The Orthodox Church recommends that a boy be baptized on his fortieth birthday. However, each parent can independently choose the date that is most convenient for them. For this important event, it is necessary to properly prepare not only parents, but also godparents. A boy's baptism is slightly different from a girl's christening. For example, it is believed that a boy must have a godfather, but a godmother may not be present. For girls, the opposite is true. But it is obvious that it will be better for the child if he has two spiritual mentors who will be by his side not only on this day, but for the rest of his life. How the boy is baptized and what is needed for this, we will tell in the article.
Here are the main questions that parents of a child usually ask:
1. Where is the christening? If the parents have a favorite church that they regularly attend, then the boy can be baptized in it, having agreed in advance with the priest. If there is no such place, then you can choose any spiritual institution that you like more and whose clergyman will call yougreatest trust and respect. In order to sign up for baptism, you need to call the church office and find out the dates on which it is possible to conduct this ceremony. You may be invited to a kind of interview, where you can personally talk to the priest and ask him questions that interest you.
2. Who to choose as godparents? Very often, their friends are invited to these important roles. But this is absolutely the wrong approach to such an event. Your baby's godparents should be those people who know a lot about spirituality and regularly attend church themselves. After all, the godfather will be a spiritual mentor for your child, who can always help and suggest the right path, and therefore the people you choose must correspond to this high rank. In addition, it is impossible for the godparents mom and dad to be a married couple or have an intimate relationship with each other.
3. What do you need to baptize a boy? The godmother gives the child a baptismal shirt and a towel, and the godfather gives a pectoral cross. All this must be bought in advance and given to parents before baptism, so as not to forget anything. You may also be asked to bring gifts to the temple: bread, sugar and other products.
4. How to prepare for the sacrament? The main preparation will fall on the shoulders of the godparents. A week before baptism, they need to confess and take communion in the church. Three days before the event, they need to observe a non-strict fast, and also learn or at least read the creed (prayer“I believe”).
5. How is the baptism of a boy going? The main role in the sacrament is played by the priest and godparents, who fulfill all the instructions of the priest. The temperature of the water in the font is checked and the priest begins his ceremony. Depending on whether you chose an individual or a general baptism, it lasts from half an hour to an hour and a half.
Now your child has found a guardian angel and godparents who will always be there. God bless you!
