How the child is baptized in the church - rules

The baptism of an infant is a very important rite, for which each family is preparing for a long time. Mom and Dad choose godparents, as well as a temple in which the sacrament itself will pass, acquire items necessary for baptism and have conversations with the priest. Not everyone knows, but all these actions must comply with certain rules adopted and enshrined in the canons of Orthodoxy.

In this article, we will tell you how the child's baptism takes place in the church, and what rules the ceremony follows.

How is the rite of infant baptism?

According to the rules of the Orthodox Church, the rite of baptism is as follows:

1. The sacrament is performed on the fortieth day after the birth of the baby, because until this time the mother of the child is considered to be "unclean", and therefore she can not take part in the rite. Nevertheless, if necessary, for example, when a child is sick and in a deadly state, baptism can be performed on the first day of his life. Also, there are no restrictions on the exercise of the rite and after the fortieth day - you can baptize your baby in a few weeks, and a few years after his birth.
2. To participate in the sacrament, it is not necessary to involve both godparents. Meanwhile, if there is a rite of the girl's baptism, the godmother is needed, whereas for the boy - the godfather. At the same time, biological parents themselves can not become successors under any conditions. In addition, it is necessary to take into account age restrictions - the godmother should not be younger than 13 years, and the godfather - 15.
3. If both godmothers participate in the rite, they can not be married or have intimate relationships. In addition, the godmother and father can not be brothers and sisters. In this case, the participation of other relatives in the ritual is allowed without restrictions.
4. Both the godmother and the godfather must profess the Orthodox faith and take it seriously enough. After the ritual, a very important task appears in the lives of these people - they must take part in the spiritual development of their godson and in time direct it to the true path.
5. The sacrament of baptism of the infant passes as it is instituted directly in the temple of the rite. In the overwhelming majority of cases, at the beginning of the christening, the priest goes around the font, holding a censer in his hands and chanting prayers. After this, the godparents take the baby in their arms and approach the altar, turning their backs on him. At this time, the holy father takes the newly baptized baby from the successors and dips him three times into the font, reading the prayer. In some cases, it is allowed not to do this - the priest only sprinkles the head of the baby with holy water, and then immediately gives it to the godparents. Further, according to the rules of baptism, the successors must read a special prayer of prayer, and then place the child on the altar. There, a new member of the Orthodox Church wears a christening dress and a cross, after which they call it a sacred name.

How is the sacrament after the child's baptism?

Immediately or a few days after the baptism in the life of the baby, there must be another sacrament - the sacrament. Parents who devote a lot of time to the Orthodox Church can refer to this rite regularly, whereas most mothers and dads do it only once in their life.

The sacrament of communion begins with the fact that a bowl of bread and diluted wine is brought out in the temple in a prominent place. The baby is placed on the right hand of an adult, they take a piece of the sacrament for him and try to make him swallow. After that, the child is given a drink and puts it to the Crucifixion. It is advisable that during some time after the ritual the crumb did not speak.