The baptism of a newborn is one of the seven church ordinances. It marks the union of man with God, the remission of original sin. After baptism, a guardian angel is assigned to the child, which protects him until the end of his life. In Orthodoxy, it is believed that the baptism of a newborn is his spiritual birth. Therefore, this issue should be approached very seriously and prudently.
Baptism preparation
This sacrament is preceded by a rather important stage - preparation. First of all, you need to choose a name for the baby. It must be Orthodox and correspond to a specific saint. If the desired name is not included in the full list of names of the reverends, then one can choose a consonant to it. For example, if parents want to call their son in the world Stanislav, then, due to the fact that this name is not in the calendar, you can give him an additional church - Vyacheslav. Next, you should 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 (it was at that time that Jesus Christ was baptized) or after forty days (in this case, a young mother will be able to attend the sacrament). Any christening date can be chosen. Here, neither the day of the week, nor the number, nor the periods of fasting are important. The final crown in preparation is the choice of godparents.
Receivers
Responsibility for baptism cannot, for objective reasons, rest with the newborn. Due to the fact that at such an early age, the child cannot understand the meaning and significance of this sacrament, godfathers or adoptive parents do it for him. A prerequisite for these people is unconditional faith in God. You should be responsible for the choice of the godparents, because they have the obligation to bring the child to the church, pray for him and encourage him to communicate with the Almighty.
The responsibilities of the godparents
Giving gifts for the holidays of the child is a secondary traditional duty. But there are cases when it is obligatory, namely at baptism itself. It is believed that the godfather in the sacrament should give the child a pectoral cross, and the godmother - a special shirt. When choosing the first gift, it is better to pay attention to silver products. It is important that the cross is not too large, and the chain is not very long, so that the child does not get hurt and spoil them.
The gift of the godmother is currently not a problem. There are special sets for the baptism of a newborn, which includes a suit, shirt or dress, as well as socks, hat, mittens, towel. However, they are not required to perform the sacrament. Clothing for newborns for baptism can consist of one shirt. The main thing is white. It symbolizes the purity and sinlessness of a baptized baby. The very baptism of a newborn is a beautiful and sacred procedure, after which an entry is made in the church book about this event, and a corresponding certificate is issued to parents. After the sacrament, it is customary to celebrate "christening."