Baptism is the oldest church sacrament that came to us with the adoption of the Orthodox faith. Each couple sooner or later faces the question of whether to carry out the baptismal ceremony for the child, what exactly it is, who should be chosen as godparents. Let's try to sort out all of these issues in order.
In our time, there are still disputes between historians regarding the appearance of the rite itself in Orthodoxy. Some connect the origin of the sacrament with the name of John the Baptist, others believe that the rite of baptism appeared much earlier and goes back to pagan times. Many church ministers claim that the tradition of human baptism was borrowed from the Jews. In the Soviet Union, as you know, faith in God was not given much importance. Today, on the contrary, many newly-born parents seek to baptize their child according to all the canons of the Orthodox Church. What is the reason for this? With the spiritual revival of our country or with the advent of the fashion of being a believer? Each person decides for himself for what reason he decided to baptize his child. The Orthodox Church, as a rule, cannot refuse to hold the sacrament.
The baby’s baptismal rite is considered his spiritual birth, held on the fortieth day of life. In fact, you can baptize a child in church at any time, regardless of his age. Immediately after holding this sacrament, a little man becomes annexed to the Orthodox Church, it is believed that from this moment on, a guardian angel appears. According to church rules, an unbaptized person is not entitled to his funeral service after death. By the way, it is allowed to baptize a newborn at any time of the year, on any day, even on the feast of the Epiphany (January 19).
Prepare for baby christening should be in advance. This applies to both the parents themselves and future godparents. Firstly, each of them must be Orthodox, baptized and have a pectoral cross with him. By the way, if the baptismal ceremony is carried out in the first five weeks after the birth of a child, his mother does not have the right to enter the Orthodox church. A woman in the first forty days from the birth of the baby is considered unclean, because her presence in the church is extremely undesirable. All adults should consider their wardrobe before going to the temple. It is inadmissible for a woman to wear trousers, a short skirt, a sweater that opens her shoulders. Her hair should be covered with a scarf. The Orthodox Church does not provide for special rules in clothing for men. However, it is not recommended to appear in the temple in shorts and a T-shirt, even if the weather is hot outside.
An obligatory attribute of baptism is a pectoral cross. For the girl he is acquired by the future godmother, for the boy - the future godfather. The godparents also purchase: a small icon of the saint, whose name is a baby, a baptismal shirt, two towels, a diaper and candles (their number should be specified in the church). Godparents are chosen by mother and father. They can be Orthodox Christians who have necessarily passed the sacrament of baptism. In the future, the recipients of the same baby, as a rule, cannot marry each other (undergo the wedding ceremony).
The rite of baptism itself involves the immersion of a baby in a font. Next, the boy ascends to the altar through the Ponomar doors (the Orthodox faith forbids girls to ascend to the altar). The holy father bows with the child to the throne, then puts it on the icon of the Savior and the Mother of God, after which the baby is passed on to the parents. At that, the holding of the sacrament is considered completed. This is usually followed by a festive feast in the family circle, giving the baby gifts, since the day of christening is considered his second birthday.
