Advice to new parents: what is needed for a boy's baptism?

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

You have a baby. In order for his fate to be under the guardianship of a guardian angel in the future, the baby must be christened. Of course, not everyone performs this ceremony, but only those who adhere to the canons of Christianity, but there are a majority of such people in our country.

What is needed for a baby to be baptized? The rite itself is performed by a priest in the church. The baptism of boys is slightly different from the baptism of girls. The fact is that, according to the canons of the church, babies cannot be brought to the altar - this is a forbidden place for them. Therefore, after washing and chrismation, the baptized girls are immediately brought to attach to the icons, while the boys are brought into the altar for churching. Otherwise, the rite and rules are the same for all babies.

First of all, deciding what is needed for the baptism of a boy, it is worth choosing godparents. For a boy, special attention should be paid to the choice of a father. It is believed that at least one godparent is needed to carry out the rite of baptism. And he must be of the same gender as the godson or goddaughter. So choose carefullygodfather - let it be a close person, and let him be a true believer, since it is he who will become your son's guide in the Christian teaching in the future.

When the issue with the godparents is settled, decide on the date of baptism. Usually this is the fortieth day from the birth of the child, but if you have already missed this day, it does not matter. Before a child reaches the age of seven, they may be baptized at any time.

The next thing you need to do to baptize a boy is choose a church name. Of course, in most cases it will coincide with the civil name of the child - most of the popular names have their patron saints in Christianity, but it happens that the name, for example, is Old Slavonic, and there are no similar ones in Christmas time. Seek advice from a priest, he will select the closest analogue to a non-church name or tell you which saint will be your son's guardian angel, based on his date of birth.

Next, you should choose a set for the boy's baptism. It involves special christening clothes, a pectoral cross and a towel, in which the godparents receive the newly baptized baby from the font. Baptismal clothing should be light in color. It symbolizes cleansing from sins, the festivity of the moment of baptism. If the baptismal garment is left over from an older child, it can be passed on to the younger one. This is very good, because it is believed that such a legacy helps children to be closer to each other in the future.

Required for baptismboy, a pectoral cross is included. Traditionally, it, like a baptismal towel, is bought by godparents as a gift to a godson. In our country, it is customary for both the chain and the cross to be made of gold, but Christianity itself does not set such restrictions. Moreover, it would be better if the cross for a newborn is made of light material (wood or silver) and hangs not on a chain, but on a soft cord so that the delicate skin of a small child does not rub. Such crosses can be purchased in church shops. And with the godparents, you can agree that they will give a golden cross and a chain to an already grown up ward on his birthday.

Well, the main thing that is needed for the baptism of a boy is an enthusiastic attitude. In addition, it is necessary to respect the canons of the church and understand that this rite is protection for the baby from evil forces, illnesses and troubles. It is better to keep the baptismal clothes and towel as a keepsake - they are also believed to have the power of amulets.