Minagim are customs or traditions. Some minhagim go back thousands of years and are written down in the Torah. Others are very new. Every country and even every family has its own minhagim. The minhagim are not mandated by biblical or rabbinical law but by force of custom.

The many minhagim involved in fulfilling the commandment of Brit Milah greatly enrich and enhance our observance of this vital Mitzvah.

There is always a Shabbat after the birth and before the eighth day. In this Shabbat, a special festive dinner to honor the newly born is given, celebrating the birth of a potential wise man. It is usually held in the home of the newborn following the Shabbat meal to publicly thank God for the baby's coming and also to celebrate his first Shabbat before his circumcision.

There is another explanation for Shalom Zajor: a child is taught Torah in the womb but forgets it during delivery in order to learn it again. So Shalom Zajor is like a consolation for having forgotten the Torah. Many people serve a mourning party (sorrow dinner) during which Enyedia (a traditional Sephardic food with lentils, rice, meat and wine) is eaten.

The children in the house say the Schema Israel around the newly born.

The Mohel is usually invited to meet the family, the baby and to teach about the Brit.

On the night before the Brit, some people are used to having a night of watching. The Family along with the Sandak has dinner in the newborn's home, and during the night they learn Torah.

The mohel usually puts "the knife" on the mother's bed and later he leaves it under her pillow until the next morning, so that she could familiarize with it. People do not leave alone either the baby or his mother to protect him from LILIT, The Angel of Death. People do not call the baby by his real name before the Brit for the same reason. They use special, defender names as shields until the Naming Ceremony. They also hang a Torah Pasuk from the baby's crib and a chair is placed in the room for the Prophet Elijah, the Angel of the Covenant and the Guardian of Children.

During this dinner they used to eat nuts and almonds, fruits with shell, which needed to be peeled off before eating them, and drink almond's milk or juice.

Beauty and dignity are added to the Ceremony by lighting on candles; they are lit at the beginning without a blessing. It is a great Honor – Kavod to light on the candles at the Brit.

They are lit as a symbol of light and remembering. This custom dates to a time when it was illegal to perform a brit; the lighted candles meant that a brit was going to take place, so Jews passing by would enter the house to hear the blessings. During the Spanish Inquisition, Jews used to put a candle beside the window to announce everybody that there was a ceremony inside that house.

Sephardic Jews light on thirteen candles because the word Brit appears thirteen times in Bereshit (Chapter 17: (2-4-7-7-9-10-11-13-13-14-19-19-21).

In Germany, Jews used to light on a candle with thirteen threads which last three days.

This candles should not be lit on Shabat.

Do not use the baby's real name, only made up imaginary names, until the naming ceremony.

Ashkenazi families never name their children after living relatives. They usually use the name of a loved one who has recently (or not so recently) passed away. Years ago, if a person died young or from natural causes, his name was not used. That is no longer the case.

Sepharadic families have different customs. They usually can name their children after living relatives. For boys, the first option is the paternal grandfather's name, and as the second option, the maternal grandfather's name, whether they are dead or alive. If one is alive and the other one has recently passed away, the latter one takes priority. If there are several baby boys, a second name is added to the grandfather's name. Sometimes, the same names are given in different order and they alternate them in the next generation.

They don't use the boy's father name, however if they prefer to use the father's, they add a second name in English as in Hebrew.

After the naming the boy's mother says Mishe Beraj .A Refuah Brajot. Most of the people say Sheejeianu, it's optional.

Tzedaka money:

The money is collected on a tray among those attending the Brit. When this is over, the amount is not counted and a bid ensues. He who has the highest bid is the one to count the money before donating it, plus a similar amount, to Jewish charitable foundations (Tzedaka). He takes away the money originally collected as a talisman. Usually the money is wrapped in a napkin.

Wimple:

At one time the swaddling in which the child was wrapped at the circumcision ceremony was fashioned into a band for the Torah and given to the synagogue to be used when he became a bar mitzvah and for the Jupa on his wedding ceremony. It was embroidered with the child’s name, date of birth and other designs.

To bury the foreskin:

Traditionally, after the brit the foreskin is buried — covered with earth or sand. This custom may relate back to the Jews wandering in the desert for forty years or even to Abraham.

Jewish Law teaches that the foreskin, like any part of the human body, needs to be treated with respect. After the brit, the mohel places the removed foreskin in a small cup of sand. Later, the skin is actually buried in the ground, as any body part would be. There is no special blessing said when it is buried. Usually, the mohel will take care of this, unless you request to do it yourself.

There is a tradition that the parents can bury their son's foreskin in their yard and plant a small tree seedling at the site. Then, as their son grows, his tree grows with him. If you are interested in this, please mention it to the mohel before the brit.

Some Mohalim place a small box with sand on the floor, between the Sandak’s legs, where they put the foreskin. After the ceremony the Mohel gives the box to one of the relatives of the baby to bury it into the earth.

To plant a tree:

When the newborn is a boy his father plants a Cedar tree; if it is a girl, an Acacia tree

Twins:

If twins or multiple children are born, Jewish law teaches us that, for multiple newborn boys, each gets his own separate brit ceremony. So, we go through the first boy's complete brit ceremony, from welcoming him into the room, to the circumcision, to giving him his Hebrew name and singing Siman Tov, and then we start over again with the next child and do everything again. Each boy gets his own blessings. Then we have one big party to celebrate both "Britot" (plural for "brit").

When twins are being circumcised in one ceremony, each child is brought in separately to insure that each one receives the honour due to it. Hamalach Hago’el is recited between the two circumcisions to make an obvious separation between the two. Because of this separation, the blessings from the first circumcision are not valid for the second and must, therefore, be repeated.

Often, when twins are born, one may be healthy, the other may not. One baby may require additional time before he is pronounced ready by the doctor to have a Brit. That can create a problem for the parents. Religiously, it is best to perform the Brit of the baby who is healthy on the eighth day, and when his brother recovers and is declared healthy, then his Brit can take place. It may mean having two separate ceremonies.

If you have a boy and a girl, most families like to have the Baby Naming and Brit Milah at the same time. The Baby Naming for the girl is first, followed immediately by the Brit Milah. This avoids having to make two separate parties. Other families, however, like to follow the traditional approach and name the girl on the first available Torah reading day (Monday or Thursday morning, Saturday morning or afternoon or any Jewish holiday or festival) and then to have the Brit Milah ceremony on the proper day. Or, they may decide to have a separate ceremony for the girl a few weeks or a few months later, either at home or in the synagogue.