What does the rite of baptism in Orthodoxy mean?
The sacrament, bearing the name of baptism, presupposes the birth of the soul, adherence to the Christian faith. This is a renunciation of sins, namely from the original, and those that were committed after him.
Since the child can not renounce sin by means of a prayer, the godparents must do it for him , and it is for spiritual teaching, for the baby to be introduced to the church, that they are chosen, although many people do not know about this, believing that the second parents are needed only for that to give gifts to the godson.
Who can be invited to the godparents for a child?
There are many speculations that forbid to be godparents unmarried, unmarried for the children of their sex, pregnant. But you should know that such disagreements are resolved directly by the clergyman of the chosen church, which will conduct the rite. For example, some people are allowed to take in a godmother who is carrying a baby, while others are against it. There is a certain group of people who can not be chosen as godparents. It:
- Monks and nuns.
- A husband and wife or couple living together or intending to legalize relationships.
- Atheist, unbaptized.
- Father or mother.
All the rest can become godparents, but if they so desire. When a person refuses or doubts to baptize or not to baptize, it is better not to insist, since the role of the godfather in the upbringing of a small Christian is great and it will be a mistake to choose the person who initially is not sure of his choice.
How are they baptizing a girl?
The rite of baptism for a girl has her own rules in Orthodoxy. They are simple and boil down to the fact that the most basic for her should be the godmother. If there is no Godfather, this is a perfectly permissible situation and there is no reason to worry because of this or to look for a candidate at the last moment.
This woman may be married or unmarried, already have a godson or not have them, be pregnant - all this is immaterial, but what matters is that she must be a true Christian. If the godparents are two, then the man holds the baby on the sacrament of baptism before sinking into the font, and the woman takes it.
How are they baptizing a boy?
In Orthodoxy, the rite of the boy's baptism consists in the fact that it is the man who took the child from the hands of the priest after bathing in the font and after that he becomes his second father. It is the godfather who denies the devil for his godson and from that moment becomes responsible for his spiritual development.
The difference in a boy's baptism from a girl is that he is brought to the altar, which girls and women can not do, since only men have access to it. The child is kept on the lid - a piece of cloth or a towel that the godparents give to the godson. In different regions there are some unspoken rules - somewhere it is the godfather who gives all the necessary attributes for baptism (kryzhmu, cross, baptismal shirt, icon), and somewhere godmother does it for the girl, and godfather for the boy.
Prayers and conversations before baptism
According to the rules, before the godparents officially become the second parents of the baby they must come to a conversation with the priest who will tell them the main points from the Bible and the Gospel, explain their role in the life of the child, tell how to behave in the sacrament.
Many try to avoid this, since they do not consider it worth wasting their time, but this is not correct, since the approach to baptism must be serious from the spiritual side. The future godfather must learn the prayer "Symbol of Faith", which they will repeat for the priest during the sacrament.
There are such temples where there is no need for conversations - it all depends on the abbot and the right of the parents - to choose the church whose parishioners they are or the one that will like it. It is recommended to visit it in advance to find out all the details of the process of baptism.