Necessary things for the sacrament of Baptism
You can purchase a special baptism kit in large supermarkets and children's clothing stores. The cost of such a kit depends on the material of manufacture and additional accessories included in it. As a rule, baptism kits for boys and girls are sold separately.
It is worth understanding what should be included in the kit and what to pay attention to when purchasing.
Cloth
To perform the Baptism ceremony, the child is lowered into the font naked, after which he must be dressed, for this purpose the kit includes special clothes. The undershirt should be soft to the touch and durable. The baby should be comfortable in such clothes, otherwise he will begin to be capricious, and the ritual will not be able to be carried out calmly. Therefore, they buy a shirt made from natural materials. The color of the baptismal shirt should be white, this symbolizes the purity and integrity of the person being baptized. The presence of lace trim in a heavenly shade is allowed.
Another item of clothing included in the baptismal set is a cap for a boy or a scarf for a girl. It is recommended to pay attention to products that have a minimum of decorative elements; the material is preferably cotton.
The set usually also includes booties, which are put on the baby’s feet after the Baptism ceremony. When choosing, pay attention to ensure that they fit tightly to the baby’s leg and do not move out. As a rule, they are knitted from cotton threads, so a mother can knit such a piece of clothing even before the baby is born. As a last resort, you can also use regular socks, as long as they are white.
Towels
The towel used to dry the baby after baptism in the font is called kryzhma. As a rule, there is an embroidered cross on it, indicating its purpose. After the sacrament is performed, the godmother holds the baby on it. It is recommended to pay attention to cotton or terry products. In some cases, the kryzhma is made with a hood, in which case it replaces a cap or scarf.
Pectoral cross
The cross, which the priest puts on after the end of the ceremony, is purchased by the godparents. If a girl is baptized, this responsibility is assigned to the godmother; when a boy is baptized, the father buys him. It is best to purchase this attribute of the sacrament in a church shop, since all the crosses there are already consecrated. If it was bought in a store, it must be consecrated in the temple in advance.
The material used to make pectoral crosses can be different - from wood to gold; each godfather purchases an option, focusing on his financial capabilities. The main requirement is the absence of sharp corners so that during the sacrament the attribute does not injure the baby.
What is needed and where to start?
Who should be chosen as a godfather for a boy?
The father and mother of the son must choose godparents for the newborn according to personal preferences. The most important thing when choosing godparents is that in the future they can help the father and mother raise a kind and decent person from the child. Therefore, often best friends, relatives and people with whom they have pleasant relationships are called godparents.
In the generally accepted understanding, a child must have two godparents - a man and a woman. Orthodox priests claim that it is enough for a child to have one godparent (for adults who go through the rite of baptism, godparents are optional). A girl must be baptized by a woman, a boy by a man. If there is only one godparent, then he must be of the same sex, therefore, for a boy it is a man.
The Orthodox Church does not use the practice of absentee godparents - it was previously used in the Russian Empire for members of the imperial family. Now there are no absentee godparents - the practice was abolished after the October Revolution in 1917.
According to church canons, godparents are called godparents, since they receive the child from the font. Not every person can become a godfather for a child, for example, a monk or nun, an immoral or mentally ill person. It is also forbidden to baptize a boy and a representative of another religion, the parents themselves.
Most often, the following people are invited to a boy’s christening:
- Orthodox person;
- church person;
- a deeply religious and church-going person - he is obliged to monitor the child’s church upbringing and regularly take him to church.
A boy can be baptized:
- a pregnant woman (priests call it a prejudice that pregnant women are afraid to baptize other people’s children);
- a divorced woman or man (in the Orthodox Church there is no official prohibition against divorced people - these are superstitions and prejudices, according to Orthodox priests);
- not the husband and not the wife of one child (godparents cannot get married in the future, because, having received the newborn from the font, they became spiritual relatives among themselves);
- grandparents, aunts, uncles, older sisters and brothers.
The main requirement when choosing godparents:
- the man must be over fifteen years old;
- women must be over thirteen years of age.
- Parents should thoroughly prepare and choose a suitable birthday scenario for the girl, so that both the birthday girl and her guests have fun and remember this day for the next year.
- The heroes of the occasion should first of all send invitations to the anniversary so that their guests are aware of the importance of the upcoming event; details are here.
When to baptize a child
Parents themselves determine when to hold christenings. As a rule, this happens on the fortieth day after the birth of the baby. The tradition dates back to the Old Testament church - then it was customary to bring babies to church on their fortieth birthday. Also, on the fortieth day, a special prayer was read over young mothers, since women in labor had to undergo a forty-day cleansing, therefore, the woman could not participate in the sacraments before that.
The age for baptism of a child is now determined by the parents
. The Orthodox Church does not require mandatory baptism for all newborns, although it strongly advises this. Some parents, deeply religious people, believe that a child must be baptized as soon as possible so that an evil spirit does not move into him and take possession of his soul.
Other parents, on the contrary, are of the opinion that it is wrong to make a choice for their young son, deciding for him what religion to profess, and prefer to wait until their son grows up, becomes smart and can independently decide whether he needs to undergo this sacrament, or, perhaps he will become a follower of another religious cult.
Where to baptize?
Sometimes the christening of a boy can be very difficult - they, as such, are not carried out in the generally accepted sense - in a church in a font. It happens that mothers themselves perform the ceremony if there is a threat to their young son’s life. For example, if a child was born very weak, immediately ended up in intensive care, or the parents got into an accident, there is a threat to the son’s life.
In such situations, the Orthodox Church allows mothers, so that if the child dies, does not die unbaptized, they themselves perform the ceremony. For this you only need water. The mother wets her fingers in ordinary water, baptizes her son three times and reads a special prayer over him, turning to God. If the child recovers, the priest does not re-baptize him. Only the second part of the rite, or anointing, is carried out (this is the procedure for joining a person to the Orthodox Church).
How to choose the right things
There are no specific strict rules for choosing a baptismal set; they are guided by their capabilities and the appropriateness of things for the upcoming event. It is preferable to choose natural materials - cotton, linen, cambric, and also make sure that the seams are turned outward.
For boy
A set of clothes for a boy should consist of a cotton shirt, a cap and booties or socks. If the child is over 3-4 years old, it is possible without a headdress, since men do not need to cover their heads in the temple, unlike women.
The shade of clothing is white, but sky blue or light green is not prohibited, the main thing is that the color is not too bright, which is unacceptable for carrying out the sacrament. Among the decorations on a shirt and cap, embroidery and ruffles are acceptable, but you should not choose underwear with worldly designs - airplanes, bunnies and other animals.
For girl
When baptizing a girl of any age, a scarf must be included in the set. The color of the robe is also allowed to be soft pink, but usually a snow-white shirt and a cap and booties of the same color are purchased. Ruffles, frills and other decorations will look natural on a girl’s clothes, the main thing is that there are not too many of them.
The material largely depends on the season in which the baptism takes place. In winter, items made of flannel and bikers are suitable; in summer and spring, you should pay attention to shirts made of light cotton or linen.
What to give your child on this important day?
What do godparents give a boy for baptism?
What do you give a boy for christening? Usually the godson is presented with a cross and a chain for him. Jewelry can be made of silver, gold, steel, bronze, wood or ordinary metal - it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that the cross has the correct shape, accepted in the Orthodox tradition.
Most often, the future godfather buys the cross and gives it to the priest to illuminate it.
What to give your child on this important day?
What can you give a boy for a christening? Often a child is given a silver spoon on this day. This gift even received a special name - “a gift by heart.” This silver spoon becomes the first cutlery that the boy learns to use independently. The parents begin to feed the boy from this spoon, giving him milk porridge and grated fruit puree. This spoon then becomes a talisman for the child for life and is carefully stored.
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What is needed for the baptism of an adult
If a person has decided to be baptized as an adult, he also needs to prepare a baptismal kit, which includes:
- A floor-length white linen shirt, and for girls an additional headscarf.
- New slippers.
- Pectoral cross on a long rope.
- A large towel, as well as a small one to dry your hair after the bath.
- Spare clothes, this is necessary if baptism is carried out not only by dousing the head, but by complete immersion in the font.
An adult independently prepares a kit for performing the sacrament.
Organization of the festive table
Organization of the festive table
Traditionally, relatives always brought food to christenings, in addition to gifts, since the young mother was not yet very strong after giving birth, and it was difficult for her to cook much.
Grandma's pies were considered a traditional dish - small yeast baked goods (all kinds of bagels, bunny ears, buns).
Today it is not necessary to arrange a magnificent feast with expensive treats and numerous guests. You can get by with a quiet family dinner, or invite relatives and friends by arranging a small sweet table or buffet.
