A newborn baby is usually subjected to the sacrament of baptism on the 40th day of birth, but the church does not provide a specific timetable. It is possible that this is due to the fact that a woman in the first 40 days after childbirth can not visit the temple, since she has not yet gained strength. There are no time limits, so the baby can be entered into the cross at any time. Babies who were born unhealthy, even doctors recommend baptizing as early as possible, so that they are protected by the Lord and the guardian angel.
The two main conditions for union with the Lord are repentance and faith. Of course, the baby is not able to perform any of them. That's why a little man needs people who will lead him to God by their faith. They are called godparents.
For the child there can be only Orthodox people who give their faith. In the Trebnik, it is stated that for baptism, one receiver is sufficient: the godfather for the boy and godmother for the girl. However, the customs dictate other rules, so the child often has both a godfather and a godfather (sometimes not one pair).
The godmother and her role in the life of the child
To begin with it is necessary to be defined with that who can become a godmother to the baby. The Church does not permit the introduction of nuns, parents, or married couples into the cross of the child. Baptism without receptions is also allowed. In this case, the godmother becomes the priest himself, who will perform the rite. The opinion that if the godmother is pregnant, then it is impossible to take her into the recipients, erroneous.
The responsibility of the godmother includes knowledge of the Creed, which will have to be read at a certain point in the rite, and acquaintance with the answers to the questions posed by the priest (about the abdication of the godfather from Satan, about the combination with Christ). Also, the responsibility of the godmother at baptism includes keeping the child in his arms during the rite. Only after the baby's three dipping into the font he can be in the hands of the godfather, but on condition that the baby is a boy. If you were invited to the role of godmother, go before the performance of the sacrament to the church, talk with the priest, who will answer all the questions of interest. In general, there is no specific list of what the godmother should know and do to introduce a child into the cross. However, when the infant reaches the conscious age, the godmother will have to explain to him the basic postulates of Orthodoxy. For the rest of her life she should pray for her godson, since the prayer of the godmother is an intercession for her "ward" before God. She offers her own faith, heart, confession and love to God. If this does not happen to the godfather, then we should not expect the best from the godson.
Sometimes it happens that the woman chosen by the parents does not properly fulfill their duties, then the question arises as to whether it is possible to change the godmother to the child. The church usually opposes such changes, but if the situation is really complicated, then the priest can bless on
Going to the christening
Before going to church, the future godmother must take care of her appearance. The fact that clothes for the godmother should be modest (pants - you can not!), Remind too much, but the scarf in a hurry, you can forget.
Regardless of what the godmother gives to her godson as a basic gift, she must bring a cross to the church, which the priest will put a baby around his neck.