Baptism of a child is one of the central and most important rites in the Christian religion. This sacrament brings a new person into the bosom of the church and transfers him under the protection of his guardian angel. When are children baptized? In Orthodoxy, it is customary to baptize a child on the 40th day from the date of birth. Sometimes this period can be only 8 days - usually on the 8th day the child was named, and along with the naming, the rite of baptism was also performed. However, most often such a rush arose in cases where the child was born weak or sickly in order to have time to partake of the sacraments of the Church and thus try to save or protect. Sometimes it was decided to baptize such children immediately after birth, and any Orthodox person could do this in the absence of a priest, and after recovery, the rite of chrismation and washing was performed.
However, it is correct when children are baptized on the 40th day. It is believed that it is on this day that the woman is completely cleansed after childbirth, and the mother can enter the temple with her child. In general, Orthodox priests say that baptizing childrenpreferably before they reach the age of 7 (with parental consent). And when children are baptized between the ages of 7 and 14, not only the parental blessing is required, but also the consent of the child himself. And after 14, only the desire of the child is enough to perform the rite of baptism.
The second important issue in the sacrament of baptism is the choice of the godfather. Now the choice of godparents is most often dictated by the sympathy of parents, because being a godparent is an honorable duty. This means that parents trust a person with the most precious thing - the soul of their child. And the question of choosing godparents must be approached very seriously. Is it possible to baptize a child to a person professing a different faith? This is extremely undesirable, because according to the Christian tradition, the godfather should introduce his pupil to matters of faith, congratulate him on church holidays and engage in his spiritual education. Of course, it is better if this is done by a person of the same religion as the parents and the child. Incompetent, mentally unhe althy people also cannot become godparents.
Is it possible to baptize a child with a godmother without a godmother or vice versa? This is another question that often comes up at baptism. In principle, according to the priests, one godparent is enough for the rite of baptism - the same sex as the baby who is going to be baptized. However, now most often parents try to pick up a pair of godparents of different sexes. In general, this is understandable, because the child also has two parents, why is the spiritual educatorthere should be one. But it should be remembered that people who are married, as well as the parents of this child themselves, cannot be godparents at the same time.
The duties of the godfather include taking the baby into a special towel-kryzhma after the rite of washing, and it is also the godfather who puts the cross on the child. Accordingly, usually a cross on a chain is the first gift of godparents to their ward. But the duties of a godfather are not limited to this. When children are baptized, people voluntarily assume responsibilities towards godchildren - now they must pray daily for their baptized children, follow their life and spiritual development. Godchildren, according to tradition, visit their godparents at Christmas, but this does not mean that such visits should not be made during the year. It should be remembered that baptism is a responsibility, but it is also a great happiness to be spiritual parents for a little person.
