On what days are the children baptized in the church? At what age to baptize a child?

What do we know about the Sacrament of Baptism, what parents and godparents need to know about baptizing a child, what demands does the Church make for the performance of this Sacrament, on what days does it take place in the church and whether it is possible to baptize a child on Saturday Lazarus?

When deciding on the baptism of a child, parents often approach it formally. Calling a church shop or asking a question on the Internet about the days that children are baptized in the church does not mean preparing for this Great Mystery. To take it, you need a conscious decision and knowledge of the foundations of faith.

On the Sacrament of Epiphany

Baptism is the Sacrament of the Orthodox Church, in which the believer dies for the sake of the Holy Trinity through a triple-three-fold immersion in the water for a sinful life and is born spiritually for eternal life.

Think about the meaning and significance of this Sacrament. Becoming a Christian means spiritually reborn. Accepting Baptism, a person renounces sin, denies Satan (and his deeds) and combines Christ.

A person is accepted into the bosom of the Church, but this is only the first step on the way of the soul to God. And if after him does not follow a new spiritual life and a decisive rebirth, a rethinking of his life, then the perfect action will be only formal and will not bear fruit. All this is said about an adult person, and what is needed for the baptism of children? At what age to baptize a child?

Age of baptism of children

You can decide that you can be baptized only in adulthood, consciously coming to the choice of faith. This is not true. The church has been baptizing children since ancient times, but it is imperative to fulfill some fairly strict conditions.

In the future, children should be educated as Orthodox Christians, participate in church life, taking the sacraments, having mentors who teach them this. For this, there are receptors at baptism, that is, godparents. They give a vow to God instead of a child who can not yet do it himself. They are further responsible for the spiritual education of their godson, and they will be responsible to God for what Christian became the child for whom they vouched.

The question of age, that is, how much to baptize a child, parents must decide. Approaching the choice of the godparents as well as agreeing to become a godfather, you need to seriously, thinking about what kind of spiritual education the child will receive in the future.

When is it necessary to baptize an infant?

On what days are the children baptized? In the church from ancient times it is customary to baptize on the eighth or fortieth day. And that's why.

According to the church tradition, three prayers are read by the priest on the birthday of the mother and child, blessing the mother and the baby who came to this world.

On the eighth day the priest performs the ritual of naming the name. This rite has a deep spiritual meaning. The name affirms our being in the universe. The church in this rite recognizes the uniqueness of a particular person, his personality endowed with a divine gift. According to our name given to us in baptism, the Lord knows us, accepts prayers for us.

The name of a Christian was always considered a saint, therefore there is a tradition of naming in honor of the Orthodox saint, who becomes after this a heavenly intercessor of man. It is the name given to a person in the rite of naming that is mentioned to them in the adoption of the Sacraments of the Church (confession, communion, wedding), with a note in memoirs, with a remembrance in domestic prayers.

On the fortieth day, the rite of the mother must be performed, containing cleansing prayers, allowing her to visit the temple from this day and again be a member of the church. (From the day of birth until the fortieth day, the woman is excommunicated for the time of purification). The rite must necessarily take place in the temple.

These three rites (on the first, the eighth and the fortieth day) are performed at the Baptism, if not performed separately, each in its own time. Therefore, the tradition of baptism is widespread on the eighth day, when the name should be called, or on the fortieth day, when the mother can already come to the temple and be introduced into the bosom of the church with a cleansing prayer.

However, you can baptize a person on your first birthday, and in any subsequent one. The main thing is not to delay or deprive the child of the opportunity as soon as possible to become a Christian and heir to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is also necessary to know that if a child is in mortal danger or is sick, then it should be baptized as soon as possible. To do this, the priest is invited to the hospital.

What are the requirements of the church for the godparents?

As already mentioned, the godparents take responsibility for the education of the godson in the faith and give vows before God for him. Accordingly, they themselves must be Orthodox Christians who understand the basics of faith and live the life of the church, that is, participating in the Sacraments (confession, communion).

In earlier times, Baptism was preceded by a period of announcement - the time that was given to a person to prepare for the great Mystery. In the first centuries of Christianity, this period lasted up to two years. The catechumens - those who are going to receive the Sacrament of Baptism - were instructed in the truths of faith, studied the Holy Scripture and Tradition, attended the Divine Services. Only after a thorough preparation a person was baptized.

At the present time, there is also training - chat conversations, which hold classes for adults who wish to be baptized, and godparents who want to be adopted by the child. Announcing conversations are held at the temples. Most often there are two, but there are parishes that organize longer training.

On what days are the children baptized in the church?

First of all, it must be said that there is no such day in the year in which this sacrament could not be performed. On what days are the children baptized in the church? The main condition is a person's readiness for this. In addition, there is even the possibility of baptism not by a priest, but by any Christian. But this is allowed only if the person is dead and there is no possibility to call a priest.

Our ancestors did this, for example, when the baby was born very weak and the mother, fearing that he would die, bathed him three times with water, with the words of prayer: "The slave of God is baptized (name) in the name of the Father (wash with water), amen, and the Son (wash Water), amen, and the Holy Spirit (wash with water), amen. " Such baptism is accepted by the Church. If the child remains alive, then it is necessary to turn to the priest in order to complete the Sacrament. This, of course, is permissible only if there is a real threat to human life. But you need to know about this.

And to find out, on what days children are baptized in the church, in which it is decided to accept the Sacrament, it is necessary to address this question to the church shop. In large temples, there are usually days specially reserved for this, then Baptism occurs at the same time for several people. In small parishes, it is enough to turn to the priest and arrange time with him. The same possibility exists in large churches, if there is a desire to be baptized separately.

In former times, the day for the adoption of Baptism was timed to great feasts, first of all, to Easter and the Epiphany. Therefore, there are no obstacles to baptize a child to the Trinity, Palm Sunday, Lazarus Sabbath, Christmas or Baptism. The only thing, there can be a difficulty if the priests are busy on this day and simply will not be able to perform the Sacrament. Therefore, in this case, you need to know in advance which days the children are baptizing in the church, or discuss the day with the priest.

Where to perform the Sacrament of Baptism?

You can make anywhere. In emergency situations, as already mentioned, even a layman can baptize. If you choose, at home or in the temple - of course, in the temple, where the Spirit of God is present in a special way. There is also the possibility of performing the Sacrament on an open source (river, sea), as it was in ancient times, as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was baptized. This issue can also be discussed with the priest.

Just do not forget that the Sacrament will be performed anywhere in the faith of the person being baptized or the recipients, if it is a child, and does not depend on the place where it will take place.

How to live after Baptism?

For a true believer who consciously accepts Baptism, this Sacrament is an opportunity already here to join the eternity, to become what God wants us to be. We are all God's children, but after baptism we are closer to God. However, for this it is not enough to just get baptized, a further life in Christ is necessary, participation in the other sacraments of the Church is necessary.

So at what age to baptize a child? It is desirable, as soon as possible. But we must understand that in itself this Sacrament does not guarantee salvation, but is only the first step towards it. And it's good when, after the baptism of a child, the family continues to live in the bosom of the Church, as an example to its child.