You have made a decision that your childIs it time to receive the sacrament of baptism? Think carefully about why you need it. Do you want to baptize your child because your family is religious? Or just because baptism has become fashionable these days? However, priests do not advise baptizing a child just to follow fashion. If you have decided to baptize your child, you must properly prepare for it. Parents have a large number of different questions related to such a sacrament as the rite of baptism of an infant. Parents will be able to find answers to most of them in this article. Considering that the overwhelming majority of our readers are most likely Orthodox, this article will discuss the process of baptism in the Orthodox Church.
The history of the rite of baptism
Baptism is one of the most ancient ritesOrthodox Church. The baptism of a person is considered a great sacrament. During baptism, water plays the main role. And this is not without reason - water is endowed with the ability to wash away sins from a person. However, water during baptism does not simply wash away sins from a person. The Church interprets the rite of the sacrament of baptism as the death of a person for sin, but resurrection for Christ. The baptism of a baby is his spiritual birth. Immediately after the sacrament of baptism is performed over the child, the child is considered to be initiated into the church. He has the right to participate in all other sacraments - communion, confession, and others. Unbaptized children, according to the rules of the church, do not even have the right to a funeral service, if a misfortune has occurred and the baby has died. The Orthodox Church allows the rite of the sacrament of baptism to be performed on a person of any age. In the case of a small child, the rite of the sacrament of baptism is performed according to the faith of his parents - both biological and godparents. If the baptism of an adult is performed without godparents, then for a child under fourteen, successors are simply necessary. Incidentally, the choice of godparents should be approached with particular care. Almost always, godparents are chosen either from among close friends or from among wealthy relatives. Let's be honest - such commercialism is inherent in most people. However, in no case should we forget what responsibility the church places on godparents:
- The godparents must vouch for the faith of the newly baptized child before the Lord.
- It is the godparents who are responsible for the spiritual upbringing of the child.
- Godparents should participate equally with biological parents in the upbringing and life of the child.
- The godparents must take care of the child in the event that his biological parents do not become.
Nowadays, there is a very widespread misconceptionthe opinion that godparents should never be married. However, this is nothing more than a prejudice that came from nowhere - Orthodoxy does not consider this fact unacceptable. Strictly speaking, the godfather is the one who first takes the child by the waist immediately after removing them from the baptismal font - the godmother takes the girl in her arms, and the godfather takes the boy. Although even in the churches themselves, this position is often adhered to. Since a small child is still at an unconscious age, and baptism is accepted exclusively by the faith of his biological and godparents, it is they who must ensure that the baptized baby regularly receives communion. And it is the godparents who must read the prayers before communion, regardless of whether they themselves receive communion on this day or not.
The presence of parents on baptism
Many young mothers ask the same questionthe question that worries them is whether they will be allowed to be present during the baptism ceremony. This depends on various factors, and first of all on the age of the child. Thus, up to the fortieth day after childbirth, a woman in Orthodoxy is considered “unclean”. Accordingly, in the event that a child who has not reached the age of forty days is baptized, it is extremely undesirable for a woman to enter the church. She should wait for the end of the baptism ceremony at the entrance to the church. If more than forty days have passed since childbirth, the priest must read a special prayer over the woman, after which she is considered completely “cleansed”. Therefore, parents should agree with the priest in advance and visit the church so that he can read the necessary prayer over the young mother. However, modern life has nevertheless made many adjustments, including to the views of the Orthodox Church. Nowadays, many churches are absolutely loyal to the presence of a young mother, regardless of how much time has passed since childbirth, and whether the necessary prayers have been read over the mother. Therefore, the mother herself must make such an important decision. The Orthodox Church, when deciding on the baptism of a child, is guided by certain rules that regulate the age characteristics of those children who are preparing to receive the sacrament of baptism. Until the child reaches the age of seven, only the parents' consent is required to perform the baptism ceremony, because they are fully responsible for the spiritual development of the child, both before the church and before the Lord. After the child turns seven, the consent of the parents alone is no longer enough to perform the baptism - the consent of the child himself is also required. If the child does not want to, the priest will not perform the baptism. But if the child is already fourteen years old and wants to be baptized, the priest does not need the parents' consent for this. The child is considered old enough to make such decisions independently.
The Baptism of the Child
Of course, all parents are interested in whathappens during the baptism ceremony – what to expect and what to prepare for? Below is a brief description of the traditional ceremony of the sacrament of baptism of a child. Of course, it may vary slightly in different churches, but its basic principles are the same everywhere. Until the baby is immersed in the font, he is held by his godparents - a girl is held in the arms of the godfather, and a boy - by his godmother. After the child is immersed in the font, the boy is received in the arms of the godfather, and the girl - by the godmother. To church the boy, he is carried behind the altar, entering there through the sexton's doors. The priest bows to the throne together with the boy and carries the child out through the southern sexton's doors. The Orthodox religion forbids girls to be carried behind the altar, since only men can become priests. After this, the priest touches both boys and girls to the icons of the Mother of God and the Savior. After this, the child is given to the biological father or mother, if they are present, or to the godparents.
Preparation for the rite of baptism
Now it's time to talk about howproperly prepare for the baby's christening so that it becomes a real celebration for both the baby and his parents - both biological and godparents, and not a test of strength. Parents should pay attention to the following points:
- Appearance
Despite the fact that the modern churchmany things become more loyal. However, it is still highly recommended to respect the church and its traditions. Firstly, the godparents and biological parents of the child must come to the sacrament of baptism wearing pectoral crosses. The godmother must also think carefully about her wardrobe. It is unacceptable to come to church in trousers - only a dress that covers the shoulders and below the knee. The only exception to this rule are little girls under the age of seven. A woman's head must be covered. The choice of shoes should also be given attention. Although the church does not say anything about women's shoes, heels should be avoided. At least for practical reasons - depending on how many children are baptized that day, the ceremony can last from half an hour to two hours, and you will have to stand all this time holding the baby in your arms. The church does not impose any special requirements on men's clothing. However, you should avoid T-shirts and shorts - after all, a church is not a beach, right? And super-fashionable clothes and bright makeup should also be put aside for a more appropriate occasion. You shouldn't attract special attention to yourself in church, because your goal is completely different.
- Cross and things for baptism
According to the tradition of Orthodox believers,If the church you have chosen charges a fee for the baptism ceremony, the child's godfather must pay it. If the baptism is for a boy, the godfather must also purchase a pectoral cross for him. In the same case, if the baptism is for a girl, her godmother must take care of purchasing the cross. In both cases, regardless of whether the baptism is for a boy or a girl, the godmother must purchase the items necessary for the baptism ceremony. As a rule, the following items are needed for the baptism ceremony for a child:
- The cross. It does not matter - gold, silver or the most ordinary.
- A small icon of that saint, whose name is the child.
- One clean diaper and two towels - one large, the other a little smaller.
- Special christening shirt.
You need to purchase all of the above itemsin advance - the only exceptions are a pectoral cross and an icon of a saint. They can be purchased in absolutely any church. However, remember that a pectoral cross should be worn by a person throughout his life - if you want your child to have a gold cross, buy it in advance, in a jewelry store. It is impossible to buy a gold cross in churches. Also, experienced parents do not recommend putting a cross on a baby not only on a chain, but even on a string - they can rub the baby's delicate skin quite badly. It is much wiser to put it on a satin ribbon. In addition, to perform the baptism ceremony, you will need candles, which can also be bought directly in the church. Check in advance how many candles you need to buy so as not to be distracted during the baptism process, delaying not only yourself, but also everyone else. It is much wiser to buy a little more candles. In addition, remember that most of the money earned from the sale of candles goes as a donation to the needs of the temple. You can buy a ready-made christening gown - whole christening sets are sold, or you can sew it yourself. There is absolutely nothing complicated about this - its cut resembles an ordinary nightgown. However, there must be an ordinary Christian cross on the back. Of course, ready-made christening sets are very beautiful. However, they have several significant drawbacks. Firstly, their price is quite high: the child and the priest do not care at all how much your baby's christening gown costs - 100 rubles or 1000. It is better to spend this money on the child, or donate it to the needs of the church. And secondly, most of the gowns from christening sets, especially for girls, have a rather complex cut. And therefore, putting them on a child, especially on skin damp after immersion in the font, is extremely inconvenient. Do not forget about towels either. One large bath towel is needed to wrap the baby in it after the font. A second towel may come in handy – you never know what kind of embarrassment might happen to a small child during christening? But diapers are not recommended – so make sure to take the required number of clean diapers with you.
- Baby Feeding
Be sure to check the feeding schedule.The baby should not suffer from hunger. If the baby is breastfed and the mother is nearby, there are no problems. But in all other cases, you should take care to take food for the baby with you. Do not forget about water, especially in hot weather.
- Photo and video shooting
Just recently, photos from the child's christeningseemed something incredible. Nowadays, such photos are no longer surprising. Filming in a church has become a completely ordinary and common thing. However, in each specific case, discuss this issue directly with the priest who will conduct the sacrament of baptism. Some clergy adhere to old views, and therefore have an extremely negative attitude towards photography and video filming. However, even if you have received permission to film, do not be overly intrusive under any circumstances. Do not get in the priest's way at the most inopportune moment for the sake of a good shot. Remember that the primary task is the baptism of your child, and not the creation of good photographs.
After the church
Nowadays, usually after churchadults celebrate the christening of a child. However, unfortunately, the holiday most often turns into an ordinary party. But you should not abuse alcohol on this day - after all, you are celebrating the christening of a child - that is, birth in spiritual life. And, as you know, drunkenness is not welcomed by the church. Therefore, you should not start the first day of a child's new life in this way! We advise you to read:
