Baptism of the newborn: the main aspects

The baptism of the newborn is one of the seven church ordinances. It commemorates the union of man with God, the forgiveness of his original sin. After baptism, a guardian angel is attached to the child, who protects him for the rest of his life. In Orthodoxy, it is considered that the baptism of a newborn is his spiritual birth. Therefore, this issue should be approached very seriously and prudently.

Preparation for Baptism

This mystery is preceded by a rather important stage - cooking. First of all, you need to choose a baby name. It must be Orthodox and conform to a certain saint. If the desired name is not included in the full list of the names of the saints, then you can choose a consonant. For example, if parents want to call their son in the world Stanislav, then, because this name is not in the saints, you can give him an additional church - Vyacheslav. Next, decide on the time of the sacrament. Of course, the faster, the better.

By all rules, the church advises to baptize a newborn on the eighth day after birth (that is the time when Jesus Christ was baptized) or after forty days (in this case a young mother can attend the sacrament). The date of christening can be chosen any. Here, neither the day of the week, nor the number, nor the periods of fasting are fundamental. The last crown in preparation is the choice of godparents.

Receivers

Responsibility for baptism can not, for objective reasons, lie on the newborn. Due to the fact that at such an early age the child can not understand the meaning and significance of this sacrament, godparents or recipients do it for him. An indispensable condition for these people is an unconditional faith in God. It is necessary to take a responsible attitude towards the choice of the godparents, because they have the responsibility to join the child to the church, pray for him and encourage him to communicate with the Almighty.

Duties of Godparents

To give gifts for the holidays of the child is a secondary traditional duty. But there are cases when it is mandatory, namely at the very baptism. It is believed that the godfather, at the sacrament, must give the child a cross, and the godmother - a special shirt. When choosing the first gift, it is better to pay attention to the silverware. It is important that the cross is not too big, and the chain is not very long, so that the child does not get injured and does not spoil them. The gift of the godmother is not a problem at present. There are special sets for the baptism of the newborn, which includes a suit, shirt or dress, as well as socks, a cap, gloves, a towel. However, they are not obligatory for the performance of the sacrament. Clothing for newborns for baptism can consist of a single shirt. The main thing is white color. It symbolizes the purity and sinlessness of the baptized infant. The very baptism of a newborn is a beautiful and sacred procedure, after which a record is made in the church book about this event, and the parents are given the appropriate certificate. After the very sacrament, it is customary to celebrate the "christening".