Baptism of the Child - rules for parents

The baptism of an infant is one of the most important sacraments, to which all young parents pay special attention. This ritual introduces a newborn person to communion and connection with the Lord and has a number of characteristics that must be taken into account during his organization.

In this article, we will give some useful rules and recommendations for parents and relatives related to the sacrament of the baptism of the child, which will allow us to conduct a rite of all the canons of the Orthodox Church.

The rules of the child's baptism for parents

The christenings of a newborn child are carried out according to certain rules existing for parents and other relatives, namely:

1. Contrary to popular belief, you can baptize a baby at any age, including, on the first day of life, and after a year. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of priests recommend waiting 40 days before the baby is executed, because until this time his mother is considered to be "unclean", which means that she can not take part in the ritual.
2. The sacrament of baptism can be held absolutely any day, the Orthodox Church does not set any limits for this. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that each temple has its own mode of operation and, according to the schedule, a certain time can be allocated for christenings.
3. According to the rules, only one godfather is sufficient for the baptismal ceremony. In this case, the child needs an assignee of the same sex with him. So, for the girl the godmother is always necessary , and for the boy - the godfather.
4. Biological parents can not become godparents for their children. However, other relatives, for example, grandparents, uncles or aunts, can fully fulfill this role and take responsibility for the further life and spiritual upbringing of the baby.
5. For the ritual, the child will definitely need a cross, a special shirt, as well as a small towel and diaper. As a rule, godparents are responsible for the acquisition and preparation of these things, but there are no restrictions on what the mother and daddy of the baby are doing. So, in particular, a young mother can sew or bind a christening dress for her daughter, if she has the appropriate abilities.
6. Payment for the conduct of the rite of baptism by the Orthodox Church is not provided. Although in some temples a certain amount of remuneration for this ordinance is established, in reality, the parents have the right to decide for themselves how much they are willing to sacrifice for this. Moreover, even if the family does not have the opportunity to pay for baptism, no one can refuse to conduct the rite.
7. Parents and other relatives to participate in the sacrament must profess the Orthodox faith and wear a consecrated cross on their body.
8. According to the rules, the mother and father just observe the situation during the ritual and do not touch the child. Meanwhile, today in most churches, parents are allowed to take the baby in the hands if he is very naughty and can not calm down.
9. The sacrament of baptism, as a general rule, can not be photographed and filmed on a video camera. Although this is allowed in some churches, it is necessary to discuss this possibility in advance.
10. Baptismal under any circumstances can not be thrown away and even washed, because they retain parts of the holy world. In the future, if the baby is sick, parents can put on him a christening dress or shirt and pray for the recovery of his child.

All the other nuances and features of the ritual should be recognized in every particular temple, since they can vary considerably.