The baptism of a child is one of the central and most important rituals in the Christian religion. This sacrament brings a new man into the bosom of the church and passes it under the protection of his guardian angel. When are children baptized? In Orthodoxy, it is customary to baptize a child on the 40th day of his birth. Sometimes this period can be only 8 days - usually on the 8th day the child's name took place, and along with the adduction, a baptismal ceremony was also conducted . However, more often than not, such a rush occurred in cases when the child was born weak or painful, in order to have time to commune it with the church ordinances and thus try to save or protect. Sometimes baptizing such children was decided immediately after birth, and any Orthodox person could do it in the absence of a priest, and after the convalescence the ceremony of anointing and ablution was performed.
However, it is correct when children are baptized on the 40th day. It is believed that it is to this day that the woman is completely cleansed after giving birth, and the mother can enter the temple with the child. In general, Orthodox priests say that baptizing children is desirable until they reach the age of 7 (with the consent of the parents). And when children from the age of 7 to 14 are baptized, then not only the parental blessing, but also the consent of the child is required. And after 14, only the child's desire to perform the rite of baptism is enough.
The second important issue in the sacrament of baptism is the choice of the godfather. Now the choice of the godparents is most often dictated by the sympathy of the parents, because being a godfather is an honorable duty. This means that parents trust the most valuable person - the soul of their child. And the issue of choosing godparents should be approached very seriously. Is it possible to baptize a child to a person who professes another faith? This is extremely undesirable, because, according to the Christian tradition, the godfather should accustom his pupil to the questions of faith, congratulate him on church holidays and engage in his spiritual upbringing. Of course, it is better if one does this with a parent and a child of religion. Also, incapable, mentally unhealthy people can not become godparents.
Is it possible to baptize a child without a godfather or vice versa? This is another question that often arises during baptism. In principle, according to the priests, for the rite of baptism, one godmother is enough - the same sex as the infant who is going to be baptized. However, now parents often try to find a pair of crosses of different sexes. In general, this is understandable, because parents have a child, too, why the spiritual educator should be alone. But we must remember that people who are married can not be godmothers at the same time, as well as the parents of this child themselves.
The duty of the godfather includes the adoption in a special baby towel-a baby after the rite of washing, as well as the godfather puts on the child a cross. Accordingly, usually a cross on the chain - this is the first gift of godparents to his ward. But the duties of the godfather are not limited to this. When children are baptized, people volunteer to take responsibility for the godchildren - now they have to pray for their baptized children every day, to follow their lives and spiritual development. The godparents, according to the tradition, visit their godparents for Christmas, but this does not mean that such visits are not worth doing 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 small person.