Hello readers brought to this blog. Believing in God, according to the Orthodox Christian Church, sooner or later every family comes to the need to baptize the child - introducing him to the church and faith.
If we have already talked about Baptism and christening gifts, the specifics of celebrating a significant event in the life of a Christian were left without attention. I hasten to correct this misunderstanding and talk about how to celebrate the christening of a child.
According to church canons and established tradition, a newborn can be baptized after the fortieth day from the moment of appearance in this world. In most cases, Baptism is carried out when the child is from 1.5 months to 1 year.
Of course, it’s never too late to enter church, but it’s better to do it right away. It is believed that in this way the child receives heavenly blessing and protection.
If you noticed, I clearly separate Baptism and christening. After all, a sacrament performed by a priest is something sacred, spiritual, ritual and takes place in a certain unchanging sequence for many hundreds of years.
But how the parents decide to celebrate the event is up to them. The church does not give strict instructions in this regard. Everything is fine as long as you clearly understand that Baptism and christening are different events, although interrelated.
How to celebrate a child's christening?
When parents are thinking about how to celebrate the christening of a child, you need to know that a person’s christening is the most important day in his life. The child becomes the heir of our Lord Jesus Christ, he is a new member of the Church of Christ, and a vessel of the grace of the Holy Spirit. It is very important to be in a prayerful mood during Baptism. The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Confirmation are special rituals, and therefore the attitude towards them should be spiritual, conscious and calm. It is important that there is no desire to baptize your child just because it is accepted in society; vanity develops from this.
What is the rite of baptism?
According to believers, baptism contains the highest spiritual meaning. This is the Christian sacrament of cleansing from sins before the face of the Creator. Rebirth to a spiritual and holy life occurs through holy water. The baby is dipped three times into a church bowl of water, calling on God to cleanse and protect the child’s soul . Then a cross-shaped anointing of various parts of the body with sacred oil occurs, starting from the forehead and ending with the feet of the baptized person.
Baptism occurs only once in a lifetime , and only after that a person has access to other church sacraments: he can pray and light candles for the health and repose of loved ones. Only a baptized person can subsequently be a godparent.
How to properly celebrate a child's christening
The reason for celebrating christening is the performance of the Sacrament of Baptism over a child. It is very important that this celebration takes place in an atmosphere of solemnity and seriousness, so that it does not turn into a simple children's holiday in the form of a show with various toys and dressed up people.
During the celebration of the Sacrament, it is very important to warn photographers so that they are in the room where the Sacrament is being performed with a sense of respect and reverence for the event being performed. It is important that they do not distract the clergyman from his duties by their actions. The most important purpose of performing Baptism is for the child to be dedicated to God, to become His child and a child of the Orthodox Church. Photographs and videos are important for preserving memory, but it is very important that they do not distract people from prayer.
You need to come to Baptism on time, preferably even some time before the moment assigned to you. If parents with a child and godfather are late, this creates a tense environment. In some dioceses of the Orthodox Church, children who are born in a civil marriage are not baptized, i.e. in a marriage where the baby’s parents are not married. The priests demand that the child’s parents accept the Sacrament of Wedding, and then come to baptize the child in the Orthodox Church. This is due to the fact that the child must be raised in an Orthodox family. If parents themselves violate church regulations, then how can they raise their child correctly? The same requirement applies to godparents. When parents are planning how to celebrate their child's christening, they should give a special role to godparents. Recipients must be conscientious Christians and understand what a huge responsibility lies on their shoulders. They will have to stand next to the child during the Last Judgment, just like his own father and mother, because they are responsible for his Christian upbringing. During the christening celebration, the godparents make toasts, congratulations and words of gratitude to the parents for entrusting them with participation in raising the child.
When to baptize a child?
According to church traditions, it is customary to baptize a baby on the 8th or 40th day after birth . If a decision is made to baptize a child on the 8th day, then in this case his mother is not allowed to participate in the sacrament .
Important! After giving birth, a woman cannot enter church for 40 days. On the one hand, this is due to postpartum physiological processes, on the other, which is completely reasonable, because she needs to recover and gain strength after childbirth.
There is also no point in delaying the baby’s baptism, because it is in infancy that the ceremony is easily tolerated . The church does not have strict requirements for the age of the child, but it is still best to perform the sacrament during the first year of life, but after 40 days.
How to celebrate a child's christening. Traditions
According to tradition, the christening of a child was celebrated in a special way; certain dishes were prepared for them, which were called “grandmother’s porridge” and “grandmother’s pies.” During the celebration, a special honor was given to the woman who delivered the baby. She was called a midwife or midwife. Now, instead of grandma's porridge, which used to be cooked in milk with the addition of chicken or rooster, depending on who was born - a girl or a boy - now you can prepare a delicious casserole or cheesecake.
How to celebrate a child's christening. Scenario
When parents or immediate relatives prepare a script for how to celebrate the christening of a child
, some should think about what day they are going to do this, at what time, and who to invite. You can invite guests verbally, by phone, by email, or by sending holiday cards. It depends on how much time and opportunities you have at the moment.
Signs and traditions
There are a large number of traditions and beliefs associated with the sacrament. Here are just a few of them:
- If after the christening the child becomes more active, is not capricious and quickly falls asleep , then the ceremony was successful. That is why the church advises baptizing a baby as early as possible.
- It is considered an excellent omen to hear the ringing of bells before the sacrament . This portends a happy life for the child.
- It is also considered a good sign if someone gets married after baptism in a church .
- It is considered a good sign if the baby falls asleep during the ceremony or behaves calmly.
- A cross for a baby must be purchased by the godfather , and a special baptismal set must be purchased by the godmother.
- Clothes must be white; small embroideries and patterns are allowed.
- After bathing, the holy water should dry naturally.
- Baptismal clothes are never washed. You need to let it dry and put it away as a talisman . If a child gets sick, you can cover him with a baptismal swaddling cloth or a towel: this will help him recover faster.
- You cannot baptize another baby in clothes that someone has already been baptized in.
Important! For the ceremony you need to purchase a silver or metal cross. Gold is considered a dirty metal.
- You cannot visit other people's houses until the baby has been christened in order to avoid the evil eye.
- The child must be baptized on a predetermined date. Transferring the sacrament is considered a bad sign .
- To maintain a happy life, men baptize girls first, and women boys .
- Godparents must stand by the entire sacrament so that the baby has a happy destiny.
- The most successful day for the ceremony is Saturday .
- The church name that a child is given after christening cannot be shared with anyone except the godparents.
- Baptizing several babies in one font is considered a bad omen.
Important! It is better not to invite a woman who has had an abortion at least once to be a godmother.
How to celebrate a child's christening. Advice from priests
Priests advise parents who ask about how to celebrate the christening of a child to try not to drink a lot of alcohol during the holiday. Alcohol dulls consciousness and desecrates the perfect Sacrament of Baptism. While intoxicated, people may behave inappropriately. Unfortunately, many Slavic people do not know how to properly control the amount of alcoholic drinks their bodies can tolerate. Therefore, the less this kind of drink is on the table, the better for the spiritual mood of people. It is advisable to pray together for the baptized baby during the celebration of christening.
How to celebrate a christening at home? Competitions and entertainment at christening celebrations
- You need to prepare in advance a box with a small hole at the top, markers, sheets of paper. Guests are given markers and paper, asked to write wishes for the child on it and place them in a box. The baby will have to open it when he grows up.
- Prepare a large white sheet of paper and a marker in advance. Guests are told that a baptized child is a white, blank sheet of paper. They take turns inscribing on it the qualities that the baby should have. This leaf is also preserved for many years.
- Godparents are given an exam on their knowledge of fairy tales. They gather their teams and organize competitions. The team that remembers the most fairy tales wins.
- Without disbanding the assembled teams, you can arrange competitions for them to solve riddles. Basically, these are children's riddles or related to the upbringing and development of children.
- Teams with the same composition (the compositions can be changed if desired). Toys are scattered around the room, and teams race to collect them.
During the celebration, godparents can be solemnly presented with reminders about their new responsibilities - to visit their godson (goddaughter) more often, do not forget to give him gifts, always be ready to come to his aid, and be friends with his parents.
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Where to celebrate a child's christening?
The christening of a child can be celebrated in different places. There are parents who believe that the best place to celebrate a christening is their home. They either prepare their own food or partially buy ready-made semi-finished products. For the child and his mood, of course, the home environment plays a big role. Close relatives, godmother, godfather and family friends take part in preparing the christening celebration. It is very difficult for a young mother to cope with heavy loads.
There are parents who believe that it is not so important where to celebrate the child’s christening; they prefer to celebrate this holiday in a cafe or restaurant. If there will be a small child there, and you decide to celebrate the christening not at home, then it is advisable to make sure that you have a separate, even if not large, hall. You can rock your baby there and put him to sleep. It is advisable not to play too loud music during this holiday. If you are celebrating a christening in a restaurant, then you need to think in advance what the menu will be. If you want to include such traditional dishes as “Babkina porridge” and “Babkina pies” in your christening celebration, then you need to try to discuss all the details with the restaurant staff. If they cannot satisfy your needs of this kind, then you can prepare these dishes yourself or order them elsewhere. “Babkina porridge” is traditionally served in a clay pot. “Babka's pies” are baked sweets; if this seems difficult for you, then you can buy ready-made sweet products.
In fact, it is not so important where exactly to celebrate the child’s christening; what is much more important is the fact that your baby has received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, now he is a full member of the Church of Christ, he can participate in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Where to celebrate your child’s christening is up to you, dear parents, but remember such an important point as the spiritual joy and benefit for your baby’s soul from the perfect Sacrament. He received great grace from God during Baptism; in order to preserve, preserve and grow it, you will need to make a lot of effort. Therefore, during the christening celebration, try not to forget about this.
Author of the article and poems: theologian and religious scholar Ksenia Orabey
Carrying out baptism
The christening of a baby requires appropriate preparation, just like any other holiday. The godfather must give the child a pectoral cross, and the godmother must give the cross. Kryzhma is a piece of cloth or a special towel in which the baby is wrapped after bathing. Kryzhma is a symbol of a pure soul and therefore it is very necessary for the ritual.
The mother must prepare an outfit for the child's christening. Boys need to wear a baptismal shirt, and girls need a shirt and cap. On this day, the child should be given a spoon made of silver or gold as a “tooth” gift. Godparents also need to roast the child’s Bible.
It is best to hold a child's christening in a church. If the baby is sick or too weak, then christening can be carried out at home. The baptismal ceremony is carried out in a baptismal chamber, which is characterized by the presence of a font. The priest performs a baptismal ritual in which the child is anointed with oil and immersed in water.
During baptism, the priest puts a cross on the child, and the mother puts on a white robe. The font must be walked around in a circle with chants. Moreover, if a girl is baptized, she is carried in the arms of her godfather, and if a boy is baptized, then she is carried by her godmother.
The baptism ritual also involves cutting the baby's hair in the shape of a cross. Only godparents participate in the baptism itself. At the end of the ceremony, the mother takes the baby in her arms and the priest reads a prayer for mother and child. If a boy is baptized, the priest carries him through the altar. This concludes the baptismal ceremony.
Who to choose as godparents
Being godparents is an honorable and important responsibility. Usually one of the friends or relatives is chosen for this role. All the responsibilities of godparents come down to one thing: to show the child by example how to live according to the laws of God and observe moral principles.
There are several important points to consider when choosing a godfather and godmother:
- The child must have a recipient of the same gender as him. In fact, for the baptism of a boy, the presence of one godfather is sufficient, and for the baptism of a girl, the presence of a godmother is sufficient. It is customary for us to invite godparents of both sexes, for both boys and girls.
- Spouses, parents of this child, mentally ill persons, and incompetent persons cannot be godparents of one child.
- As for religion, they must be of the same faith as the child.
- Before performing the sacrament, godparents must go to confession, repent of their sins and receive communion. At the time of the ceremony, godparents must wear their crosses.
- Godparents cannot be changed after the baptism ceremony. It is believed that any quarrels and disagreements should be resolved through prayers and agreements.
What do you need for a child's christening?
Before the ceremony, the godparents discuss among themselves what is needed for the child’s christening. According to tradition, the ceremony is paid for by the godfather. If for some reason he cannot do this, the godmother has the right to bear the costs herself.
To baptize a child you will need the following things.
Pectoral cross . There are no special requirements for material, size, shape, patterns. Preference is given to gold or silver. Usually they choose based on capabilities and personal wishes. You can buy a cross for a child’s baptism at a church shop or at any jewelry store. Traditionally, the godfather buys a cross as a gift.
Pectoral cross for a child's baptism (picture)
christening shirt that can be easily taken off and put on a child. Christening clothes for a boy and clothes for a girl look the same. But some parents are not enthusiastic about putting a dress on their son.
The good news is that you have the right not to do this. The child undergoes baptism naked, so afterward you can put on your son a new white bodysuit or sandbox and a hat.
Baptism clothes for a girl can be of different lengths. The main thing is that the legs remain slightly open - during the ritual they are anointed with Myrrh. Traditionally, the godmother buys the shirt as a gift.
Christening shirt for a child (picture)
Kryzhma is a special baptismal towel or diaper. The child is wrapped in it after undergoing the baptism ceremony. Any natural white fabric will do, which symbolizes the purity of the soul. People often buy kryzhma embroidered with lace with Orthodox symbols to emphasize the solemnity of the moment. According to tradition, the godmother buys kryzhma for christenings.
The child's parents can also take part in the selection and purchase of a cross, baptismal shirt or kryzhma. In fact, there are no clear church rules about what a godfather or godmother should pay for on cretins. The solution to such issues depends on agreements within the family.
Kryzhma for a child’s baptism (picture)
