Baptism ritual in War and Peace

[Sara Stefani]

Dear SEELANGers,

We are reading War and Peace for a class that I'm teaching, and one of my 
students asked a question today that frankly has me stumped. When Andrei 
Bolkonsky's son is being baptized, the text mentions some kind of baptism 
ritual, custom, or superstition, and reads: "He looked up joyfully
at the baby when the nurse brought it to him, and nodded approvingly when 
she told him that the bit of wax with the baby's hair had floated and not 
sunk when cast into the font." 

Does anyone know what this refers to? Feel free to reply off-list if you 
prefer: sara.stefani at yale.edu

Many thanks in advance,
Sara Stefani

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