Baptize a child in a calendar year. Church calendar: when to baptize a newborn? Who should buy a cross for a child's baptism and which

With the birth of a child, parents have to solve many important questions about raising a baby. One of the most important questions for Orthodox parents is when to baptize a newborn. The rite of baptism involves some preparation, and how to properly organize christening, read on.

At what age should the ceremony be performed

The ministers of the church do not give an exact answer to the question of when it is better to baptize a newborn, because many people go through the rite of baptism already as adults. However, according to folk beliefs, a child must be baptized before the age of 7. It is also believed that the baby should not be carried to the temple until the 40th day. This is due to the fact that the mother has not yet fully recovered from the birth and cannot attend church at this time. But there are emergency situations as well.

According to Archpriest Alexander Soyuzov, a child can be baptized from the first day of birth. After all, earlier, if a child was born weak or premature and his life was in danger, the priest was invited to the house to perform the rite of baptism. There is a lot of evidence that after the christening, the child recovered faster and grew up as a pious person, because the prayer of the parents is the strongest.

If your child is healthy, and you want to baptize him in the temple, after the child is 40 days old, you must choose any day to perform the ceremony.

It is believed that the sooner a newborn is christened, the better, because after the ceremony he receives the protection and support that the Almighty gives us.

It is up to you to choose when it is better to baptize a child, but remember that the rite of baptism is a great and joyful sacrament that requires some preparation.

Preparation for the ceremony

Before the sacrament of baptism takes place, parents need to resolve several organizational issues. Firstly, you need to go to the temple and get advice from the priest on how and when you can baptize a child. After explaining all the nuances of the rite, the priest will appoint you the day and time when you can baptize the newborn.

When parents plan to baptize a baby, they carefully select the godmother and father, the place of the ceremony and the date of its performance. Is it possible to baptize a child in May? Is May suitable for the sacrament of baptism?

Is it possible to baptize a child in May?

Mother and father plan the date of baptism carefully. May is considered to be special in belief. Popular rumor says that if someone marries in May, plans to baptize a child, they will suffer all their lives. If you follow the belief, the thought suggests itself: to baptize a child in the summer will be lazy, in winter it will constantly freeze. People who believe in signs do not want to baptize a child in May.

What do the clergy say?

Church officials do not support popular superstitions. It is allowed to baptize a child in May and on any other day and month. Shortly before baptism, it is necessary to talk with the priest: he will determine the day of baptism, recommend the right approach in choosing godparents, and tell the sacraments of baptism. In God's Temple, the daily routine and the priest will indicate the date and time of the sacrament. Priests advise to baptize a baby on the 40th day of birth, since Jesus entered the Temple of God on the fortieth day of his birth. If the child is baptized sooner or later, nothing bad will happen. It is known that babies tolerate baptism more calmly. It is recommended to baptize the child at an early date in order to protect him.

Is it possible to baptize a child on holidays?

Baptisms may fall on public holidays. It is not forbidden to baptize a child during fasting or church festivities. It is necessary to agree in advance on the time of the ceremony. The father's work is quite busy.

Any month has favorable days for performing the ceremony. The month of May is no exception. It is recommended to baptize a child on May 2, 6, 10, 2, 16, 24.

Where did the May omen come from?

Folk omens have been formed for centuries. The ancestors considered May significant for work on the earth. In May, the fields were sown with seeds. The work was of great value: in the event of a poor harvest, the year is predicted to be hungry; with a good harvest, people were full all year.

Based on this, people have a belief: If you don’t work productively in May, you will toil and starve for a whole year.

With serious sowing work, people postponed the celebrations to another time.

Now for many, the sign of May is not relevant. Parents themselves are obliged to decide: to baptize the child in May or to postpone the solemn event.

The baptism of a baby is a special sacrament that requires careful preparation. Some rules should be followed when planning a date and determining godparents for a newborn.

Long before a child plans to be born, parents begin to think that he will need to be baptized. Since ancient times, it was believed that only by christening the baby, he acquires his name and joins the people of God, becoming closer to the Lord himself. The baptismal ceremony frees the little person from sins, because all children are born in sin.

In any case, this is a matter that requires compliance with many rules.

Why are children baptized?

Passing the rite of baptism, the child becomes higher on a spiritual level, he joins the church and acquires a name before the Lord.

• Baptism is a special solemn sacrament. During the christening of a small child, a real miracle happens. The Church insistently asserts that at this moment the real gates to Heaven open. Baptism washes away sins from a person, making him clean before the Lord.
• If you think about it, this is a way to warn your baby in the future from evil, problems and misfortunes.
• The church strongly believes that religion is not chosen “like clothes”, so parents should take care of the rite of baptism in advance, choose godparents and engage in spiritual education of the child “from the cradle”.
• Baptized people are recognized by the church and you can light candles and read prayers for them. This is another reason for the timely baptism of the child in the church.

Church calendar: when to baptize a newborn?

• The most optimal time for baptism is considered to be the days when a woman's postpartum blood discharge ends, that is, after forty days.
• After the expiration of this period, you need to carefully prepare for the ceremony and calculate the date.
• Many choose certain days on which they honor the Holy Apostles and give the baby their names.

Since ancient times, it was believed that baptism can be performed already on the eighth day from birth, provided that the umbilical wound is completely healed.

There are also situations when parents do not wait for forty days to be baptized. The reason for this is not the good health of the baby, his ability to die from illness, difficult and traumatic childbirth. In situations where it is impossible to visit the church, a clergyman is invited to the hospital and performs the ceremony. In extreme cases, the mother herself reads a prayer and sprinkles the child with holy water.

After a hospital baptism, it is imperative to re-baptize in the temple.

• According to the rules, the sacrament is held on the fortieth day after the birth of the baby, and this is not accidental.
• This is the time that should put the mother of the child and the newborn in order.
• It is believed that it is not worth postponing the date of baptism for a long time, and if one of the relatives fell ill or could not come, the church does not accept this.
• If fasting falls on the date of baptism, that is, on the fortieth day, this does not become an obstacle and there are no prohibitions on church holidays.
• Exceptions can only be big church holidays, in such cases the church may not be baptized due to the busyness of the clergy.

Preparing for the baptism of a child - the choice of godparents, the rules and duties of godparents

The christening of a child has always been considered a special holiday in the life of every family. This is the purification of the soul and body at the same time. Due to the lack of a child’s opportunity to bow before God, this duty is performed for him by his godparents. It is for this reason that godparents should be chosen carefully, because they will become the spiritual parents of the baby until the end of his days.

Godparents for a child must be Orthodox people and should not have any intimate relationship with each other.

• The baptism of the baby should, according to the rules, be carried out only within the walls of the church. During baptism, both parents read the “creed” prayer, which serves as their proof of the Orthodox faith and observance of the duties of godparents. In their prayer, both parents completely renounce Satan and promise to take full part in the spiritual Christian upbringing of their child.
• It must be remembered that Christianity is a voluntary and conscious choice. So with the choice of godparents, they should not give up their fate and fully devote their strength to this whole process.
• According to tradition, it is believed that if a girl is baptized, she must have a godmother, and a boy - a godfather. The role of the godfather can be asked to play the priest himself.
• Godparents should recite a prayer for their godchild every holiday and at bedtime. It is customary to ask God for forgiveness and blessings every time, wish the child good health and give thanks for every day of life.
• It is also the duty of the godparents to acquaint the child with the Bible and give him communion.
• Godparents should take on the burden of "motherhood" and facilitate the work of the mother, giving her rest.

Ideally, before baptism, both parents should come to church for confession in order to ask God for forgiveness for all sins committed and take communion. Before baptism, godparents need to spend the day in peace, prayer and refrain from any intimate relationship with their spouses. You should also limit yourself in food.

Before baptism, the godmother must prepare all the necessary clothes for baptism:

• kryzhmu - a special diaper
• shirt
• cap (for girls)

The godfather traditionally acquires a cross. The cross must be silver, as this metal is considered pure and is able to attract positive energy. Gold does not welcome the church, because this metal is not from God.

The clothes in which the baby is baptized and the coat should not be washed after baptism. In those moments when the child gets sick, he should be covered with a blanket. It is believed that she is able to heal the baby and give him relief. The mother must keep all the clothes and hand them over to her child for storage already in adulthood.

How to dress for christening in church: dress code rules

The church requires compliance with a special "dress code". Men are advised not to wear too bright and provocative clothes. It is best to wear a long sleeve shirt and trousers. It will be solemn and proper. It is better not to wear a short sleeve, some clergy react negatively to modern T-shirts. Another important point for men is to completely hide all tattoos on the body. They may have a negative meaning and therefore be unacceptable in the church.

Women must follow a more serious dress code:

• The head of a woman must be covered with a scarf and, in no case, with any headdress.
• A woman should not be wearing trousers, she should definitely wear a skirt or dress that will cover her legs at least to the knees.
• Women's shoulders should also be covered, and the neckline should not reveal the chest to everyone.
• Every detail of the godmother's clothes should not cause indignation and condemnation. A woman should make sure that her wardrobe is not defiant: without heels, bright patterns, skulls, chains and spikes. The church is a noble place.

Every godfather must have a pectoral cross on his chest.

What are the rules for baptism?

• The Orthodox Church says that during the rite of baptism, in no case should non-Orthodox people and people of other religions be present. Therefore, before christening, carefully check with all your loved ones about their details.
• The church is a pure noble place. You should go to church with a pure soul and heart. Therefore, if you have conflicts in your family, they should be corrected and communication should be established.
• After the rite of baptism, parents must set the table for their godparents to celebrate the event. It is customary to give gifts to a child in order to leave as many memories of this bright day as possible.
• Baptism can be carried out in person, or you can combine several together. The rite does not lose strength and acquires significance in equal strength for everyone.
• Hair cut at baptism should be kept by the godfather.

Can a child be baptized under a different name?

Modern fashion dictates its own conditions, and more and more often parents give their children unusual names: Viola, Aliana, Milan and so on. What to do in those cases when the church does not recognize the name? In such a situation, the priest offers the child another Orthodox name: either similar to what the child has, or a name dedicated to the Holy Apostle.

In such situations, the child has two names, but only what the church has given gains strength. In prayers and petitions to God, it is the church name of the child that should be mentioned.

Is it possible to baptize a child if the mother is not baptized?

The church says that unbaptized people do not have the right to be within its walls. That is why it is forbidden for unbaptized parents to be during baptism. This whole situation is fundamentally wrong, and before baptizing her child, the mother must herself be baptized. Only then will her prayers gain strength and meaning.

Some churches also do not consider it right for the mother to be near the child during baptism, even baptized. After all, all duties fall on the godmother - and here she is the main one. All this can be understood from the point of view that a child cannot have two mothers at the same time. In such cases, the mother is outside the temple. Some churches allow mothers who do not have bleeding to be present in the temple and observe the ceremony from a distance.

Can a pregnant woman be a godmother and baptize a child?

The Church categorically forbids “not clean” women to be within its walls, that is, those who currently have postpartum discharge or menstruation. But it is loyal and even favorable to pregnant women who decide to come to the temple. Therefore, a pregnant woman may well be a godmother.

However, you should think about the fact that the rite is quite complicated and requires endurance. Sometimes you should stand in a stuffy room for a long time and hold the child in your arms. Whether a pregnant woman will be able to withstand this process, and whether she can afford it, is another question.

Can a child be baptized without godparents?

Some life situations force parents to make difficult decisions about the choice of godparents. It often happens that there are simply no suitable people. In such cases, the church itself should come to the rescue and offer its services. The fact is that any priest can become a godparent to a child.

The rules of baptism state that a child must have at least one godparent who will pray for him.

Still, it is advisable to prepare in advance in order to find suitable people for baptism. Age and social status should never matter, only the desire to share the fate of a parent and the Orthodox faith should move people.

Are children baptized during fasting and Easter?

As mentioned earlier, fasting and church holidays do not become an obstacle to the ceremony. The only exception is the situation when the clergyman performing the ceremony is too busy on the occasion of Easter or any other date. You should always clarify with the priest in advance his capabilities and plans, and only then prepare for the event.
It is best to choose the day before Easter.

Can a child be baptized on a leap year?

Church rules have nothing against a leap year for baptism. Baptism is a ceremony that brings the soul of a child closer to God, and therefore, some worldly conventions should not matter. In no case should you postpone baptism on the occasion of a leap year; the child should be introduced to the Lord as early as possible.

What day of the week are children baptized?

As a rule, baptism can be carried out on any day of the week - you just have to agree with the priest. Most often, churches gather babies during the first half of the week to be baptized in the second half, but they are always ready to make exceptions and hold a private ceremony.

Baptism is most often held on Saturday, as Sunday is overloaded with church services.

The rite of baptism, as a rule, is a long process that requires careful preparation and full dedication. First, the ceremony takes place in a separate room, where the godparents read prayers, and the child is smeared with myrrh and dipped in holy water. As a rule, this action lasts from forty minutes to an hour. The most important thing happens in this room - the child is given a name and a cross is put on it.

How is the baptism of a child?

After the ceremony, held in a separate room, the child is allowed to enter the temple and is solemnly brought into the church. The priest brings the baby to important icons and reads prayers. The priest carries the children-boys through the altar; girls are not allowed to be there. Native mothers are present in the temple and read maternal prayers. It takes another forty minutes.

Baptism of a child: rules for godparents in the church

During baptism, godparents should carefully listen to the priest. He will read those prayers that should be obligatory when a child acquires the Orthodox faith. They are read in the old language, so the exact repetition of some words is not excluded. You shouldn't get lost here. You need not to panic and try to complete the task as best as possible.

During prayer, at the request of the priest, it is customary to spit on the wall three times and blow. Here you should not overdo it and do everything symbolically. Each godparent should help each other if the child does not behave calmly. Baptism is a holiday that should not be overshadowed by a bad state of mind. According to the rules, if a girl is baptized, her godfather holds her, and if a boy is baptized, the godmother.

Who cannot be a godfather to a child?

There are several rules that should be observed when choosing godparents:

• godparents should not be intimate with each other
• godmother should not have periods during baptism
• godparents cannot be people of other faiths
• godparents cannot be the parents themselves

That's all the requirements. You can baptize several times in your life and rebaptize the children of your loved ones (that is, I will be the godfather of the child of the parents who are the godparents of my child) is also not prohibited.

Who should buy a cross for a child's baptism and which one?

As mentioned earlier, the godfather is obliged to buy a cross for a newborn - this is his direct responsibility. The cross must be consecrated, so prefer to purchase this attribute right in the church. If you have already purchased this item in a jewelry store, try to dedicate it in the church in advance.

The cross should be the most common, without unnecessary symbols and meanings. It must have a crucifix and the inscription "Save and Save."

Rules for the baptism of a girl in the Orthodox Church

The baptism of a newborn does not differ much depending on his gender and still requires some nuances:

• The girl's clothes must necessarily have a cap - a headdress that will cover her head, as for any woman.
• It is best to give preference to a long shirt and not dress the girl in a suit.
• During the removal of the cap, you should cover the girl's head with kryzhma.
• The girl is not carried through the altar in the temple.

Rules for the baptism of a boy in the Orthodox Church

• A headdress for boys does not have such a strong meaning as for girls and therefore you can not keep it on your head.
• The father brings the boy not only to the icons, but also carries him through the altar, leaving this sacrament only for the male sex.
• The priest reads prayers, starting with male names.

What is given for the baptism of a child?

Christening is an important date, and therefore it is customary to give many pleasant and useful gifts on this day. Most often, these are clothes for the child, toys or sums of money for which parents themselves decide what to buy.
It is important not to come to the festival empty-handed. It will be most pleasant to receive important things, for example, walkers or educational games.

Not infrequently, one of the godparents gives the child a silver spoon. Most often this is the godmother.

How much does a baptism in a church cost?

The cost of baptism depends only on the church and your generosity. Rarely do churches assign any specific amount and most often simply ask for a voluntary contribution to the development of the church. However, depending on the size and importance of the temple, the amount can range from $10 to $80. This amount includes a ceremony, sometimes paraphernalia, a certificate and an ordered service in honor of the baby.

The godfather must pay for the baptism ceremony - this is his main duty and a gift for baptism to his child.

Video: “The Sacrament of Baptism. Rules"

There are no days when it is strictly forbidden to baptize a child. But those parents who want to conduct the sacrament according to Orthodox canons adhere to certain rules. Since ancient times, the tradition has been widespread to carry out baptism on the eighth or fortieth day from the birth of the baby. On the eighth day of a child's life, the priest conducts an important rite of naming. By the name received on this day, the Lord knows the person and accepts his prayers.

But many still do not choose this date for baptism because of the strict rule - the mother of the child cannot attend the ceremony until the fortieth day from the birth of the child. Until this period passes, his mother is excommunicated from the church for purification, and then a special cleansing ceremony is performed on her, allowing her to visit the temple again. Therefore, the most common date for baptism is the fortieth day of a baby's life.

Attention! Do not forget to find out in advance if another event is planned in the church for that day, because then there will be a lot of people in the church, which will interfere with the sacrament, and the priest may be busy.

Baptism on holidays

Previously, baptism was timed to coincide with church holidays - Easter, Epiphany, Trinity, Christmas, Palm Sunday and others. The sacrament is allowed to be performed on any holiday, but you need to understand that a lot of parishioners visit the temple these days. The child may not be comfortable among a large and noisy crowd. And as noted earlier, the priest may not have enough time to conduct the rite of baptism. Therefore, if you still decide to conduct the sacrament during the holidays, you must visit the church in advance and agree with the priest.

What else do you need to know when choosing a date?

We have compiled a list of what else you should pay attention to when choosing a date for baptism:

1. You need to know that according to church rules, the mother of the child and the godmother cannot come to church during critical days. Therefore, it is necessary to check in advance with your cycle and, if necessary, move the date of baptism.
2. If you are worried about the health of your baby, you can find out the weather for the coming week and choose the warmest day. Some postpone baptism until summer to make sure their child does not get sick after bathing.
3. There are also parents who refuse to baptize their baby in infancy. There is nothing catastrophic about this! Remember, a child can be baptized at any age. Some specifically time the sacrament to coincide with the child's birthday, for example, the completion of one year.
4. Often a day off is chosen for the baptism so that as many relatives as possible can come. By the way, an unlimited number of people can attend the ceremony, it is only important that they are relatives and friends.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of godparents, who are entrusted with the most important mission - to educate the godchild in the faith.

How to carry out a baptism at home?

In some cases, such as illness of a child or parent, or living in a remote rural area, a priest can be invited home and baptized there. Also, this method is sometimes used by those who do not want to take a child to the temple in cold weather. But in this case, keep in mind that the priest may not agree to your proposal. In addition, only in the church does the most important part of baptism take place - the presentation of girls to the altar and the introduction of boys into it. So a child can be baptized at home, but only in the temple does this sacrament take on its full meaning.

Advice! After baptism at home, the priest can be invited to stay at the ceremonial table in order to celebrate the christening.

11 folk signs about the baptism of a child

Signs of baptism by Orthodox Christians were passed down from generation to generation. We have selected the most famous of them:

• Christening clothes should be new, light in color. After all, it is believed that it is in it that the child for the first time appears before God;
• you need to baptize the child early, because after the ceremony he has his own guardian angel, who from now on will protect the baby;
• for the same reason, you should not show the baby to a large number of people before the sacrament. After all, the child is absolutely defenseless in front of everything;
• Saturday is considered the most successful day for baptism among the people;
• pork should not be served on the festive table after christening, it is best if it is rooster or chicken meat.
• godfather and godfather should not be in a romantic relationship, much less be husband and wife. It is best if they are relatives;
• the godparent should give the child a cross for the sacrament, and it is better if the cross is not made of gold;
• it’s good if a wedding takes place in the church before or after baptism. And vice versa, it is bad if it is the funeral of the deceased;
• you should not invite a woman who has had an abortion to become a godmother;
• kryzhma (a special towel for the ceremony) should be given by the godmother. It must be kept for life without erasing;
• if you are buying a cross or other things needed for a ceremony in a church, do not take the change under any circumstances, or leave it in the donation box.

Relying on church rules when choosing a day of baptism or choosing a date convenient for the family and the child is your decision! The main thing to remember is that baptism is a sacred sacrament that will largely determine the future fate of your baby. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for it and take it seriously!

The rite of baptism of a child - video

- the first important event in the spiritual life of an Orthodox person, this is the first step in joining the church. It is generally believed that a child should be baptized on the 40th day of his birth. Although you can baptize earlier or later. But the ministers of the church advise not to postpone the accomplishment of this sacrament for a long time in order to protect the baby in a timely manner.

When can a child be baptized in May?

Choosing the day of baptism, sometimes parents pay serious attention to the date. Is every month equally good for this?

Let's think about why some don't baptize their children in May. This month is considered by the people not the most prosperous for the implementation of any business, especially important ones. For example, they are afraid to play a wedding. The thing is that the name "May" is associated with the word "toil". So they say: "Get married in May - you will toil all your life." Based on this, people who believe in signs doubt whether it is possible to baptize a child in May.

If we turn to the priest with this question, we will find out that the Orthodox Church does not support these superstitions and allows children to be baptized in any month. About which days you can assign the sacrament, you need to check directly with the temple in which you are going to do this. Because Each church may have its own work schedule, its own nuances. Therefore, when asked what days of May a child can be baptized, the church will answer: always.

During Lent and Orthodox holidays, baptism is also allowed. But keep in mind that at this time the priest can have a very busy schedule. In addition, on holidays there are a lot of people in the church, which in turn changes the atmosphere of the Sacrament of Baptism.

Why do some people so stubbornly ignore this spring month, preferring to postpone important matters until later? In order to understand this, we need to look back at the lives of our ancestors. For them, May was a month of serious work - sowing. It depended on this work what would grow and how, and therefore, what the year would be like: full or hungry. Hence the belief that if you spend the month of May on other things, without paying due attention to the sowing of crops, then you will toil, live from hand to mouth. Therefore, all the celebrations (and this is the feast of the introduction of the baby to the church) were planned for another, more free time.

Now people live differently, so it’s up to parents to pay attention to superstitions or not.

So, if you have chosen this month for baptism, then you need to clarify when it is better to baptize a child in May. Here, as already mentioned, there are no obstacles, but you need to clarify the date in the church so that the priest is free.