Baptism of a newborn is one of the seven sacraments of the Church. It marks the union of man with God, the remission of original sin. After baptism, a guardian angel is assigned to the child, who protects him until the end of his life. In Orthodoxy, it is believed that the baptism of a newborn is his spiritual birth. Therefore, this issue should be approached very seriously and prudently.
Preparing for baptism
This sacrament is preceded by a rather important stage - preparation. First of all, you need to choose a name for the baby. It must be Orthodox and correspond to a certain saint. If the desired name is not included in the complete list of the names of the saints, then you can choose one that is consonant with it. For example, if parents want to name their son Stanislav in the world, then, due to the fact that this name is not in the calendar, you can give him an additional church name - Vyacheslav. Next, you should decide on the time of the sacrament. Of course, the sooner the better.
By all rights, the church advisesto baptize a newborn on the eighth day after birth (it was during this period that Jesus Christ was baptized) or after forty days (in this case, a young mother will also be able to attend the sacrament). You can choose any date for the christening. Here, neither the day of the week, nor the date, nor the periods of fasting are fundamental. The last step in preparation is the choice of godparents.
Successors
The responsibility for baptism cannot, for objective reasons, lie with the newborn. Due to the fact that at such an early age the child cannot understand the meaning and meaning of this sacrament, godparents or godparents do this for him. A prerequisite for these people is unconditional faith in God. The choice of godparents should be taken responsibly, because they are responsible for introducing the child to the church, praying for him and encouraging him to communicate with the Almighty.
Duties of godparents
Giving gifts for a child's holidays is a secondary traditional duty. But there are cases when it is obligatory, namely at baptism itself. It is believed that the godfather during the sacrament should give the child a pectoral cross, and the godmother - a special shirt. When choosing the first gift, it is better to pay attention to silver items. It is important that the cross is not too big and the chain is not too long, so that the child does not get hurt and ruin them.
Godmother's gift is currently not a problem to purchase. There are special kits for baptisma newborn, which includes a suit, shirt or dress, as well as socks, a hat, mittens, a towel. However, they are not required to perform the sacrament. Clothing for newborns for baptism may consist of one shirt. The main thing is white. It symbolizes the purity and sinlessness of the baptized baby. The very baptism of a newborn is a beautiful and sacred procedure, after which an entry is made in the church book about this event, and the parents are given a certificate. After the sacrament itself, it is customary to celebrate “christening.”
