However, Rett has already answered for me. I was using the word in
the English sense just of "naming", not "baptising".
*****
Though it is true that "christening" is also now used popularly in the sense
of "naming" though that is not the original sense. Just as the Greek word
"christos" means an "anointed one", a christening is "an anointing", a word
conveniently for Christians echoing the title of their saviour. In the
Catholic and Orthodox churches, which still do these things properly, they
use "chrism" during the baptism -- the consecrated anointing oil, a term
derived from the same Greek root as "christ". Hence the naming element of a
christening (or baptism) is only one part of that consecratory ritual which
initiates a person into the Christian life, in conjunction with lustration
with holy water and anointing with oil. In passing, there are parallels
with "abhi.seka" rite, especially as used in Tantric circles, derived from
ancient Indian coronation ceremonies, which also involves lustration and
naming. I imagine it depends upon one's cultural and educational background
whether one is happy to use "christen" in the sense of "naming" --
personally, I eschew the use of any terms normally or strongly associated
with Christianity in my translation efforts because they are usually
misleading, as I believe is the case here. It's a bit like the dissonance
that similarly arises for me when I hear people talking about "being
ordained as a bhik.su / monk", but I suppose different things work for
different people.