The rite of the child's baptism: a tribute to modern fashion or a symbol of the Orthodox faith?

Baptism is the oldest church sacrament that came to us together with the adoption of the Orthodox faith. Each married couple sooner or later faces the question of whether to carry out the rite of the child's baptism, what exactly it is, Whom to choose as godparents. Let's try to understand all these issues in order.

In our time, historians are still arguing about the appearance in Orthodoxy of the rite itself. Some associate the origin of the sacrament with the name of John the Baptist, others believe that the rite of baptism appeared much earlier and goes back to the time of paganism. Many church ministers claim that the tradition of human baptism was borrowed from the Jews. In the Soviet Union, as we know, faith in God was not given much importance. Today, on the contrary, many newly-born parents seek to baptize their child in all the canons of the Orthodox Church. What is the reason for this? With the spiritual revival of our country or with the appearance of fashion to be a believer? Each person decides for himself exactly what reason he decided to baptize his child. As a rule, the Orthodox Church can not refuse to hold the sacrament.

The rite of the baby's baptism is considered his spiritual birth, is held on the fortieth day of life. In fact, you can baptize a child in the church at any time, regardless of his age. Immediately after this ordinance, a little man becomes attached to the Orthodox Church, it is believed that from that moment he has a guardian angel. According to the church rules, an unbaptized person does not have the right to his burial service after death. By the way, to baptize a newborn is allowed at any time of the year, any day, even on the Feast of Baptism (January 19).

Prepare for the christening of the baby should be in advance. This applies to both parents themselves and future godparents. First, each of them must be Orthodox, baptized and have a cross at home . By the way, if the rite of baptism is carried out in the first five weeks after the birth of the child, his mother has no right to enter the Orthodox church. A woman in the first forty days from the birth of a baby is considered unclean, because her presence in the church is highly undesirable. All adults before going to the temple should think over their wardrobe. A woman is unacceptable to wear trousers, a short skirt, a sweatshirt that opens her shoulders. Her hair should be covered with a handkerchief. The Orthodox Church does not provide special rules for men's clothing. However, it is not recommended to appear in the temple in shorts and a T-shirt, even if the weather is hot outside.

The obligatory attribute of baptism is the cross. For the girl, he gets a future godmother, for the boy - the future godfather. The godparents also acquire: a small icon of a saint, whose name is a baby, a christening shirt, two towels, a diaper and candles (their number should be specified in the temple). Godparents are chosen by the mother and father. They can be Orthodox Christians, who have necessarily passed the sacrament of baptism. In the future, the recipients of the same baby, as a rule, can not marry each other (to pass a wedding ceremony).

The rite of baptism presupposes the immersion of an infant in a font. Then the boy ascends to the altar through the Ponomar door (the Orthodox faith forbids the girls to take the Orthodox faith to the altar). The Holy Father bows together with the child to the throne, then applies it to the icon of the Savior and the Mother of God, after which the baby is passed on to the parents. On that the holding of the sacrament is considered to be over. After him follows, as a rule, a festive feast in the family circle, presenting the baby gifts, as the day of christening is considered his second birthday.