Christening of a baby: rules for preparing for the ceremony, requirements for parents and godparents. All about baptism How many godparents should a child have?

What is Baptism? Why is it called a Sacrament? You will find comprehensive answers to all these questions in this article prepared by the editors of Pravmir.

The Sacrament of Baptism: answers to readers' questions

Today I would like to tell the reader about the sacrament of Baptism and about godparents.

For ease of understanding, I will present the article to the reader in the form of questions most often asked by people about Baptism and the answers to them. So first question:

What is Baptism? Why is it called a Sacrament?

Baptism is one of the seven sacraments of the Orthodox Church, in which the believer, by immersing the body three times in water with the invocation of the name of the Most Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, dies to a life of sin, and is reborn by the Holy Spirit to Eternal Life. Of course, this action has a basis in Holy Scripture: “Whoever is not born of water and the Spirit cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Christ says in the Gospel: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; and whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

So, baptism is necessary for a person to be saved. Baptism is a new birth for spiritual life in which a person can achieve the Kingdom of Heaven. And it is called a sacrament because through it, in a mysterious, incomprehensible way for us, the invisible saving power of God - grace - acts on the person being baptized. Like other sacraments, baptism is divinely ordained. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, sending the apostles to preach the Gospel, taught them to baptize people: “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Having been baptized, a person becomes a member of the Church of Christ and can now begin the rest of the church sacraments.

Now that the reader has become familiar with the Orthodox concept of baptism, it is appropriate to consider one of the most frequently asked questions regarding the baptism of children. So:

Infant baptism: is it possible to baptize infants, because they do not have independent faith?

It’s absolutely true that young children do not have independent, conscious faith. But don’t the parents who brought their child for baptism in the temple of God have it? Won't they instill in their child faith in God from childhood? It is obvious that parents have such a belief, and, most likely, will instill it in their child. In addition, the child will also have godparents - recipients from the baptismal font, who vouch for him and undertake to raise their godchild in the Orthodox faith. Thus, infants are baptized not according to their own faith, but according to the faith of their parents and godparents who brought the child to baptism.

The prototype of New Testament baptism was Old Testament circumcision. In the Old Testament, babies were brought to the temple on the eighth day to be circumcised. By this, the child’s parents showed their and his faith and belonging to God’s chosen people. Christians can say the same about baptism in the words of John Chrysostom: “Baptism constitutes the most obvious difference and separation of the faithful from the unfaithful.” Moreover, there is a basis for this in the Holy Scriptures: “Circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the sinful body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ; being buried with Him in baptism” (Col. 2:11-12). That is, baptism is dying and burial to sin and resurrection to perfect life with Christ.

These justifications are quite sufficient for the reader to realize the importance of infant baptism. After this, a completely logical question would be:

When should children be baptized?

There are no specific rules in this matter. But usually children are baptized on the 40th day after birth, although this can be done earlier or later. The main thing is not to postpone baptism for a long time unless absolutely necessary. It would be wrong to deprive a child of such a great sacrament for the sake of prevailing circumstances.

An inquisitive reader may have questions regarding the days of baptism. For example, on the eve of multi-day fasts, the question most often heard is:

Is it possible to baptize children during fasting days?

Of course you can! But technically it doesn’t always work out. In some churches, during the days of Great Lent, baptisms are performed only on Saturdays and Sundays. This practice is most likely based on the fact that weekday Lenten services are very long, and the intervals between morning and evening services can be short. On Saturdays and Sundays, services are somewhat shorter in time, and the priests can devote more time to the needs. Therefore, when planning the day of baptism, it is better to find out in advance about the rules observed in the church where the child will be baptized. Well, if we talk at all about the days on which you can be baptized, then there are no restrictions in this matter. Children can be baptized on any day when there are no technical obstacles to this.

I have already mentioned that, if possible, every person should have godparents - recipients from the baptismal font. Moreover, children who are baptized according to the faith of their parents and successors should have them. The question arises:

How many godparents should a child have?

Church rules require that the child have a recipient of the same gender as the person being baptized. That is, for a boy it is a man, and for a girl it is a woman. In tradition, both godparents are usually chosen for the child: father and mother. This does not contradict the canons in any way. It will also not be a contradiction if, if necessary, the child has a recipient of a different gender than the person being baptized. The main thing is that this is a truly religious person who would subsequently conscientiously fulfill his duties in raising the child in the Orthodox faith. Thus, the person being baptized can have one or, at most, two recipients.

Having dealt with the number of godparents, the reader will most likely want to know:

What are the requirements for godparents?

The first and main requirement is the undoubted Orthodox faith of the recipients. Godparents must be churchgoers, living a church life. After all, they will have to teach their godson or goddaughter the basics of the Orthodox faith and give spiritual instructions. If they themselves are ignorant in these matters, then what can they teach the child? Godparents are entrusted with the enormous responsibility of spiritual education of their godchildren, for they, together with their parents, are responsible for it before God. This responsibility begins with renouncing “Satan and all his works, and all his angels, and all his service, and all his pride.” Thus, the godparents, being responsible for their godson, make a promise that their godchild will be a Christian.

If the godson is already an adult and himself utters the words of renunciation, then the godparents present at the same time become guarantors before the Church of the fidelity of his words. Godparents are obliged to teach their godchildren to resort to the saving Sacraments of the Church, mainly confession and communion, they must give them knowledge about the meaning of worship, the features of the church calendar, the grace-filled power of miraculous icons and other shrines. Godparents must teach those received from the font to attend church services, fast, pray and observe other provisions of the church charter. But the main thing is that godparents should always pray for their godson. Obviously, strangers cannot be godparents, for example, some compassionate grandmother from the church, whom the parents persuaded to “hold” the baby at baptism.

But you should also not take simply close people or relatives as godparents who do not meet the spiritual requirements that were set out above.

Godparents should not become an object of personal gain for the parents of the person being baptized. The desire to become related to an advantageous person, for example, a boss, often guides parents when choosing godparents for a child. At the same time, forgetting about the true purpose of baptism, parents can deprive the child of a real godfather, and impose on him one who subsequently will not care at all about the spiritual education of the child, for which he himself will also answer before God. Unrepentant sinners and people leading an immoral lifestyle cannot become godparents.

Some details of baptism include the following question:

Is it possible for a woman to become a godmother during her monthly cleansing? What to do if this does happen?

On such days, women should refrain from participating in church sacraments, which include baptism. But if this did happen, then it is necessary to repent of this in confession.

Perhaps someone reading this article will become a godfather in the near future. Realizing the importance of the decision being made, they will be interested in:

How can future godparents prepare for baptism?

There are no special rules for preparing recipients for baptism. At some churches, special conversations are held, the purpose of which is usually to explain to a person all the provisions of the Orthodox faith regarding baptism and succession. If it is possible to attend such conversations, then it is necessary to do so, because... this is very useful for future godparents. If future godparents are sufficiently churched, constantly confess and receive communion, then attending such conversations will be quite a sufficient measure of preparation for them.

If potential recipients themselves are not yet sufficiently churched, then good preparation for them will be not only the acquisition of the necessary knowledge about church life, but also the study of the Holy Scriptures, the basic rules of Christian piety, as well as three days of fasting, confession and communion before the sacrament of baptism. There are several other traditions regarding recipients. Usually the godfather takes upon himself the cost (if any) of the baptism itself and the purchase of a pectoral cross for his godson. The godmother buys a baptismal cross for the girl and also brings things necessary for baptism. Typically, a baptismal set includes a baptismal shirt, a sheet and a towel.

But these traditions are not mandatory. Often, different regions and even individual churches have their own traditions, the implementation of which is strictly monitored by parishioners and even priests, although they do not have any dogmatic or canonical basis. Therefore, it is better to learn more about them in the temple in which the baptism will take place.

Sometimes you hear a purely technical question related to baptism:

What should godparents give for baptism (to the godson, to the godson's parents, to the priest)?

This question does not lie in the spiritual realm, regulated by canonical rules and traditions. But I think that the gift should be useful and remind of the day of baptism. Useful gifts on the day of baptism could be icons, the Gospel, spiritual literature, prayer books, etc. In general, in church shops you can now find a lot of interesting and spiritually useful things, so purchasing a worthy gift should not be a big difficulty.

A fairly common question asked by unchurched parents is:

Can non-Orthodox Christians or non-Orthodox Christians become godparents?

It is quite obvious that no, because they will not be able to teach their godson the truths of the Orthodox faith. Not being members of the Orthodox Church, they cannot take part in church sacraments at all.

Unfortunately, many parents do not ask about this in advance and, without any remorse, invite non-Orthodox and non-Orthodox people to be godparents to their children. At baptism, of course, no one talks about this. But then, having learned about the inadmissibility of what they had done, the parents came running to the temple, asking:

What to do if this happens by mistake? Is baptism considered valid in this case? Is it necessary to baptize a child?

First of all, such situations show the extreme irresponsibility of parents when choosing godparents for their child. Nevertheless, such cases are not uncommon, and they occur among unchurched people who do not live a church life. A clear answer to the question “what to do in this case?” It is impossible to give, because There is nothing like this in the church canons. This is not surprising, because canons and rules were written for members of the Orthodox Church, which cannot be said about heterodox and non-Orthodox people. Nevertheless, as an accomplished fact, baptism took place, and it cannot be called invalid. It is legal and valid, and the baptized person has become a full-fledged Orthodox Christian, because was baptized by an Orthodox priest in the name of the Holy Trinity. No rebaptism is required; there is no such concept at all in the Orthodox Church. A person is born physically once, he cannot repeat this again. Likewise, a person can only be born once for spiritual life, so there can be only one baptism.

Let me make a small digression and tell the reader how I once had to witness a not very pleasant scene. A young married couple brought their newborn son to be baptized in the temple. The couple worked in a foreign company and invited one of their colleagues, a foreigner, Lutheran by religion, to become godfather. True, the godmother was supposed to be a girl of the Orthodox faith. Neither the parents nor the future godparents were distinguished by special knowledge in the field of Orthodox doctrine. The parents of the child received the news of the impossibility of having a Lutheran as their son’s godparents with hostility. They were asked to find another godfather or baptize the child with one godmother. But this proposal angered father and mother even more. The persistent desire to see this particular person as the recipient prevailed over the common sense of the parents and the priest had to refuse to baptize the child. Thus, the illiteracy of the parents became an obstacle to the baptism of their child.

Thank God that such situations have never occurred in my priestly practice. An inquisitive reader may well assume that there may be some obstacles to accepting the sacrament of baptism. And he will be absolutely right. So:

In what case can a priest refuse to baptize a person?

Orthodox believe in the Trinity of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The founder of the Christian faith was the Son - the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, a person who does not accept the Divinity of Christ and does not believe in the Holy Trinity cannot be an Orthodox Christian. Also, a person who denies the truths of the Orthodox faith cannot become an Orthodox Christian. The priest has the right to refuse baptism to a person if he is going to accept the sacrament as some kind of magical rite or has some kind of pagan belief regarding baptism itself. But this is a separate issue and I will touch on it later.

A very common question about receivers is:

Can spouses or those about to get married become godparents?

Yes they can. Contrary to popular belief, there is no canonical prohibition for spouses or those about to get married to be godparents to one child. There is only a canonical rule that prohibits the godfather from marrying the child’s natural mother. The spiritual relationship established between them through the sacrament of baptism is higher than any other union, even marriage. But this rule does not in any way affect the possibility of godparents marrying or the possibility of spouses becoming godparents.

Sometimes unchurched parents of children, wanting to choose godparents for their children, ask the following question:

Can people living in a civil marriage become recipients?

At first glance, this is a rather complex issue, but from the church point of view it is resolved unambiguously. Such a family cannot be called complete. And in general, prodigal cohabitation cannot be called a family. After all, in fact, people living in a so-called civil marriage live in fornication. This is a big problem in modern society. People who have been baptized in the Orthodox Church, at a minimum, who recognize themselves as Christians, for some unknown reason, refuse to legitimize their union not only before God (which is undoubtedly more important), but also before the state. There are countless excuses to hear. But, unfortunately, these people simply do not want to understand that they are looking for any excuses for themselves.

For God, the desire to “get to know each other better” or “not wanting to stain your passport with unnecessary stamps” cannot be an excuse for fornication. In fact, people living in a “civil” marriage trample all Christian concepts about marriage and family. Christian marriage presupposes the responsibility of the spouses for each other. During the wedding, they become one whole, and not two different people who made a promise to henceforth live under the same roof. Marriage can be compared to two legs of one body. If one leg stumbles or breaks, won't the other one bear the entire weight of the body? And in a “civil” marriage, people don’t even want to take on the responsibility of putting a stamp in their passport.

What then can we say about such irresponsible people who still want to be godparents? What good things can they teach a child? Is it possible that, having very shaky moral foundations, they will be able to set a good example for their godson? No way. Also, according to church canons, people leading an immoral life (“civil” marriage should be regarded as such) cannot be recipients of the baptismal font. And if these people finally decide to legitimize their relationship before God and the state, then they, especially, will not be able to be godparents to one child. Despite the apparent complexity of the question, there can be only one answer to it - unequivocally: no.

The topic of gender relations is always very pressing in all areas of human life. It goes without saying that this results in various issues that are directly related to baptism. Here is one of them:

Can a young man (or girl) become a godfather for his bride (groom)?

In this case, they will have to terminate their relationship and limit themselves to only a spiritual connection, because... in the sacrament of baptism, one of them will become the godparent of the other. Can a son marry his own mother? Or should the daughter marry her own father? Quite obviously not. Of course, church canons cannot allow this to happen.

Much more often than others there are questions about the possible adoption of close relatives. So:

Can relatives become godparents?

Grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles and aunts may well become godparents to their little relatives. There is no contradiction to this in church canons.

Can an adoptive father (mother) become a godfather to an adopted child?

According to Rule 53 of the VI Ecumenical Council, this is unacceptable.

Based on the fact that a spiritual relationship is established between godparents and parents, the inquisitive reader may ask the following question:

Can a child’s parents become godparents to the children of their godfathers (their children’s godparents)?

Yes, this is completely acceptable. Such an action does not in any way violate the spiritual relationship established between parents and recipients, but only strengthens it. One of the parents, for example, the mother of a child, can become godmother to the daughter of one of the godfathers. And the father may well be the godfather of the son of another godfather or godfather. Other options are possible, but, in any case, spouses cannot become adopters of one child.

Sometimes people ask this question:

Can a priest be a godfather (including the one who performs the sacrament of baptism)?

Yes maybe. In general, this question is very pressing. From time to time I hear requests to become a godfather from complete strangers. Parents bring their child to baptism. For some reason, there was no godfather for the child. They begin to ask to become the child’s godfather, motivating this request by the fact that they heard from someone that in the absence of a godfather, the priest must fulfill this role. We have to refuse and baptize with one godmother. A priest is a person like everyone else, and he may well refuse to strangers to be their child’s godfather. After all, he will have to bear responsibility for raising his godchild. But how can he do this if he sees this child for the first time and is completely unfamiliar with his parents? And, most likely, he will never see it again. Obviously this is impossible. But a priest (even if he himself will perform the sacrament of baptism) or, for example, a deacon (and the one who will serve with the priest at the sacrament of baptism) may well become recipients of the children of their friends, acquaintances or parishioners. There are no canonical obstacles to this.

Continuing the theme of adoption, one cannot help but recall such a phenomenon as the desire of parents, for some, sometimes completely incomprehensible, reasons, to “adopt a godfather in absentia.”

Is it possible to take a godfather “in absentia”?

The very meaning of succession involves the godfather accepting his godson from the font itself. By his presence, the godfather agrees to be the recipient of the baptized person and undertakes to raise him in the Orthodox faith. There is no way to do this in absentia. In the end, the person who is being tried to be “registered in absentia” as a godparent may not at all agree to this action and, as a result, the person being baptized may be left without a godparent at all.

Sometimes you hear questions from parishioners about the following:

How many times can a person become a godfather?

In the Orthodox Church there is no clear canonical definition regarding how many times a person can become a godfather during his life. The main thing that a person agreeing to become a successor must remember is that this is a great responsibility for which he will have to answer before God. The measure of this responsibility determines how many times a person can take on succession. This measure is different for each person and, sooner or later, a person may have to abandon the new adoption.

Is it possible to refuse to become a godfather? Wouldn't that be a sin?

If a person feels internally unprepared or has serious fears that he will not be able to conscientiously fulfill the duties of a godparent, then he may well refuse the child’s parents (or the person being baptized, if this is an adult) to become their child’s godparent. There is no sin in this. This will be more honest towards the child, his parents and himself than, having taken responsibility for the spiritual upbringing of the child, not fulfilling his immediate responsibilities.

Continuing this topic, I will give a few more questions that people usually ask regarding the number of possible godchildren.

Is it possible to become godfather to the second child in the family if the first one has already been one?

Yes, you can. There are no canonical obstacles to this.

Is it possible for one person to be the recipient of several people (for example, twins) during baptism?

There are no canonical prohibitions against this. But technically this can be quite difficult if infants are baptized. The receiver will have to hold and receive both babies from the bath at the same time. It would be better if each godson had his own godparents. After all, each of those baptized individually are different people who have the right to their godfather.

Many people will probably be interested in this question:

At what age can you become a foster child?

Minor children cannot become godparents. But, even if a person has not yet reached adulthood, then his age should be such that he can realize the full weight of the responsibility he has assumed and will conscientiously fulfill his duties as a godfather. It seems that this may be an age close to adulthood.

The relationship between the child's parents and godparents also plays an important role in raising children. It is good when parents and godparents have spiritual unity and direct all their efforts to the proper spiritual education of their child. But human relationships are not always cloudless, and sometimes you hear the following question:

What should you do if you quarreled with your godson’s parents and for this reason you can’t see him?

The answer suggests itself: make peace with the godson’s parents. For what can people who have a spiritual relationship and at the same time be at enmity with each other teach a child? It is worth thinking not about personal ambitions, but about raising a child and, having patience and humility, try to improve relations with the godson’s parents. The same can be advised to the child’s parents.

But a quarrel is not always the reason why a godfather cannot see his godson for a long time.

What to do if, due to objective reasons, you have not seen your godson for years?

I think that the objective reasons are the physical separation of the godfather from the godson. This is possible if the parents and the child moved to another city or country. In this case, all that remains is to pray for the godson and, if possible, communicate with him using all available means of communication.

Unfortunately, some godparents, having baptized the baby, completely forget about their immediate responsibilities. Sometimes the reason for this is not only the recipient’s elementary ignorance of his duties, but his falling into grave sins, which make their own spiritual life very difficult. Then the child’s parents involuntarily have a completely legitimate question:

Is it possible to abandon godparents who do not fulfill their duties, who have fallen into serious sins or who lead an immoral lifestyle?

The Orthodox Church does not know the rite of renunciation of godparents. But parents can find an adult who, without being the actual recipient of the font, would help in the spiritual education of the child. At the same time, he cannot be considered a godfather.

But having such an assistant is better than depriving a child of communication with a spiritual mentor and friend. After all, a moment may come when a child begins to look for spiritual authority not only in the family, but also outside it. And at this moment such an assistant would be very useful. And as the child grows up, you can teach him to pray for his godfather. After all, the spiritual connection of a child with the person who received him from the font will not be severed if he takes responsibility for a person who himself could not cope with this responsibility. It happens that children surpass their parents and mentors in prayer and piety.

Praying for someone who is sinning or lost will be a manifestation of love for that person. It is not without reason that the Apostle James says in his letter to Christians: “Pray for one another so that you may be healed; the fervent prayer of the righteous can accomplish much” (James 5:16). But all these actions must be coordinated with your confessor and receive a blessing for them.

Here’s another interesting question that people periodically ask:

When is there no need for godparents?

There is always a need for godparents. Especially for children. But not every adult baptized can boast of a good knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and church canons. If necessary, an adult can be baptized without godparents, because he has conscious faith in God and is quite capable of independently pronouncing the words of renunciation of Satan, uniting with Christ and reading the Creed. He is fully aware of his actions. The same cannot be said for babies and small children. Their godparents do all this for them. But, in case of extreme need, you can baptize a child without godparents. Such a need, undoubtedly, can be the complete absence of worthy godparents.

Godless times have left their mark on the destinies of many people. The result of this was that some people, after many years of unbelief, finally gained faith in God, but when they came to the temple, they did not know whether they had been baptized in childhood by believing relatives. A logical question arises:

Is it necessary to baptize a person who does not know for sure whether he was baptized as a child?

According to Rule 84 of the VI Ecumenical Council, such people must be baptized if there are no witnesses who could confirm or refute the fact of their baptism. In this case, a person is baptized, pronouncing the formula: “If he is not baptized, the servant of God is baptized...”.

I'm all about children and children. Among the readers, perhaps, there are people who have not yet received the saving sacrament of baptism, but who strive for it with all their souls. So:

What does a person who is preparing to become an Orthodox Christian need to know? How should he prepare for the sacrament of baptism?

A person’s knowledge of faith begins with reading the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, a person who wants to be baptized, first of all, needs to read the Gospel. After reading the Gospel, a person may have a number of questions that require a competent answer. Such answers can be obtained at so-called public conversations, which are held in many churches. At such conversations, the basics of the Orthodox faith are explained to those wishing to be baptized. If the church in which a person is going to be baptized does not have such conversations, then you can ask all your questions to the priest in the church. It will also be useful to read some books that explain Christian dogmas, for example, The Law of God. It will be good if, before receiving the sacrament of baptism, a person memorizes the Creed, which briefly sets out the Orthodox doctrine of God and the Church. This prayer will be read at baptism, and it would be wonderful if the person being baptized himself confessed his faith. Direct preparation begins a few days before baptism. These days are special, so you should not divert attention to other, even very important, problems. It is worth devoting this time to spiritual and moral reflection, avoiding fuss, empty talk, and participation in various amusements. We must remember that baptism, like other sacraments, is great and holy. It must be approached with the greatest awe and reverence. It is advisable to fast for 2-3 days; married people should abstain from marital relations the night before. You need to show up for baptism extremely clean and tidy. You can wear new smart clothes. Women should not wear cosmetics, as always, when visiting a temple.

There are many superstitions associated with the sacrament of baptism, which I would also like to touch upon in this article. One of the most common superstitions is:

Can a girl be the first to baptize a girl? They say that if you baptize a girl first, and not a boy, then the godmother will give her her happiness...

This statement is also a superstition that has no basis either in Holy Scripture or in church canons and traditions. And happiness, if it is deserved before God, will not escape a person.

Another strange thought that I have heard more than once:

Can a pregnant woman become a godmother? Would this somehow affect her own child or godson?

Of course you can. Such a misconception has nothing to do with church canons and traditions and is also superstition. Participation in church sacraments can only be for the benefit of the expectant mother. I also had to baptize pregnant women. The babies were born strong and healthy.

A lot of superstitions are associated with the so-called crossing. Moreover, the reasons for such an insane action are sometimes very bizarre and even funny. But most of these justifications are of pagan and occult origin. Here, for example, is one of the most common superstitions of occult origin:

Is it true that in order to remove the damage caused to a person, it is necessary to cross himself again, and keep the new name secret, so that new attempts at witchcraft do not work, because... do they cast spells specifically on the name?

To be honest, hearing such statements makes me want to laugh heartily. But, unfortunately, this is no laughing matter. What kind of pagan obscurity must an Orthodox person reach in order to decide that baptism is a kind of magical ritual, a kind of antidote to corruption. An antidote to some vague substance, the definition of which no one even knows. What is this ghostly corruption? It is unlikely that any of those who are so afraid of her will be able to clearly answer this question. This is not surprising. Instead of looking for God in life and fulfilling His commandments, the “church” people with enviable zeal look for the mother of all evils in everything - corruption. And where does it come from?

Let me make a small lyrical digression. A man is walking down the street and stumbles. Everything is jinxed! We urgently need to run to the temple to light a candle so that everything is fine and the evil eye passes. While walking to the temple, he stumbled again. Apparently, they not only jinxed it, but also caused damage! Wow, infidels! Well, it’s okay, now I’ll come to the temple, pray, buy candles, stick all the candlesticks, and fight the damage with all my might. The man ran to the temple, stumbled again on the porch and fell. That's it - lie down and die! Damage to death, a family curse, and there’s also some nasty stuff there, I forgot the name, but it’s also something very scary. Three-in-one cocktail! Candles and prayer will not help against this, this is a serious matter, an ancient voodoo spell! There is only one way out - to be baptized again, and only with a new name, so that when these same voodoo whispers in the old name and stick needles into the dolls, all their spells fly by. They won't know the new name. And all witchcraft is done in the name, didn’t you know? What fun it will be when they whisper and conjure intensely, and everything flies by! Bam, bam and - past! Oh, it’s good when there is baptism - a cure for all diseases!

This is approximately how superstitions associated with rebaptism appear. But much more often the sources of these superstitions are figures in the occult sciences, i.e. fortune tellers, psychics, healers and other “God-gifted” individuals. These tireless “generators” of newfangled occult terminology go to all sorts of tricks to seduce people. Ancestral curses, crowns of celibacy, karmic knots of destinies, transfers, love spells with lapels and other occult nonsense are used. And all you need to do to get rid of all this is to cross yourself. And the damage was gone. And laughter and sin! But many fall for these parachurch tricks of “Mothers Glafir” and “Fathers Tikhon”, and run to the temple for re-baptism. It would be good if they told them where they had such an ardent desire to cross themselves, and they would be denied this blasphemy, having previously explained what the consequences of going to the occultists would be. And some do not even say that they have already been baptized and are being baptized again. There are also those who are baptized several times, because... previous baptisms “didn’t help.” And they won't help! It is difficult to imagine a greater blasphemy against the sacrament. After all, the Lord knows the heart of a person, knows about all his thoughts.

It’s worth saying a few words about the name, which “good people” advise changing. A person is given a name on the eighth day from birth, but since many do not know about this, basically the prayer for naming a name is read by the priest immediately before baptism. Surely everyone knows that a person is given a name in honor of one of the saints. And it is this saint who is our patron and intercessor for us before God. And, of course, I think that every Christian should call on his saint as often as possible and ask for his prayers before the throne of the Almighty. But what actually happens? Not only does a person neglect his name, but he also neglects his saint, after whom he is named. And instead of calling on his heavenly patron - his saint - for help in a moment of trouble or danger, he visits fortune tellers and psychics. An appropriate “reward” will follow for this.

There is another superstition related directly to the sacrament of baptism itself. Almost immediately after baptism, the ceremony of cutting hair follows. In this case, the receiver is given a piece of wax in which to roll the cut hair. The receiver must throw this wax into the water. This is where the fun begins. I don't know where the question comes from:

Is it true that if at baptism the wax with cut hair sinks, then the life of the person being baptized will be short?

No, it's superstition. According to the laws of physics, wax cannot sink in water at all. But if you throw it from a height with sufficient force, then at the first moment it will actually go under water. It is good if the superstitious receiver does not see this moment and “fortune telling with baptismal wax” will give a positive result. But, as soon as the godfather notices the moment the wax is immersed in water, lamentations immediately begin, and the newly-made Christian is almost buried alive. After this, it is sometimes difficult to bring the child’s parents out of their state of terrible depression, who are told about the “sign of God” seen at baptism. Of course, this superstition has no basis in church canons and traditions.

To summarize, I would like to note that baptism is a great sacrament, and the approach to it should be reverent and thoughtful. It is sad to see people who have received the sacrament of baptism and continue to live their former sinful life. Having been baptized, a person must remember that now he is an Orthodox Christian, a warrior of Christ, a member of the Church. This requires a lot. First of all, to love. Love for God and neighbors. So let each of us, regardless of when he was baptized, fulfill these commandments. Then we can hope that the Lord will lead us into the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom, the path to which the sacrament of Baptism opens for us.

Technical problems with ordering

Question: I can’t place an order through the cart, insert personalized embroidery and other technical problems with registration on the site. What should I do?

Answer: You can write your order and wishes by email, call us or leave your phone number, email address via feedback - then we will contact you ourselves and discuss the order. WA and Viber 8-903-121-02-22 are also available during store opening hours.

Question: I want to place an order by phone, but I can’t reach you.

Answer: Most likely, the line is simply busy at the moment, because... We don't have a multi-line phone. You can order a call through feedback, and the operator will contact you during store business hours. We also have a cell phone number 8-903-121-02-22, we call you back for missed incoming calls, you can also send a message to WA or Viber +7-903-121-02-22.

Question: I have a non-standard order, where can I indicate my wishes?

Answer: Please note the comments field when placing your order. Here you can indicate your wishes. When placing an order, the operator will definitely clarify all the details. If you have already made an order without leaving a comment, you can send us your wishes using feedback, by email, or inform the operator upon confirmation (he himself will not ask if there were no comments). Don't forget to include your order number!

Pre-order questions. Price, quality, production, product availability

Question: Who makes the jewelry (crosses, spoons, chains) presented in the store?

Answer: We cooperate with manufacturing companies from the Kostroma region, famous for its jewelry factories and workshops. Our jewelry assortment is represented by products from the Aquamarine and Sokolov factories (silver spoons and gold crosses), individual entrepreneur Monichev, Kostroma region. (silver spoons). Also here you will find wonderful products from the Silver Factory Argent Kolchugino (silver spoons, children's silverware) and Elizaveta SPb LLC (silver and gilded crosses). Gaitans for crosses are produced by Pokrovsky workshops, the Aquamarine plant and IP Ignatova.

Question: Whose production of baptismal clothes?

Answer: We design and sew all garments in our workshop, with the exception of several baptismal dresses from the Russian brand Fleole. To sew baptismal towels, we use either terry cloth or factory-made blanks (rectangular towels 70x130-140, 100x150 cm) from an Uzbek or Russian factory.

Question: I found the same baptismal robe styles at another online store and they were cheaper. Why is that?

A: Typically, brands force partner stores to maintain a suggested retail price policy for their products. Therefore, the prices of online stores for the same product are approximately the same and you can only save money through discount policies or free shipping. The online store you visited violates the rules or forgot to change the price when the supplier’s price list changes, or maybe it’s selling off leftovers. We supply our sewing products to children's stores, churches, and cooperate with other online stores while maintaining the same recommended prices for our products. Therefore, you are unlikely to find our specific models at a lower price than on our website. Most online stores operate from the supplier's warehouse and do not have products in their own warehouse. By contacting the supplier, such an online store will be refused delivery of goods for violating the MRC policy and will not purchase the goods you need from the supplier. You will waste time. The second reason for lower prices for seemingly similar baptismal clothes is banal theft. Even in the world of baptismal fashion, manufacturers look at each other’s ideas, copy patterns, embroidery designs, and decor. When we started in 2011, we developed our own model range and technology, because there were no other specialized productions of baptismal clothing on the market. Since then, we have many competitors who do not hesitate to take our popular models as a basis, sew them in cheaper fabric and sell them at a lower price. After all, in a photograph, especially a professional one, all fabrics look the same - white and smooth, and the quality can only be understood by touch.

Question: Do you have certificates for clothes, spoons and crosses?

Answer: All baptismal and children's clothing is certified and meets European safety standards. Certificates are provided by the manufacturers of the goods presented in our store. For a copy, you can contact our operators or send a request via feedback via email. As for jewelry products, each product has the mark of the assay office, as well as a tag from the manufacturing plant - this confirms the authenticity of the sample of the product. Mandatory certification of jewelry has long been abolished, so certificates as such do not exist.

Question: Is the product in stock as stated?

Answer: All sewing products of our production are in stock or can be quickly sewn within a day if something suddenly runs out. We order jewelry - crosses and spoons from factories and workshops in advance, and buy them back to our warehouse, so many products are exclusive and are simply not available in other stores. The manager will promptly confirm the availability of the product without checking with the intermediary - we are one of the few online stores that operate their own jewelry warehouse. If something is missing (the site is not directly connected to the inventory database and availability on the site is updated manually, so it may be delayed during the season), with our wide range you can easily select an analogue to replace the missing item.

Question: The description of the towels says that the terry is 100% cotton, lush. Are you sure it doesn't contain synthetic additives?

Answer: The products use terry of varying densities from 350 to 450 grams. This is the terry of an ordinary average towel - that is, not like the pile of a fur coat, but definitely not rare! The composition of the fabric is stated by the manufacturers as 100% cotton, while some towels may have a silky feeling that is not characteristic of 100% cotton, from which you expect some roughness. The fact is that to give the towels a marketable appearance, they undergo special processing that does not affect the composition of the product. This is a surface treatment that disappears after the first wash.

Question: Many baptismal shirts are made from linen. Will linen be too hard for the baby?

Answer: The softness and density of flax varies. We sew from thin, softened blouse fabric. In terms of its composition, this fabric is not 100% linen, but a mixed fabric - 45% linen/55% cotton, which gives it important advantages: it is pure white, soft, not prone to shrinkage, its structure is somewhat reminiscent of calico with textured linen sleepwear. But when compared with calico, linen fabric looks richer. If you are still not sure about choosing baptismal clothes made of linen fabric, then pay attention to cotton products - we also have a wide range of them.

Question: How to save money on buying things for Baptism?

Answer: It is not recommended to buy a used baptismal set, because... baptismal clothes must be new. You can buy an inexpensive set of thin calico-gauze or mixed fabric with polyester, without lace, with simple embroidery for about 500 rubles. - such products can be found in church shops or economy-class children's stores. As for our online store, we do not sew products from such fabrics, but we always have shirts and diapers at a discount. Usually these are models with a slight defect (wrong embroidery color, small weaving defect, a spot in an inconspicuous place) or unredeemed items with personalized embroidery. On the website they are presented on the sales page, but the list is incomplete and you need to check with the operator about the availability of the selected item. We can send the photo to WA or Viber +7-903-121-02-22. You can buy items from the sale in the showroom.

Pre-order questions. Composition, dimensions and equipment

Question: My child is larger (smaller) than his peers, how can I choose the right size?

Answer: When choosing a product, pay attention to its card - it contains recommendations for determining the size and measurements of the product of all sewn sizes. You can also ask our operators for advice; they see all the products live. If, even after talking with a consultant, you still have doubts (for example, in the case of a “borderline” age - 3 or 6 months), then we can add two sizes of the product to your order. For a child over one year old, there is usually no problem with choosing a size; choose the size strictly according to height, our products do not run small. If a product has a double size, for example 98-104 cm, in reality this shirt is designed for height 104.

Question: Is it possible to include a cap one size larger/smaller than the shirt?

Answer: Indicate your wish in the comments to the order, as well as the circumference of the child’s head in centimeters. In fact, it is not always necessary to increase the size; many people think that the head is large, but it turns out to be standard. If this decision is justified, then we will be happy to fulfill your request and add a larger cap to the set or add 2 caps to choose from.

Question: I can't decide on the model and size online. Why is there no delivery of products to choose from?

Answer: We limit the delivery of goods of choice for two reasons: our couriers are on foot, so purely physically they cannot bring bulk goods of choice, they have up to 10 deliveries per day. The second reason: maintaining the presentation of the product. When thirty hands have touched the clothes and seven children have tried them on, it is no longer possible to sell it, much less wear it for Epiphany. Therefore, if you have a size to choose from, please do not try on the clothes directly on the child, evaluate them visually or carefully apply them to the baby. As for jewelry, we can easily bring up to 5 items to choose from, because... We work with our own warehouse.

Question: I like the set, but it comes with a towel without a hood. I want the same one, but with a hood and a different color of embroidery.

Answer: Write about your wish in the comments to the order, and we will fulfill it. In this case, the operator will recalculate the order amount. You can also put together a set from different items you like - take a shirt from one set, a towel with a hood from another, a cap from a third, put it all in a basket and sign “pack as a set.” If the products do not suit each other, the operator will warn you.

Question: Is it possible to adjust the product to my measurements, tailoring to order, or other embroidery?

Answer: The figure of a child under 3 years old can hardly be called a figure that requires an individual adjustment, so we do not adjust baby clothes according to the measurements taken by the parent, just take a larger/smaller size, focusing not only on weight, but also on weight , chest circumference. In children closer to adolescence, deviations from the standard figure are possible, full rows appear, and we sew all products to an average fullness for a given height/age. You need to accurately measure your baby's height and chest circumference. If the child’s figure is radically different from the standard or his fullness is different from the average, the operator discusses this point with the technologist. The service of individual fitting or re-tailoring of the product is provided on an advance payment basis, the increase in the price of the product will be 20%, the order completion time is about a week. Embroidery design and product design can also be adjusted, please contact our operator for details.

Question: We are baptizing a boy, do we need to buy a full baptismal set with a cap, although we do not wear the latter?

Answer: You can purchase the shirt and towel/diaper separately. Or indicate in the comments to the order that you do not need a cap, and we will recalculate the amount. The sets for boys also offer a choice of options - with a cap or a storage bag.

Question: Which baptismal set should I choose - with a diaper or a towel?

Answer: After the bath, you accept the baby in a diaper or a towel. This item will become wet almost immediately, and you will need to put a shirt on your child and wrap him in a blanket. During Baptism, neither the film nor the towel will be useful to you, so the choice is not so important. Fathers often ask for a towel, but in the future it needs to be stored, and it takes up a lot of space. Therefore, we personally are inclined to choose film - you can put it in the crib, and then fold it compactly and keep it as a keepsake. The diaper can be warm, i.e. flannel, the baby will not freeze in it even during baptism in winter.

Question: What should I buy for a child's baptism?

Answer: The required minimum of baptismal supplies for a boy: a shirt and what you will wear from the font - a diaper or a towel. A girl may need a headdress, although in theory it is not required for infants (children under 7 years old). You will also need an Orthodox cross made of any metal and a string. Read more about the list of things for a child's Baptism in the article. If a child (over 7 years old) or an adult is being baptized, slippers will be needed.

Question: Why do you need 2 towels for Baptism?

Answer: Usually in church they don’t explain this, they just ask you to bring 2 towels. In short, you use one of the towels for your child as a baptismal one, i.e. after the font, and leave the second one in the temple for various needs. Therefore, the first one can be personalized, with an embroidered Orthodox cross, and on the second one you can save money - buy a simple white terry towel. You can read more about this in the article.

Questions about delivery, payment, pickup

Question: Do you accept payment by card?

Answer: You can pay for your order via card online directly on our website, at the pick-up point in Moscow and to the courier Krestilnoe for delivery in Moscow. When ordering, be sure to indicate the desired payment method, as... Not all couriers have payment terminals with them. When delivering by third-party courier services in St. Petersburg, the SDEK courier service in Russia and in the Moscow region, the couriers do not have terminals; the order can be paid for by card online on our website.

Question: Is it possible to come to you and buy what you need without making a reservation?

Answer: You can, but we do not recommend doing this for some reasons. Firstly, the pickup point is not a full-fledged store. It houses a small exhibition hall, which displays samples of baptismal clothing. And the pick-up point in St. Petersburg is generally an office without a storefront. Our managers are often busy taking orders by phone and via the Internet, and you will have to wait for a consultation. Personalized embroidery cannot be done on site; it must be ordered 1 business day in advance. The full assortment of jewelry is not presented on display. Any number of crosses and spoons to choose from must be ordered at least an hour in advance. Therefore, we recommend making a pre-order so that all products are set aside and you can make a purchasing decision on the spot.

Question: Christening is tomorrow, can I urgently receive an order in Moscow?

Answer: As a rule, the baptism of a child is scheduled for the weekend. And such urgent orders arise on Thursday-Friday. Therefore, if you manage to place an order before the couriers leave for the route (that is, before 9 am on Friday) with a comment about urgent delivery, then your order will be processed in the morning (be prepared to receive a call from 9 am) and delivered on the same day. If the couriers have already left, then make a pre-order and come to our pickup point on the same day! We work according to the schedule indicated in the header of the site).

Question: How can I pay for delivery within Russia if I am abroad?

Answer: You can pay for your order online using a card on our website; most foreign cards are suitable for payment. If the card does not go through, we offer other payment options, such as Western Union transfer, Zolotaya Korona. We do not work with Paypal.

Question: I want to make a surprise and order delivery of goods as a gift. What do I need to do?

Answer: In the comments to the order, indicate your intention, leave your phone number and the recipient (mark whose number is). You can pay for your order using a card online or make a transfer to the bank details we provide. We also sell gift cards of various denominations, both in physical form and in the form of electronic certificates.

Question: Can I send my courier to pick up the order?

Answer: Yes, to pick up your order, tell your courier the order number and the name of the person to whom the purchase was made. Don't forget to give the courier our phone number and address. You can pay for your order in advance or upon receipt - in cash or by card.

Question: Why don’t you send orders to the regions by transport companies, because it’s cheaper?

Answer: We can send an order to any TC of your choice, but to the TC tariff you need to add the cost of delivery services by our courier in Moscow if the TC's address is within the Moscow Ring Road. Often, SDEK courier delivery costs the same amount as the tariff of the cheapest TC + our courier to the TC address.

Question: I don’t want to pay for the order before it is sent, I’m afraid of being scammed, I want to receive the order with cash on delivery.

Answer: The site and workshop Baptism has been operating since 2011, and during this time tens of thousands of orders have been completed. The team of our company is more than 15 people, we have a real address in Moscow and an official legal entity, and believe me, any negative feedback on the network regarding the failure to send paid orders would affect us with losses incomparable with the cost of your order. So don’t worry, we ship everything, don’t forget to promptly report payment and track your parcels with orders, because... There are some problems with postal notices. If you are still worried, we can send your order by mail or SDEK courier service with cash on delivery if the order does not contain items with personalized embroidery. To do this, you need to make an advance payment only for delivery, and pay the rest upon receipt of the order. Be prepared that the delivery cost in this case will be higher due to the insurance cost of the shipment than when sending a regular prepaid package. Delivery services also have a fee for the cash on delivery service. Therefore, when choosing this payment method, you greatly overpay.

Question: Why is there a surcharge when delivering with cash on delivery?

Answer: All details of delivery with payment upon receipt can be found on the Payment Methods page. A markup is a commission that the delivery service takes on top of the cash on delivery itself. For delivery by SDEK service it is 5%; for Russian Post the commission varies from the amount of cash on delivery and is 7-12%. We do not ship orders with 100% payment upon receipt; we always take prepayment for delivery. Several years ago we tried to send orders without prepayments with full cash on delivery - the statistics are sad: 30% of customers did not pick up their orders at the post office, we paid not only for empty delivery, but also for returning orders back. Therefore, we are now working according to the “partial prepayment + cash on delivery” scheme.

Question: How long should I wait for the parcel?

Answer: The Russian Post website states wonderful delivery times, which in reality are longer. And the delivery time for first class, in our experience, does not differ from the delivery time for a regular parcel. Departures from Moscow most often reach the regional centers of the European part of Russia in a week; beyond the Urals it will take 2 weeks. However, if you live in a remote village where mail is delivered by helicopter several times a year, do not expect fast delivery; check the deadline at your post office. Do not forget to track your shipment using the tracking number that the operator will send after sending the order. We cannot track all orders; after dispatch, the post office or transport company is responsible for delivery times. Notifications do not always arrive in the mailbox, and the storage period for parcels at the post office has been reduced to 2 weeks. Budget courier services, such as SDEK, also often fail with delivery. And on New Year's Eve, all delivery services have problems. The deadlines are violated and we cannot do anything. As soon as we send your order and provide its tracking number, you monitor its fate independently and, in case of delays, find out the delivery time directly from the delivery service.

All questions about personalized embroidery

Question: How quickly is personalized embroidery done?

Answer: Personalized embroidery is done on the finished product in one working day on weekdays. If your order is placed before lunch, it will be embroidered today and ready for pickup/dispatch the next business day. If the order requires prepayment, it will be embroidered immediately after receiving the advance payment. On products with lining (towel hoods, double-layer hoods, lined shirts), personalized embroidery is done 3 working days after prepayment.

Question: What fonts are used for personalized embroidery?

Answer: For embroidery on fabric we use a thin, slightly cursive font, Monotype Coursiva. Sometimes we use Mon Amour, it has a monogram in the capital letter. For embroidery on terry products we use fonts with wide letters - Lobster or Boyarsky. Upon request, we use a font similar to the Old Slavonic Ermak, but it only contains capital letters and no numbers. To embroider long inscriptions on terry cloth, we use the more compact font Monotype Coursiva, in this case the inscription should be colored; white color with a thin font will be hidden in the pile.

Question: Why was I asked to pay in advance for embroidery, because I am in Moscow and want to pay the order directly to the courier?

Answer: Most likely, this is because the name that needs to be embroidered is not in the Orthodox Saints, or it needs to be embroidered in Latin, or the name is simply rare. Some of our unscrupulous clients refuse their orders for reasons beyond our control. And finding a buyer for products with embroidery of uncommon names is very difficult! Products sit for years and are eventually scrapped. We take an advance payment only for the product with embroidery, and you give the rest of the payment to the courier upon delivery.

Question: The date of Baptism has changed/they chose a different name instead of the ones already embroidered. What to do?

Answer: We warn that it is impossible to flog the embroidery (this mark is on each product card), in exceptional cases we can flog one number, but it will take 1 day and will cost 300 rubles. If you need to change several numbers or a name, then 2 options are possible: 1) You take the product and rip out the entire date/name yourself, hand it over to us, we embroider a new date/name over the rip-off free of charge. 2) We embroider a new date and name on a new product, provided that you buy back what you ordered earlier.

Question: Why can’t personal embroidery be done on all products?

Answer: We do personalized embroidery on many products; this option is specified in the specific product card. It happens that we can, but forgot to indicate it on the card. Therefore, in any case, ask the operator if it is possible to embroider a name on the selected item. On some items, in particular items with lining, it is impossible to make personalized embroidery, because... this needs to be done during the sewing process, and we embroider in 1 day only on finished products. If you have a few days left and you are ready to make an advance payment, we will embroider on the cut and sew the product with a lining that covers the reverse side of the embroidery; this is usually how personalized two-layer hoods or towels with a name embroidered on the hood are made. It happens that the desired place for embroidery is chosen poorly, for example, we cannot embroider a name on a small cap or yoke of a finished dress, our hoop is too large for such small details.

You can baptize wearing a shirt from your previous child. There are no canonical prohibitions on this. But still, if your financial situation allows, it is better to purchase a new set so that each baby has his own baptismal robes.

Question: Can baptismal garments be washed?

Answer: Any children's underwear must be washed before use, paying attention to labels with information about composition and washing. As for baptismal clothing, it cannot be washed after Baptism, but before it, it must be washed, just like regular underwear. Fabrics in factories are processed many times, there are stages of bleaching or dyeing. Therefore, it is better to wash your clothes, or, as a last resort, at least rinse them in water. And pay attention to the care instructions included in the product - they tell you everything. As a rule, our baptismal products cannot be washed in a machine, but only by hand. After the Sacrament, it is not customary to wash the baptismal shirt, because... droplets of holy myrrh may fall on it during anointing. But if a towel suddenly gets dirty, you can wash it (but preferably separately from other things).

Question: I bought a baptismal set, what should I do next and what should I take with me to church?

Answer: Christening clothes intended for a baby must be washed, following the recommendations on the attached tag, or, at a minimum, steamed well with an iron. After washing, it is important not to overdry the fabric, otherwise it will be difficult to iron it and get its original presentation. It is best to bring the baptismal set to the temple on a hanger or as unfolded as possible, so that the products do not look wrinkled in photographs. Read the article about what to take with you to church for a comfortable ceremony. In short, the things you will need are a warm and beautiful blanket, diapers, napkins, a pacifier or bottle, a baptismal set, a cross on a string, a birth certificate, and godparents baptized in Orthodoxy. In the temple you need to buy candles, an icon and make a donation for the Sacrament. Mother and godmother must wear skirts and cover their heads.

Return, exchange, incomplete equipment

Question: The size didn’t suit me / The christening was postponed, can I change or return the order?

Answer: A return or exchange is possible if standard conditions are met: the product is new with tags, has not been tried on a child, no more than two weeks have passed from the date of purchase, it is advisable to keep the receipt and fill out a return application. Exchanges and returns are possible in our office Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00 (administrator's working hours differ from the operating hours of operators who do not make a decision on exchange/return). A courier in Moscow can come for a return or exchange, but you must pay for the delivery service. The courier does not decide on the return, therefore, in order to receive a refund for the goods, you must come to the office or provide account details for a remote refund.

Question: How can I return an item if I am not in Moscow?

Answer: First of all, you need to inform our operator about the planned return, he will provide the address for sending the return, and send an application to fill out. If your order does not contain personalized embroidery, you can return the products in full within 2 weeks from the date of receipt of the parcel. If the shipment was by mail, you need to receive the order, send it back to us, and provide the tracking number. If delivery is by courier service, you can send the item back by regular mail. After receiving the parcel, we issue a refund for the product. If the product is not defective, we will compensate its cost, but delivery and return are at the buyer's expense. If there is a defect, all shipments (return and replacement) are at our expense.

Question: The order was delivered too late and is not relevant to me, what should I do?

Answer: If the order does not contain personalized embroidery, you can return the product and get money for it according to the scheme described in the previous question. We do not accept products with personalized embroidery or individually sewn back, because... We are not responsible for the performance of third-party delivery services. If delivery deadlines by a courier service are violated, we file a claim with this service and, if this service compensates us for the costs of delivery and return of an order not delivered on time, we will compensate them to you. The consideration of such a claim usually takes more than a month. Please note that the SDEK courier service does not accept claims for parcels being delayed by 1-2 days, and Russian Post does not accept claims in principle.

Question: A defect (or incorrect packaging) was detected, but the courier has already left. What to do?

Answer: In this case, please contact us. If we find a defect, we will replace the product with a similar one or return the money. When you receive your order, you sign for checking the order contents, be careful. If there is no painting and a shortage is discovered after the courier leaves, we check at our warehouse and deliver the missing goods, the second option is a refund (if they were paid for the entire set).

Feedback form

Search line: Name

Records found: 70

Hello, if the baptismal certificate is filled out incorrectly (the godparents wrote their last name first, not their first name), is that very bad? If the child later wants to get married, will there really be such a certificate? Thank you in advance. for answer

Julia

Julia, it doesn't matter. A baptismal certificate is not a state or legal document. This will not affect in any way if he wants to get married.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello, father! my name is Stanislav, I was baptized at the age of 14, now I’m almost 17, but there are some “buts”. 1) I didn’t have a godfather, I received baptism on my own. 2) I learned that Stanislav is not an Orthodox name, and yet I was baptized with this name. The question is, is there a mistake in this, maybe the name is not so important, but the baptism itself, right? I really want to hear your opinion on this, thanks in advance.

Stanislav

Stanislav, don’t be embarrassed about the godfather: the effectiveness of baptism does not depend on the presence or absence of godparents, the Sacrament was performed anyway. And your baptismal name is Vyacheslav, this is the name with which all Stanislavs are now baptized.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

My name is Zhanna, no one in the family remembers how I was baptized. In the 90s I began to become a church member, the priest performed the wedding as Joanna, but it always seemed to me that my baptismal name was Evgenia. Another priest read prayers for the naming of the name. I became Evgenia. So I confessed and received communion. Then it turned out by chance that I was not baptized at all in my distant childhood, in any case, no one remembers this. Our priest (the dean) performed the baptismal ceremony, and during it he asked what name to baptize with. I said Evgenia (I’m already used to it), and then I remembered that I got married as Joanna. Is it really my wedding?

Zhanna

Zhanna, the marriage will most likely be recognized as valid. But I think, in order to clarify this question, it is better for you to approach the priest who baptized you.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

My husband and I, legally married, gave birth to a daughter and named her Alice. Is it possible to be baptized with this name in the Orthodox Church? My husband and I were baptized in the Orthodox Church.

Maria Afanasyevna

Maria Afanasyevna, Alisa is not an Orthodox name, and you cannot baptize with that name. Choose any Orthodox name you like and baptize with it.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello. By the will of God, I have already accepted Christianity. But I didn’t know, of course, that it was not necessary to change the name. I took the name Alexander and chose him as my patron saint. Is it possible for me to be called by my former name (Damir) in baptism in this case? Thank you very much in advance.

Damir

It is not necessary to change your name if there was an Orthodox saint with your name. Unfortunately, there is no saint named Damir. But there are several saints with a similar name, for example, Saint Damian. But since you were baptized with the name Alexander, then from now on, when you begin the Church Sacraments, you need to call this name.

Deacon Ilya Kokin

Hello! Please tell me how to correctly choose a name for a child according to the Saints? If a child, for example, was born on December 25, then should one choose from the names of saints before the 25th or after this date? Is it true that there are several versions of the Saints, and if so, which option is the only correct one? And when can a child be baptized, how much time should pass from the day of his birth? Thank you very much for your answers!

Veronica

Veronica, according to church regulations, a baby can be baptized already on the 8th day after birth. There are only one Saints in the church, there are no “other options”: http://calendar.rop.ru/svyat1/sv.html. Usually the name is chosen after the birthday.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello, father, please advise me how to do the right thing! I lived in a civil marriage with a guy who loved me very much, but when I got pregnant, he left me and went on a voyage (he is a sailor) for six months, when he came, I had already had 8 months, and we started talking. When I gave birth, he came to visit several times, but did not bring or promise anything! Naturally, I registered my son alone and named him Konstantin. When he was 2 months old, I baptized him, when my Kostya was already six months old, his father decided to return to the family, blaming me for making an independent decision to give birth, but since this happened, I must try to start a family. For some reason I went for it. Now he began to tell me that he didn’t like the name Kostya, that he needed to rename him Ilya, and if I didn’t do this, he would leave me! What should I do, and is it possible to rename a baptized child?

Catherine

I washed it and threw it away. He came to sail again... Everything is not right for him. You can't change your name! Think better whether the child needs such an abnormal father, and you need such a husband. Don’t forget to go to confession, you need to deal with your sins.

Archpriest Maxim Khizhiy

Hello, father! I have this question. I grew up in an orphanage. I got there at the age of 8. And I don’t remember exactly whether I was baptized. I remember that I had a cross, which was later lost. I just woke up one morning and he was gone, just a string. I never found the cross, although I searched the entire bed and under it. I cried a lot then. I was about 3-4 years old. My name is Oksana. Therefore, I honor Xenia the Blessed. And I turn to her because she is consonant with my name. Am I doing the right thing? Isn't this a sin? Soon I will have a godson. Should I be baptized before the Sacrament myself? Or not? Since my dear mother once told me that I have a godmother. But I don't remember her. Thanks for the advice! Thank you!

Oksana

Hello, Oksana. You defined the name correctly, “Oksana” is the Slavic equivalent of the name “Ksenia”. Just like “Yuri”, - “George”. Since you remember the mention of the godmother, and the fact that you were wearing a cross, then there is no room for doubt that you were baptized in childhood. The Sacrament of Baptism is not repeated. Acquire a cross, consecrate it, put it on and do not take it off. The main thing is to bear the spiritual cross, which consists of forcing oneself to live a Christian life. God help you.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Good evening. The granddaughter was named Julia, and at baptism she was given the name Julia. Granddaughter is 10 months old. And now my daughter wants to change her name to Alexandra. I'm against it because I don't like a boy's name for a girl. I try to protest by any means, but she already calls her that, even though she hasn’t changed the documents yet. What should I do? Is it possible to change your name after baptism? Thank you.

Tatiana

Hello Tatiana! Unfortunately, you cannot stop a mother from changing her child's name. It's up to her to decide. But for God, in the Church, your granddaughter will remain Julia, because she was baptized with this name. She will receive communion with this name, begin other sacraments of the Church, and with this name you will remember her in your prayers.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

What to do if the child’s name is Ulyana, they wanted to baptize Iuliania, but they made a mistake, and at baptism the priest called her Ilianya (it was my fault, I wrote the name wrong)?

Evgenia

Evgenia, it's not scary. When you go to give communion to a girl for the first time, say her name correctly, and always give communion with this name - Juliana. The child needs to receive communion often, at least once a month, or even every week.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

At baptism I decided to take the name Natalia (my name day was the day after my birthday), the priest agreed. In another church, having learned about this, they were outraged, because the name Catherine is in the calendar, and I could not be baptized under a different name. What should I do now?

Catherine

In vain they are indignant in the “other church” - there is no sin in that. I have encountered such cases. But remember that your loved ones must know your new name, otherwise how can they pray for you.

Archpriest Maxim Khizhiy

Hello, I have the following question for you. My mother was baptized as a child. But now, for some reason, she decided that her name was in honor of the deceased, and this brings misfortune. She somehow crossed herself again in church under a different name. I don't know what to do now. Now she goes to church and always says her middle name. And if I submit notes for her, then I say the first name. You cannot be baptized a second time. Tell me, how can I help her now?

Ksenia

Well, what can you say, Ksenia. Mom gravely sinned against the faith and the Church. The second time the priest could not consciously baptize her, which means she also lied to the priest that she had not been baptized. The second baptism is invalid. Tell her that she must repent and do whatever penance she can. The name does not affect a person’s fate in any way, but belief in magic and the occult does, and in another way - it simply kills the human soul. And, by the way, a Christian name, even if initially given in memory of a relative, is named in honor of a saint at baptism. God help you.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Hello. I have two questions: is it possible for a pregnant woman to baptize her child, and who can she pray for her husband - problems at work, depression, apathy, laziness.

Tatiana

Tatyana, a pregnant woman can be a godmother. However, godparents bear great responsibility before God for their godchildren. Godparents are obliged to always pray for them, raise them in the Orthodox faith, go to church with them, and bring them to Communion. Of course, godparents themselves are obliged to lead a Christian lifestyle, regularly attend church and receive communion. Your husband also needs to go to church himself. A person living without God is much more susceptible to all sorts of demonic influences. You can pray for your husband to the holy Apostle Simon the Zealot:

Holy glorious and all-praised Apostle of Christ Simon, who was deemed worthy to receive into your home in Cana of Galilee our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother, our Lady Theotokos, and to be an eyewitness to the glorious miracle of Christ, revealed to your brother, turning water into wine! We pray to you with faith and love: beg Christ the Lord to transform our souls from sin-loving to God-loving; save and protect us with your prayers from the temptations of the devil and the falls of sin, and ask us for help from above during our despondency and helplessness; Let us not stumble over the stone of temptation, but unswervingly walk the saving path of Christ’s commandments, until we reach those blessed heavenly abodes where you now dwell and rejoice. Hey, Apostle Spasov! Do not disgrace us, who firmly trust in you, but be your helper and protector in all our lives and help us to end this temporary life in a pious and godly manner, to receive a good and peaceful Christian death and to be honored with a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ; May we, having escaped the ordeals of the air and the power of the fierce ruler of the world, inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and glorify the magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello! Please answer the question: can the name of the goddaughter coincide with the name of the godmother?

Alexei

Alexey, it doesn't matter. The names may be the same. The main thing is our life. Our future in eternity depends on the kind of life we ​​spend on earth.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello, I need your advice. Tell me, please, can an Orthodox person cross himself? A person is going to convert to Christianity or change his name given at birth to the name of a saint who is dear to him. Just don’t ask why, answer in principle whether it’s possible or not.

Denis

No, Denis, this is impossible, since in principle it contradicts the most basic tenets of Orthodoxy, as set out in the Creed. Remember, it says: “I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.” Baptism is like the birth of a person; it occurs only once in the entire history of human life, which itself begins with birth and continues into eternity.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! Please tell me what should be done after the child’s baptism, how many and when to go to services, what prayers to read, because the daughter is still small, she is now 6 months old. She was baptized at 4 months. Thank you in advance for your response!

Anna

Anna, it’s very good that you baptized your child in early childhood. The child must receive communion every Sunday. In the church, a lot of children of different ages, including infants, receive communion. You do not have to go to the beginning of the service yet. You can come to Communion itself. The child, of course, can be fed in the morning before communion, but preferably not much. If you overfeed a baby, he may burp after communion. Read morning and evening prayers. There are many different prayers for children. Get yourself a prayer book, you will find it there. I will tell you one prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, hear me, unworthy of a servant (name). Lord, in Your merciful power are my children, Your servants (names). Have mercy and save them, for Thy name's sake. Lord, forgive them all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, that they committed before You. Lord, guide them on the true path of Your commandments and enlighten their minds with the light of Christ for the salvation of the soul and the healing of the body. Lord, bless them at home, at school, on the road, and in every place of Your dominion. Lord, protect them under Your holy shelter from a flying bullet, poison, fire, from a deadly ulcer and vain death. Lord, protect them from all visible and invisible enemies, from all illness, cleanse them from all filth and ease their mental suffering. Lord, grant them the grace of Your Holy Spirit for many years of life, health, chastity. Lord, increase and strengthen their mental abilities and physical strength, which You have given them, Your blessing for a pious and, if You wish, family life and shameless childbearing. Lord, grant to me, Thy unworthy and sinful servant (name), a parental blessing on my children and Thy servant at this time of morning, day, night for the sake of Thy name, for Thy Kingdom is eternal, omnipotent and omnipotent. Amen.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Baptism is one of the important sacraments that signifies the acceptance of a person into the Christian Church. Long before the advent of Christianity, there were ritual immersions in water; this ritual is typical for many religions, because water is the source of life, and the cult of water was among different peoples of the world. There was a belief that after dipping a person into water, he becomes protected from all his sins and returns to a new, pure life.

Today, the rite of baptism is not very different from the rite of baptism performed several centuries ago. As before, so now, the priest does everything.

There are many Christian denominations and in all of them the rite of baptism takes place differently. For example, in the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church baptism is classified as a sacrament. There are differences in the conduct of the baptismal rite itself when this ceremony is performed in different churches. In the Catholic Church the child is doused with water, in the Orthodox Church the child is immersed in water three times, and in the Protestant Church the child is sprinkled with water. And Adventists and Baptists baptisms, as a rule, are carried out in natural bodies of water.

How is the baptism ceremony performed?

The sacrament of baptism was established by Jesus himself. He was baptized in the Jordan River by Saint John the Baptist. It was no coincidence that the rite of baptism took place in water, because in the Bible water symbolizes life (everyone knows perfectly well that a person consists mainly of water), spiritual and physical purity, and God’s grace. Jesus himself did not have to be baptized, but in this way, by his own example, he showed all people that each of them must begin their spiritual life. Jesus Christ himself sanctified the water in the Jordan River, and the priest therefore calls on the Holy Spirit through prayers to sanctify the water in the font.

Most often, baptism is carried out in the temple, but outside the temple it is also quite acceptable. The Sacrament of Baptism lasts on average about 30 minutes to one hour. The priest at the very beginning begins to read prohibition prayers, thus he drives out Satan from the person being baptized in the name of the Lord. After this, the baptized person (or godparents on his behalf) renounces Satan three times, and three times proclaim reunion with Jesus Christ as God and King. The Symbol of Faith is read three times, which contains the entire essence of the Orthodox confession of faith. Next, the Priest sanctifies the water and oil (oil). The person being baptized is anointed with this oil, and this indicates that from that moment he is in the tree of the Church of Christ. The person being baptized is given a name, which must be only Christian. After this, the person being baptized is immersed in water three times. During the first dive, the priest says the following words: “The servant (servant) of God (God’s) (name of the baptized) is baptized in the name of the Father. Amen". Second dive: “And the Son. Amen". Third dive: “and the Holy Spirit. Amen". From the water, the child is placed in a baptismal swaddling cloth, which is called kryzhma (another name is krizhmo or krizhma).

Next, the Sacrament of Confirmation is performed. The Gospel is also read by the Apostle, and during prayer tonsure takes place - the Priest cuts off a small tuft of hair from the person being baptized. And as a sign that the child has already become a Christian, they put a cross on his neck.

Basically, during baptism, the child is immersed in water, but splashing and dousing with water is also acceptable. One person can only be baptized once in his entire life, since a person can only be physically born once. Despite different views in beliefs (even in understanding the process of baptism), the Sacrament of Baptism is recognized by the Orthodox Church only in the Armenian Church, the Calvinist Church, the Catholic Church (Greek and Roman), the Anglican Church, and the Lutheran Church.

What is a holiday after a christening or a baptismal table?

Since ancient times, the ancient Slavs, after completing their pagan rituals, held family holidays. In Christian Rus', they set the christening table on the same day and fed everyone - both guests and beggars. All classes had a tradition of arranging a christening table; the process differed only in rituals and the type of dishes served. Before entering the church, my father usually said the following words to his godparents: “Take the prayerful one, and bring me the baptized one” Leah “Go and introduce your child to the Orthodox faith”. At christenings, the godfather brought bread and bought a cross, and in some cases paid the priest for performing the ceremony. The godmother provided the priest with a towel so that he could wipe his hands after the ceremony, a shirt for the child and three to four yards of fabric.

At the christening dinner, the main guests were the child's godparents and the midwife. They were invited to the festive table and treated to tea and snacks. At this time, the child's father invited friends and relatives to his home to celebrate such an important event.

On the day of christening, the owners festively set the table. At the beginning, cold dishes were served, for example, on a fast day - kvass with meat and eggs and jelly, and on a fast day - kvass with sauerkraut and herring. After the cold one, they served noodles, potato soup with mushrooms, cabbage soup with smelt, which was seasoned with hemp oil - this is on a fast day, and on a fast day - giblet soup (ushnik), milk noodles, noodles with pork or chicken, cabbage soup with meat. Regardless of what dishes were on the baptismal table, the most important dish was always served - buckwheat porridge (millet porridge was served before it was served).

After the end of the holiday, the guests expressed their gratitude to the owners and wished the child many summers and more health. The last to leave were the godmother and father. On the same day, in the evening or in the morning, they were offered snacks, followed by an exchange of gifts. The godfather gave her godfather a scarf as a souvenir, and the godfather, in turn, kissed his godfather on the lips and gave her money. Before leaving, the child’s mother gave the godparents a cake, for which she received a scarf or money (in some cases, soap, sugar, tea, and so on). This is where the holiday ends.

Today, the family christening holiday is being revived. Children will be born in maternity hospitals (mostly), so you should entrust the role of midwife to some relative or very respected guest. This decision is made by the parents of the person being baptized.

Is it possible to give the baby a name before the baptism ceremony?

Can. The parents give the baby a name and register it on the birth certificate. The church has no right to influence the name to be changed. Naturally, when baptizing a child, you can give a church name, which will not always coincide with the name registered on the birth certificate. The registered name will be used in everyday life, and the church name will be used during church ceremonies.

The role of godparents

The choice of godparents must be taken very seriously, because if something happens to the child’s parents (illness or death), then the responsibility for raising the child will fall on the godparents. For this reason, they try to choose them among family friends, relatives or close people. Only Christians can be godparents.

In addition, the child’s godparents must be spiritual successors for their godson. It is forbidden to take non-believers, non-believers and unbaptized people as godfathers. Also, members of cult organizations and various sects, for example, fortune tellers and Roerich followers, cannot be taken as godparents. It is forbidden to take sinners (drug addicts, alcoholics, etc.) as godparents.

According to the norms of Church law, the following cannot become recipients: mentally ill people, minors, nuns and monks, parents for their children, the bride and groom, people who are married (since married life between persons who are spiritually related is unacceptable ).

During the process of baptism of a child, the godparents hold him to the cross in the church. It can also be one person, the girl can be held by the godmother, and the boy by the godfather. If a person is baptized as an adult, then godparents are not a mandatory rule for him, since he can answer the questions asked on his own. The child's biological parents may be in the temple during the baptism, but they should not hold the child to the cross.

Many people are interested in this question: is it possible to marry a pregnant woman, can she be a godmother for a child? Of course you can, there are no barriers to this, since the church is very respectful and kind to pregnant women.

If you have any questions related to the baptism of a child, then it is best to look for an answer not from a neighbor or on the Internet, but it is best to ask a priest.

To carry out the baptism process, the godfather should buy a pectoral cross; the child must wear this cross under his clothes for the rest of his life. The godmother needs to buy a baptismal shirt and kryzhma (white embroidered fabric in the shape of a diaper). In Kryzhma the child is held to the cross. The baptismal attire and the kryzhma are symbols of the fact that the baby came out of the font without sins. The kryzhma is preserved throughout the child’s life. If the child gets sick in the future, they cover him with kryzhma, as they believe that with its help a quick recovery will occur. On the day of christening, the child must appear at the cross clean, in smart and clean clothes and bathed.

When is the best time to baptize a baby?

The Church recommends baptizing a child at an early age. Thus, the child’s original sin is removed, and after that he becomes a member of the church. Jesus Christ had a special attitude. He told his apostles “Let the children come to me and never forbid them to do so, for theirs is God’s kingdom.”. So parents do not need to hesitate in baptizing their child, so that God’s grace may descend on the child at an early age. Immediately after the rite of baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on the child when anointing occurs.

Catholics and Orthodox Christians try to baptize children in the first months of their life, sometimes even in the first days of birth. Protestants perform baptism only in adulthood. They argue that at a young age a child is not able to understand the Sacraments of Baptism, but his soul is capable of receiving the grace of the Holy Spirit. It also happens that a child’s early death occurs, so you should not delay baptism, as there is a risk of leaving the baby without God’s protection and his path to salvation will be cut off.

Basically, all parents take care of their child, they want their child to be physically healthy and not get sick, they give him all sorts of vaccinations, so what prevents them from thinking about the immortality of the soul of their child?

Baptism can also be carried out in adulthood, if for some reason it was not carried out in infancy. In this case, the person must undergo catechesis. After this, the original sin of an adult and all other sins will be removed.

How to carry out baptism correctly: immerse the child in water or pour water over him?

The Holy Letter does not say how much water is needed for baptism. Water is a symbol of life and a sacrament of baptism.

Simply pouring or completely immersing in water during baptism is the tradition of the church.

There are churches that have special baptismal places where children are baptized, and even an adult can fully enter the water there.

What you need to purchase for baptism

If it is not the first child who is baptized, then in order for the brothers and sisters to love each other very much and be very friendly, subsequent children are baptized in the shirt in which the first-born was baptized.

Even though there are many different religions, they all have almost the same Baptism Ceremony. Basically, a baptismal cover or a baptismal set is purchased for a child. In some cases, they also purchase a special bag in which the child’s cut hair, a satin bracelet or boutonniere, and a satin-covered Bible will be stored in the future.

Christian Responsibilities of Godparents

Godparents must:

• Be a role model;
• Regularly prays for his goddaughter or godson;
• Teach your goddaughter or godson to fight evil and believe in Christ;
• Help her or him to grow with faith in the heart in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

If the godparents live far from their cross and see it very rarely, then they need to maintain contact in some way - call each other, write letters. The child must feel the care of his godparents, and he must also understand that they are very important people in his life. It is advisable that the godparents be present at the child's first communion.

The godmother and father are very important people both in the baptismal ceremony and in the life of the child.

Even in pre-Christian Rus' there was a ritual of nepotism, a child was bathed in a lake, river or in a wooden trough. The child was bathed in a pond, swaddled and given a name. In parallel with this, religious ceremonies were carried out. There were two, three, and four Kumovyevs. In the event of illness or death of parents, they took responsibility for raising the child.

Baptismal attire, baptismal shirt, baptismal dress

The most important element in the baptism process is the baptismal attire, a shirt or dress. He is mainly chosen in advance by the baby's godmother. When choosing, you need to focus on the fact that the outfit is pleasant to the touch and soft, then the baby will behave well in church.

Kryzhma. Kryzhma is a relic that is preserved for many years. Kryzhma is an openwork white diaper that has never been washed; at baptism, a baby is received from the baptismal font in the kryzhma. During baptism, the kryzhma must be present; it is the main attribute of christenings. Very often, the date of the baby’s baptism and his name are embroidered on the corner of the kryzhma. Kryzhma should also be bought by the child’s godmother. Kryzhma is endowed with miraculous powers of healing a baby if he suddenly gets sick.

How to choose a baptismal outfit

This is the second outfit in a mother’s life, the choice of which she treats with such reverence and love. The first such outfit was most likely the mother's wedding dress. One way or another, we want to help you choose a high-quality baptismal outfit that will be passed down from generation to generation.

Finding a baptismal outfit is not difficult, because today the market offers us a huge selection of this baptismal attribute. The problem is that it is a little difficult to find exactly the kind of baptismal outfit that will suit your baby, will please you, will make the baptism ceremony exquisite, the cost of which will fit within your budget.

Therefore, when choosing a baptismal attire, it is worth considering the following:

1. Modern or traditional? The style of the baptismal attire plays a significant role. It is important to decide whether you want to buy something modern for your child, or whether you want to baptize him in his own outfit, which your parents have kept for many years. It's worth asking yourself some questions. Do you want your baby to be baptized in a traditional christening gown, or do you want it to be a modern satin suit? Want something exclusive? Do you want an outfit in the national style?

   Whatever style you choose, you need to make sure that your child is very comfortable in it, and that it is convenient for you to dress up your child. You need to pay due attention to the fabric from which the baptismal attire is made. The fabric should only be natural so that the child is comfortable and his body can breathe. An excellent choice would be fabrics such as 100% silk, satin, linen, satin (cotton). These are the fabrics that are always used for newborns, so this should not be an exception for baptismal attire.

   The christening outfit should be comfortable, soft, made of high quality fabric, and the outfit should also be gentle and pleasing to the eye.

1. Size. In order for the baby to be comfortable in baptismal clothes, you need to pay attention to the fact that the baptismal shirt is spacious enough. It is very important that the outfit does not put pressure on the baby’s skin or rub it when moving. When choosing an outfit, you should refer to the size chart; it usually gives the dimensions according to the baby’s body without any allowances.
2. Details. Details such as buttons should not be ignored. They must be sewn very tightly and match the color of the outfit. It is also worth paying attention to how long the ribbons on the outfit are, whether the buttons on the outfit are difficult to unfasten, how the lining is sewn: with seams to the baby’s body or with seams inward?
3. Color. Among baptismal outfits, white outfits are considered the most popular. But you don’t have to choose this particular color. You can choose an outfit of a different color for your baby. It should depend on what you want it to symbolize for your baby. It should be taken into account that white color is a symbol of youth and purity.
4. Season. When choosing a baptismal outfit, you need to take into account the time of year. If it’s sunny and warm outside, summer or spring, then naturally you need to choose an outfit with short sleeves. If the child’s christening is planned for the cold season, then you need to choose a warm hat, a warm fur coat or sweater, or a cotton-lined kryzhma.
5. Accessories. In the world of children's accessories, you can get confused, there is such a large selection of everything. In order not to buy anything unnecessary, you should know what you will need at a minimum: a bib, booties and a hat. If you plan to baptize a child in the cold season, then you will also need a lined kryzhma, a fur coat or a warm sweater.

What is the best gift for a christening?

Practical or traditional: Most traditional christening gifts are not practical. A common traditional gift for a godmother is a christening shirt or kryzhma - a white openwork diaper. Traditionally, the godfather should present a silver spoon at a christening. If you are going to be the godparents of a child, then you should think about the fact that your gift for the baby should have a special meaning. You can also think about a gift that will be useful to the child when he becomes an adult. This could be a set of silverware, or you could open a small savings account for it in a bank. Ordinary christening guests can give clothes, books, and toys.

Silver - if you are a guest and are thinking of giving your child some jewelry for christening, then it is best to opt for silver items, since silver is the tradition of christening gifts.

silver spoon. It will be very good if you give a set of 12 silver spoons, as they symbolize the 12 apostles. If your budget cannot afford to give you such a gift, then you can opt for 4 silver spoons or even one. On the spoon you can engrave the name of the saint on whose day the baby was born or after whom he was named. A silver spoon is a symbol of prosperity.

Silver mug. Jesus Christ drank from a silver cup at his last supper. As a gift, the cup symbolizes that the baby's soul is empty and that it is waiting to be filled with purity and the holy spirit. For Catholics, a silver mug is a mandatory gift for the godfather's christening, since it is from this mug that the baby is poured with water.

A popular christening gift is the Bible or a set of books with religious themes. You can give something personal, for example, embroider his name on the child's clothes, or engrave the baby's initials on silver or gold jewelry.

Gifts most often given at christenings:

• Money;
• Silver;
• Ribbon or chain for a cross;
• Photo album with the baby's name;
• Silver or gold bracelet with name engraved;
• Earrings;
• Cross;
• Cloth;
• Bible;
• Books on religious topics;
• A set of books for the future;
• Fairy tales;
• Soft toys or simple toys.

Baptism certificate

Before the baptismal ceremony, check with the church to see if they have a baptismal certificate, because it can be kept for many years for pleasant memories. If the church does not have such certificates, then do not be upset, as you can purchase them yourself.

Such certificates can be purchased for both the baptized person and the godparents, with a description of their responsibilities. Many temples will have photographers at your service who can capture this unforgettable event for a fee.

From baptism to wedding

For boy boutonniere. A boutonniere is a small beautiful bouquet for a boy, made of snow-white flowers, which over time becomes part of the wedding bouquet that clings to the groom’s wedding suit.

For girl bracelet. This tradition is common in Europe. For a girl, they choose a beautiful bracelet made of white pearls, put it on the girl’s hand and keep it until the girl gets married. On the wedding day, such a bracelet becomes part of the jewelry on the bride’s wedding dress.

Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments of the Orthodox Church. During the Sacrament of Baptism, a person is immersed in water three times while the priest reads the prayer “The Servant of God is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is the birth of a person into Eternal Life, this is his path to Salvation. An unbaptized person, according to Christian teaching, cannot reach the Kingdom of Heaven. Orthodoxy is practiced from birth (according to ancient tradition, children were baptized on the 8th day after birth) according to the faith of their parents. What this means is that if a child was born into an Orthodox family, then he will be raised in line with the Orthodox faith.

When can a child be baptized?

A child can be baptized on any day; church canons do not contain any prohibitions. However, parents should go to the temple in advance and ask the priest when they can baptize their child. It may happen that on the day that the parents have planned, baptism in the temple is impossible due to some technical reasons.
According to ancient tradition, a child is baptized on the 40th day after his birth. However, there are no specific rules in this matter; each parent has the right to decide this issue independently. You just need to understand that the sooner a child enters the fold of the Orthodox faith, the better it will be for his soul.

How many godparents can a child have? Who can't be a godfather?

In general, according to the Russian Orthodox tradition, if a boy was baptized, the parents invited one godfather to him, if a girl, then a godmother. Now, as a rule, a child has both a godfather and a godmother.
Only a person who has reached the age of majority can be taken as a godparent. Spouses cannot be godparents to one child, and a husband cannot be godfather to his wife and vice versa.
Another most important fact is that people who adhere to any other faith (Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Protestants, Jews) cannot be godparents of a child baptized in Orthodoxy. This is due to the fact that godparents are the spiritual parents of the child, who must teach him the basics of faith and instill love for Christ. And, of course, representatives of other religions will not be able to teach a child Orthodoxy.
Also, people who live in the so-called "civil" marriage, which is not officially registered. The Orthodox Church does not recognize any civil marriages, considering such cohabitation to be fornication and sin. It is clear that people living in sin cannot become godparents.
Godparents can be grandparents, uncles and aunts, sisters and brothers of the baptized baby. A priest can also be a godfather (often in the past this was the case, it was the priest who became the godfather of the one he baptized). In any case, you must definitely ask the priest if he wants to become your child’s godfather, and not just present him with a fait accompli.
It is clear that the godfather must be a spiritually mature person. The one who himself lives according to the commandments of Christ, and who can teach the faith to his godson.

What gifts should be given to godparents?

Previously, there were certain traditions, according to which the godfather paid for the rite of Baptism itself, and also bought a cross for the baby, and the godmother cooked baptism set, which included a baptismal shirt or dress, caps, socks, and a towel (kryzhma).
There are no specific rules now. You can give various spiritual books, children's Bibles, you can buy a commemorative gold or silver spoon or mug for the child. Currently, the ancient tradition has begun to be revived, to give the child being baptized a measured icon, which depicts a patron saint bearing the same name that the child receives during Baptism. Such an icon is kept in the child’s room, and from a very young age the child is taught to believe. Under the guidance of his godparents, he learns to pray to Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, and his patron - protector, who will always help.

What should you do before Baptism?

It is advisable for parents, as well as godparents, to confess to a priest before Baptism. And also be sure to attend the conversations that are held in many churches before the Sacrament of Baptism. At home, you need to read the Holy Scriptures; you can fast for 2-3 days before the day of Epiphany. You can read other spiritual books, as well as prayers before Baptism. It is important to avoid sinful thoughts and actions during these days. To the best of your ability, cleanse yourself spiritually and physically. For those who do not know, it is advisable to learn the “Creed.” It is this prayer that the godparents read during Baptism and renounce Satan on behalf of the child.
You should come to church in modest clothing; it is advisable to avoid both bright colors and black. A skirt and scarf are required for women. We should not forget that godparents, as well as all other guests, must have a consecrated cross around their necks. Without this, the priest will not allow you to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, because the cross is the basis of the Orthodox faith.