Infant Baptism - How to prepare, what to buy

The first of the seven Sacraments of the Orthodox Church tradition is the rite of baptism. Even in the Old Testament times ablution served as a kind of symbol of getting rid of sins. Nowadays, baptism is carried out according to the New Testament, in which the ordinance of the Sacrament, established by Christ, is set forth.

The process of baptism involves a triple immersion in the water in the name of the Holy Trinity, with the appropriate prayers of the priest. The threefold immersion means death for sins against the Blessed Trinity, and the threefold appearance from the water symbolizes a rebirth to life in God.

The goal of baptism is spiritual birth. This means that a person ceases to live for himself, and begins to live for Christ and other people, thus acquiring the fullness of life. In baptism a person seeks salvation for his own soul.

The rules of baptism

By custom in Orthodox families, the rite of baptism is performed at a young age. The child's baptism is tried on the eighth or fortieth day after his birth. But the Church allows the Sacrament to be performed and after 40 days, or if urgently needed, earlier. Given the baptism of an adult, it is important that he has an unshakable faith in Orthodoxy, and before the rite of the Sacrament, repentance for all sins is realized.

The rules of baptism presuppose the knowledge of Holy Scripture and the ability to correctly interpret the commandments. Preliminary visits to the liturgies are also necessary. On the baptism of the child, the rules established to date by the Patriarch are conditional. For the child in this case, the godparents chosen by the parents are responsible. They should hold talks with the priest to prove their knowledge of the key Orthodox dogmas, and also visit the church service before the rite of baptism takes place.

According to the rules, the day of the child's baptism is planned in advance, the temple is chosen according to the preferences of the parents. At the children's baptism, the godparents are necessarily present, who later must take part in the spiritual upbringing of the child. It is important that the godfather himself be Orthodox, otherwise the sacrament will be impossible. Nor should the godfather be a monk, a blood or adoptive father / mother of the baby. Tradition allows two spiritual parents to have one person.

The godparents and their duties

Church canons established that at the time of the baptism the child should be at the godfather of the same sex: a girl with a woman, a boy with a man. The godfather at baptism holds the baby in his arms. After the baby is thrice immersed in the water, the spiritual parent wipes the child with a clean towel. Also, during the baptism, the godmother and godfather should read the prayer of the Symbol of Faith and abjure the child from Satan. In the event that an adult or a teenager is baptized, the godson himself pronounces the words of renunciation from Satan, and the spiritual parents act only as guarantors. In the future, the godparents must teach their godson protection of their prayers, visits to confession and communion. Godparents should always pray for their godson. Blood parents, as a rule, are not allowed to the ceremony of the Sacrament. In some cases, they are only allowed to observe from the outside.

The size of the donation for baptism is set by each temple independently. You should learn about it in advance in the chosen ward. The costs of the sacred sacrament are, according to the rules, taken on by the godparents. If for some extreme reasons to pay for the baptism of the baby is not possible, it is worth to say about this priest and the Sacrament will be held free of charge. Possibility of photo or video shooting is better to discuss, in advance, not all fathers favor such things in the church.

Clothes for christening

The duty of the godparents also includes the purchase of a cross for the child and clothes for baptism. An inalienable attribute of baptism is the cross. According to tradition, the boy is bought by the godfather and the girl by the godmother. When choosing a cross for a baby, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the ends of the product are made in a rounded manner. Children's cross is best purchased from silver and worn on a short, sturdy ribbon, so that it does not become a toy and still loosely surrounds the neck of the baby.

In addition to the cross for baptism, special clothing is also necessary. The godmothers themselves should be in clothes of light fabric. Women are not allowed to wear trousers or participate in baptism with their heads uncovered. Men should not appear in the temple in shorts and T-shirts, they must remove the headdress. For the child, in addition to the cross, you also need to purchase a set of a christening shirt, a white sheet and a towel. To buy clothes for baptism and a child's cross must be better in advance. The gallery "Vladimir Mikhailov" presents a large selection of Orthodox crosses. All products are made according to unique author's sketches of the artist, reviving the ancient artistic traditions of depicting Orthodox images.