It is unlikely that this question will arise before you if you are already parishioners of some temple. If not, choose a temple to your liking. There is nothing wrong with visiting a few temples. If the employees are unfriendly and rude (this happens, yes), you can look for a temple where they will treat you kindly from the very beginning. Yes. We come to God in church, but there is no sin in choosing a church according to your liking. It’s good if the church has a separate baptismal room. It is usually warm, there are no drafts and there are no strangers. If there are few churches in your city and they all have large parishes, then be sure to find out in advance how many children usually attend baptism. It may turn out that a dozen babies will be baptized at the same time, each of whom will be accompanied by a whole team of relatives. If you don’t like such a mass gathering, you can agree on an individual baptism.
Baptism photography
If you decide to hire a photographer for the christening, be sure to find out in advance whether he will be allowed to take pictures and use a flash. Some priests have a very negative attitude towards filming the Sacraments and an unpleasant surprise may await you. As a rule, photography and video shooting are not prohibited anywhere. Photos from a baptism are a great joy for many years for the whole family, so if you can’t take pictures in a church, then you need to look for a church where you can take pictures (but even in Old Believer churches they allow you to take pictures at christenings). In some cases, a child can be baptized at home. The main thing is to agree on this with the priest.
What does a pectoral cross mean?
Photo: Oniks.ua
You need to understand that if a person talks about a pectoral cross, then it is clearly impossible to perceive it as a simple accessory. A pectoral cross is an element of symbolism that shows that a person belongs to a church and sincerely believes in God. It is this cross that helps Christians remember every day what sacrifice the Savior made for the salvation of mankind, strengthening them spiritually and fulfilling the commandments. Purely from the point of view of the Orthodox tradition, if a person is unbaptized, then he cannot wear a cross. Of course, the church cannot prohibit an unbeliever from wearing a cross, but this will not bring any benefit.
Godparents
Who can and cannot be a godfather is the most common question. Is it possible for a pregnant/unmarried/unbeliever/childless girl to baptize a girl, etc. - the number of variations is endless.
The answer is simple: the godfather must be a person
- Orthodox and church (HE is responsible for raising a child in the faith)
- not the child’s parent (godparents must replace the parents if something happens)
— a husband and wife cannot be godparents of the same child (or those who are going to get married).
- a monastic cannot be a godfather
ALL.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not at all necessary that there be two godparents. One thing is enough: women for girls and men for boys. You can read more about godparents, their rights and responsibilities, etc. here.
Conversation before baptism
Now this is a must. For what? To baptize those who believe in Christ, and not those who come because “a child_is_sick_must_be_baptized_otherwise_they_will_jinx_and_we_are_Russian_and_Orthodox.”
You have to come to the conversation, this is not an exam. usually the priest talks about Christ, the Gospel, reminds that you need to read the Gospel yourself. It looks something like this.
Often the need for conversation causes indignation among relatives and many try to “get around” them. Someone, complaining about a lack of time, or even just desire, is looking for priests who can ignore this rule. But first of all, this information is needed by the godparents themselves, because by offering them to become your child’s godparents, you impose a great responsibility on them and it would be nice for them to know about it. If godparents do not want to spend time on this, then this is a reason for you to think about whether the child needs adoptive parents who cannot sacrifice just a couple of their evenings for him.
If the godparents live in another city and can only come on the day of the sacrament, then they can have conversations in any church that is convenient. Upon completion, they will be given a certificate with which they can participate in the sacrament anywhere.
It is very good for godparents, if they do not already know, to learn the Creed - this prayer is read three times during baptism and, it is likely that godparents will be asked to read it.
In what case can an unbeliever wear a cross?
Photo: Kp.ru
If we talk about cases in which an unbeliever is allowed to wear a pectoral cross, then this can only be one case - a person is about to be baptized. If a person has realized that the Lord is missing in his life, he has realized that he wants to become a Christian and is actively coming to church, preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, then he is allowed to wear a cross. A person who sincerely believes in God will benefit from a pectoral cross and will help him always remember the sacrifice of Christ, which will allow him to refrain from sins.
If a person does not believe in God and wears a cross as an ordinary decoration, then this will not be useful for him, but for others, this will also not be entirely understandable. Before wearing a pectoral cross, an unbaptized person should think about why he needs it at all, maybe then he will understand that this item is not a simple decoration. A pectoral cross should only be worn by those who believe in Jesus Christ and want to follow God's law. It would be good if people took this recommendation seriously, but even if someone does not, no one can prohibit an unbaptized person from wearing a cross.
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Name
Find out in advance what name the child will be baptized. If the child’s name is not in the calendar, select one that sounds similar in advance (Alina - Elena, Zhanna - Anna, Alisa - Alexandra) and tell the priest about it. And sometimes names are given strangely. One of my friends Zhanna was baptized Eugenia. By the way, sometimes there are unexpected names in the calendar, say. Edward is such an Orthodox British saint (though later all the employees of the temple will not believe that there is such an Orthodox name). In church records and when performing other Sacraments, you will need to use the name given at baptism. Based on it, it will be determined when the child’s Angel Day is and who his heavenly patron is.
I'm afraid to leave a cross on a child's neck
Do your kids wear crosses?
The fact is that I saw many kids with crosses (some on a chain, some on a string). And we are afraid that it will suddenly twist or crush. And we don’t wear it with either the eldest or the youngest. Do your kids wear them? If yes, then from what age, permanently or not, on a chain or on a string? 14.8.2003 Annja
- From birth (more precisely, from baptism). Always. First on a string, now on a leather cord. Bigi
- On a gold string, baptismal from the age of 1.5 months, both the first and second. Nothing gets twisted, wrapped, strangled, etc. 15.8.2003 9:49:17, Ira
- No. Dad Egorkin wears a cross. (that’s what the father said) tash_ko
- Worn since 6 months. On a string. If you don’t make the rope as long as a cow’s, then nothing will twist. Kno
- We've been wearing it for the 2nd week now, there's a gold cross on a string, and he's not paying attention. Yulia L (Olya 1g 1m)
- The youngest has been wearing it on a chain since she was two years old. Julia K.
- Baptized at 4 months, wears a cross since 6 months, always, On a string, never takes it off. She knows it’s God’s, and she likes wearing it, but won’t let her take it off. Vot [email protected]
- doesn’t wear it (he goes to the garden, I’m afraid), but sometimes he asks to be taken off the head of the bed and puts it on himself. He says that children in kindergarten walk around with a Tiny cross.
- Has been wearing it since christening (from almost 4 months). Rope. We take it off for sleep. We wash the rope. An ordinary cross, bought in a church. Plumber Potapov
- No. rozmaita
- No, we still have it with the baptismal shirt. Irra (Seryozha 2.1)
- We were baptized at the age of 1.5 months, but we have been carrying it on a string since about one year. Vesta
- Yes. worn since baptism. That is, since June last year, on a string. Eura
- Not yet. There is a cross, in the nightstand waiting for its time. Although I don’t even know when such a time will come for the golden cross. SunGhost
- Our son is not baptized - my dad also doesn’t want his son to be baptized, I, as a dad, think: when he grows up, if he wants and needs it, he will be baptized himself. And now - I think this is just a tribute to fashion - the priests are enriching themselves at the expense of everyone who wants to baptize their children. Squishy paw
- And we are not baptized yet. When we are baptized, we will not wear it. My husband and I are non-believers; our grandparents simply insist on baptism. Olja
- On a string, sometimes worn. TaZayka
- No, we lost him. It hung above our crib, and when we moved, it seems the movers stole it, it was so beautiful, golden. Coccinella
We arrived at the temple, what next?
At the church shop you will be asked to pay a donation for baptism. Before the sacrament, it is better to feed the baby so that he is more comfortable and calm.
Feed in the temple
IT IS POSSIBLE, it’s good to wear nursing clothes or have an apron with you. If you need privacy, you can ask one of the temple employees to find a secluded place. The only thing is that if the baby is feeding for a long time, it is better to have a bottle-sipper-syringe with food with you, so that it does not happen that the baby gets hungry in the middle of the service and you either have to wait half an hour until he eats or he will cry from hunger.
During the sacrament, the child is held in the arms of the godparents, the parents can only watch. The duration of Baptism is usually about an hour.
It is useful to familiarize yourself in advance with what will happen during the service in order to understand the meaning of what is happening. Here is a diagram of the service of Holy Baptism
But mothers are not allowed to be baptized everywhere—it’s better to clarify this question in advance.
What should a child wear a cross on: a rope or a chain?
Question for those whose children wear crosses. What do they wear them on?
Our rope gets dirty, the chain breaks. I don’t pose the question of wearing/not wearing 8.5.2002 Olga Ovodova
- We carry it on a thin rope. Washable with the child. trapezund
- We've been wearing it for almost a year on a gold chain and NEVER take it off. The chain hasn't broken yet. If it breaks, we'll replace it. It's almost up to my daughter's navel. But my daughter is one and a half years old. Is the chain itself short (if worn on an adult)? not fat. Obet
- On a string + the simplest cross (although my godparents gave me a gray chain + a gray cross), I don’t take it off in the shower, so it’s washed with the child - the color has become a little grayish, this string costs about 5 rubles in stores, so you can feel free to change it at least once a week :) Mishutka’s mom
- Both have thick short silver chains. Over the course of eight and a half years, Dasha has torn once or twice. Katerina Kuzovkina
- I also have a question for those who wear it: aren’t you afraid of strings around your neck, even if there’s a cross on it? Igla
- I don’t know about the rope, I’m not afraid of the chain. When my daughter plays, the chain is under her clothes, but when she sleeps, the cross just moves to her neck and that’s it. Obet
- I'm not afraid and our rope is long enough. True, we were baptized one year ago. There were never any problems. But you can get caught just with the collar of your clothes or with anything at all, why does the rope raise such questions? Talyusha
- Because any string is a noose... Igla
- There are no such cases of a child hanging himself with a cross in my extensive collection of horror stories. But just in case, I make a short rope. Olga Ovodova
- And in mine there is.
My grandmother is a doctor, they brought such children to them. Therefore, my nephews, until they were 5-6 years old, had crosses simply pinned to the head of the bed. Yulyok - On a black fabric cord, sold together with a cross. Talyusha
- At first there was a thread with which the cross was sold in the church, it frayed within a year. Now I took a thin cord on which I had a stone pendant. Polett
- Such laces are sold at church stalls and in church tents with crosses and chains. I bought them for children, but they didn’t fit us - the knots were rubbing our necks. Therefore, we returned to the chains again. Katerina Kuzovkina
- on a DIRTY rope Droplet
Cold water?
The water in the font is WARM. First, hot water is usually poured into it, and before the Sacrament it is diluted with cold water. but the water in the font is warm
The temple employees who collect it will make sure that the water is warm - they don’t want the child to freeze just as much as you do. After immersion, it will not be possible to immediately dress the child, and here again it is worth mentioning that it is good to baptize very young children in separate rooms and not in the church itself, where it is cool even in summer. In any case, don’t worry, everything happens quickly and the child will not have time to freeze.
Why shouldn’t an unbaptized person wear a cross?
If we talk in more detail about why an unbaptized person should not wear a pectoral cross, then it is worth highlighting the following points:
- it will bring absolutely no benefit to a person;
- from the point of view of Orthodoxy, such a practice is considered blasphemy;
- for a person who does not believe in God and is not a Christian, there is no point in wearing symbols that are not related to Christianity.
A pectoral cross is not a simple decoration, so people who do not believe in God should clearly understand that they should not wear it.
