula, ua ʻākoakoa aʻe he anaina lehulehu o nā aliʻi, nā maka hanohano, a me nā makaʻāinana ma ka luakini Bīhopa Sana ʻAnarū, no ka mālama ʻana i ka bapetiso ʻia ʻana o ke Kamāliʻi ʻŌpio VICTORIA KAWĒKIU KAʻIULANI LUNALILO KALANINUIAHILAPALAPA CLEGHORN. Ua hoʻonani ʻia o loko o ka luakini me nā pua a me nā lau nahele i kūpono no ka manawa. Ua alakaʻi ʻia nā hana e ka Bīhopa Willis, a ʻo ka Mōʻī Kalākaua, ka Mōʻīwahine Kapiʻolani, a me H. R. H. Ruka Keʻelikōlani nā mākua ma lalo o nā hoʻomaikaʻi bapetiso ʻana i ke kamāliʻi. Ua nani a kū nō hoʻi i ka ʻeʻehia nā hana, a ke kalokalo aʻe nei mākou e hoʻolōʻihi ʻia mai kona ola, a e pōmaikaʻi ka lāhui a me ke aupuni Hawaiʻi ma ona lā.
Ma hope iho o ka pau ʻana, ua hui aʻe nā hoa o ke aloaliʻi, a me nā maka hanohano i poloʻai ʻia ma ka Hale Aliʻi, a noho ihola e pāʻina me nā mea ʻai i hoʻomākaukau ʻia no ka manawa. Ma laila aʻe nā pūʻali koa o ke kūlanakauhale nei, ma ke ʻano hoʻohanohano piha i ka manawa.
The Royal Baptism.
At 1pm on Christmas day just passed, a large crowd of royalty, honorable ones, and commoners gathered at Saint Andrew’s Anglican Cathedral, to attend the baptism of the Royal Princess VICTORIA KAWĒKIU KAʻIULANI LUNALILO KALANINUIAHILAPALAPA CLEGHORN. The chapel was decorated with flowers and greenery befitting the occasion. The ceremony was conducted by Bishop Willis, and King Kalākaua, Queen Kapiʻolani, and H. R. H. Ruth Keʻelikōlani were named as godparents under the baptismal blessings bestowed upon the princess. The services were splendid and truly awe-inspiring, and we pray that she be granted a long life and may bring good fortune to the people and nation of Hawaiʻi.
After it concluded, friends of the royal court, along with invited dignitaries, gathered at the palace and sat to enjoy the foods prepared for the occasion. This city’s armed forces were there, investing high honors upon the moment.
**To read about the birth of Kaʻiulani, click here.
courtesy of: Hawaiʻi State Archives
Kamehameha V and Queen Dowager Emma at a ceremony laying the cornerstone of the Cathedral Church on March 5, 1867. Colored engraving from the Paul Markham Kahn Collection.
courtesy of: Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
St. Andrew's Pro-Cathedral in Honolulu, commonly called the English Church, served as the temporary cathedral until the actual cathedral could be finished. Photograph from the R. J. Baker Collection, c.1860s-1880s.