The Rite of Baptism

The main act of Baptism is the threefold immersion into the font of water, similar to the immersion into the waters of the Holy River Jordan at the time of John the Baptist. This act symbolizes the three days that Christ was in the tomb, after which His Resurrection was accomplished. In order to vouch for the faith of the infant awaiting this Sacrament, he is baptized according to the faith not only of his physical parents, but also of his spiritual parents.

If the parents and godparents have not received communion and confession within the year prior to the Baptism of the child, they need to do so shortly before this Sacrament. They also need to receive communion by observing a three-day fast (abstaining from meat dishes and intimacy). The child's spiritual acceptors must know the "Creed" by heart. If a girl is baptized, the "Creed" is recited by her spiritual mother. If a boy is baptized, this prayer will be recited by the godfather.

Before baptism in the church it is customary to make a proclamation - a comprehensive explanation of the essence and fundamentals of the Orthodox faith. A general or a private conversation may be held about the baptism, reserved exclusively for the baptized person's spiritual advisors and parents.

Description of the Sacrament of Baptism

At the beginning of the sacrament, the priest lights all the candles in the Temple, walks around the room and reads the prayers: on the day of birth of the child, naming and prayer of the mother (40th day). All this time, the child must be undressed. If it is cold in the baptistery or Temple, it is allowed to leave the child clothed or wrapped in a baby blanket, but with open arms, legs and breasts. During the recitation of the baptismal prayers, a male child is held by the godfather and a female child is held by the godmother.

After the recitation of the 40th day prayer, the mother is allowed to enter the room where the Baptism is being conducted. This prayer is recited by the priest as he sees fit. The mother is allowed to stand in the narthex of the room until the prayer is recited.

After these three prayers are recited, the spiritual recipients and the godchild must face west, toward the symbolic abode of Satan. The priest asks the godparents questions three times, to which they must answer three times. The answers must be given consciously, as the godparents are not responsible for themselves at this point, but for their small and unwise godson, and are responsible for their words before the Lord. After the godparents have given correct and conscious answers, they must recite the "Creed" prayer by heart.

Next, the priest consecrates the oil and water for Baptism, reciting the Great Litany. Before the child is immersed into the font, the priest rubs the child with the consecrated oil and pronounces the Proclamation. Anointing the baby's hands with oil, the priest says: "For the healing of body and soul", anointing the ears he says "To hear the Faith", anointing the hands - "Your hands made me", and applying oil to the feet - "To walk in the steps of Your commandments.  After this prayer, the priest takes the child in his arms and baptizes him, immersing him three times with his head in the font with holy water, turning the baby's face to the east. When the child has been dipped three times in the font, one of the godparents takes the child in his arms from the priest, wrapping him in a baptismal robe. The baptized child is wiped dry and a cross and baptismal shirt are put on. Very light or white color of the baptismal robe and robe serves as a reminder of the spiritual purity that was given to the person being baptized, and that he should continue to keep. From that moment on, the cross should be worn on the body as a sign of faith in the Lord and, if possible, should not be removed. All clothing and objects for Baptism that have absorbed the holy water must be preserved. When the child reaches adulthood, he will be able to understand the value of these items and take care of their preservation by himself.

The sacrament of Holy Anointing

Immediately after Baptism, the priest administers the sacrament of Chrismation, which is never repeated. The priest anoints the child with holy Myrrh, drawing the sign of the cross on the forehead, lips, hands, feet, eyes, nostrils, ears and chest, saying: "Seal of the Giving of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

The cutting of the baptized person's hair

Next, the priest reads a prayer for hair cutting and performs a cross cut on the head of the infant. The cut locks are rolled in wax into a ball and dipped into the font. The circumcision of the hair is followed by words of prayer for the new soul converted to the Orthodox faith, and for the consecrator.

After these actions the priest proceeds to the absolution - a blessing for leaving the Temple and kissing the cross. In the prayer at the dismissal, mention is made of the saint in whose honor the newly baptized child was named by the Church. At this point, the Sacrament of Baptism is considered to be completely complete.

Epiphany

If the baby is more than 40 days old at the time of Baptism, it is possible to perform the Church profession. Before this act, the prayer of the 40th day must be recited, if it has not been recited before by the mother of the infant. Depending on the gender of the child, the effect of the Church Confirmation will be somewhat different. At the beginning of this Sacrament, the priest takes the child in his arms, stands in the narthex of the Temple and marks the infant with the sign of the cross at the entrance to the Temple, in the middle of the Church and at the ambo near the Holy Gates, saying "The Servant of God is baptized". When a young boy is baptized, the priest brings the baby into the altar. After wrapping the infant around the altar to the high altar, he places the baby on the stakes on the iconostasis and then places him in the hands of his mother or godparent. The churching of the girl child concludes at the King's Gate. In both cases, this action concludes with an appropriate prayer and a leave with the cross.

Communion

At the conclusion of Baptism, it is necessary for the child to receive Communion. There is no strictly defined time for this action, so it is not uncommon for the priest to ask parents to come for communion a few days or a week later. This is due to the fact that usually communion in churches is held after the morning liturgy, the time of which in all churches is determined individually. If the child is young, it is possible to come to the Temple at the end of the service and receive communion out of turn. Communion for infants is administered only by the blood of Christ. This should be done at least once a week.