Agreeing to become a godmother, a woman must understand that she will have to take responsibility for raising her godson / goddaughter in the spirit of Orthodoxy, setting an example of a pious life. Therefore, the proposal should be taken seriously, assessing the possibility of implementing the assigned mission.
How to prepare your future godmother for the rite of baptism
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The future godmother must be baptized in Orthodoxy, know the basics of the Christian faith, observe church laws, and also undergo some preparation for the sacrament. How to pass an interviewAfter setting the date of the christening and agreeing it with the priest of the godmother, it is imperative to attend the catechumens with the godfather and receive the blessing of the priest for a bright mission. Usually such interviews are assigned one or two, in some cases - three to five. Some temples, after listening to preparatory lectures and passing exams, practice issuing certificates or certificates of passing catechumens. During the classes, the priest talks about the rite of Baptism itself, and also explains the meaning of the Orthodox faith in general. Godparents, at a minimum, need to familiarize themselves (if this has not been done before) with the text Holy Scripture New Testament and learn basic Orthodox prayers. |
Fasting, confession and communion
During the preparation period, the recipients need to attend a church service, confess (repent of their sins) and take communion. Three days before the sacrament of baptism, observe a fast: do not eat food of animal origin, refrain from marital relations, foul language and entertainment events. On the day of baptism, you must come to church on an empty stomach. Such preparation will allow the godmother to participate in the first communion of the godson / goddaughter and take communion with him / her.
What prayers do you need to know
Mandatory for godmother, like any believing Christian, is the knowledge and understanding of prayer, which is a summary of the main tenets of the Orthodox dogma. Saying this prayer, instead of the baptized, the godparents recognize faith in the Lord God, the creator of heaven and earth, his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
It is also necessary to learn the prayers “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”, “King of Heaven”.
How to dress properly
The appearance of the godmother in the temple should be modest and neat. But gloomy clothes should not be chosen, since baptism is a bright holiday. The best solution will become pastel shades: milky, beige, lavender. In addition, light-colored clothes look more solemn in photographs.
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Is it possible to be a godmother on critical days
It is necessary to coordinate the date of baptism with the parents of the child so that it does not coincide with the days of her monthly cleansing, since during this period a woman is not allowed to participate in church sacraments. If menstruation came unexpectedly, then you can’t hide this fact, it’s better to ask the baby’s parents to reschedule the baptism.
In the case when it is impossible to shift the date, it is necessary to talk with the priest and discuss the possibility of participating in the baptism.
- In most cases, priests are allowed to be present in the church and simply observe the ceremony, while the godmother is indicated on the baptismal certificate.
- In some churches, the godmother is admitted to the ceremony with the proviso that she cannot accept the child from the font, hold him in her arms and kiss the icons. It is allowed to pronounce traditional vows, to pray.
What are the duties of the godmother during the sacrament
At the christening of a girl
The duties of the godmother at the baptism of a girl are more, since it is she who is considered the main recipient. She will have to take the goddaughter from the font and hold her in her arms until the end of the sacrament.
The godmother will also need to undress the child for dipping in the font and then dress in a baptismal shirt. Some churches have changing tables, but with a general baptism of several children, everything will have to be done on weight. In this case, it is good to have experience of communicating with young children, to be able to calm a crying baby.
At the baptism of a boy
The godfather takes the boy from the font and holds him in his arms throughout the ceremony. The father may ask the godmother to read the “Symbol of Faith” prayer.
Responsibilities of a godmother after baptism
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The very first thing that a godmother needs to do after baptism is to constantly pray for her godchild / goddaughter at church services, submit health notes, mention in morning and evening prayers said at home. An already grown up baby needs to be taught by example piety, mercy, kindness, together with his parents, begin to accustom him to regular visits to the temple, reading Orthodox literature, to acquaint him with church calendar. It is also a duty to teach the child how to pray, fast, resort to saving sacraments - confession and communion. The godmother must remember the date of the christening and every year congratulate the godchild / goddaughter on Angel Day, take the child to the temple on this day, light candles for health. Gifts for this holiday are best prepared with a spiritual meaning. |
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Not only in childhood, but also in adulthood, the godmother should take part in the fate of the godson / goddaughter, instructing on the true path, helping with a kind word, advice, supporting in various life situations.
Photos provided
Baptism is an important family and spiritual event. And despite the fact that a person goes through this ceremony only once in his life, over the centuries the process has acquired many traditions and signs. They did not bypass the attire of guests and relatives.
Baptism is primarily a church event. Therefore, the clothes of those present at the sacrament of baptism must comply with the requirements of the church. Do not neglect this rule if the baptism itself takes place at home. After all, your appearance must match the sanctity and magic of the moment. But at the same time, this is a celebration, and you need to dress festively and elegantly, black and gray tones are completely inappropriate here. Women in the temple can wear a dress or a blouse with a skirt, but trousers, and even more so jeans, are completely inappropriate in the church. It is advisable to choose plain light-colored clothes. The dress or blouse must be sleeved, without a deep neckline. Length - to the knees or longer. If the top of your outfit does not quite meet the requirements of the church, then you can put on a jacket or jacket. It is standardly accepted that a woman should come to the temple in closed shoes without a heel. But this rule is not very strict, and such shoes do not always look beautiful with a dress, so you can wear shoes with a small heel. Natural makeup is not prohibited and even encouraged. After all, you should be beautiful during the holiday and look with love at the photos after the event. Girls always enter church with their heads covered. Take care of the headdress in advance so that a hastily chosen item does not spoil the whole image. You can classically use a headscarf or scarf, or you can wear a hat, as royals do during christenings. The requirements for men's clothing are somewhat less. But this does not mean that you can come to the holiday in casual clothes. A suit or trousers with a shirt is what you need for such an event. In choosing colors, you need to focus on the same rules as when drawing up a women's outfit. Drawing in clothes may be present, but not catchy or flashy. But it is better to choose a tie to match the holiday - more fun, but still without bears or ducks. If a classic style if you don’t like it, then for further celebration after the official part, you can take a change of more comfortable clothes. The clothes of the little guests should also correspond to the celebration. A dress is suitable for a girl, and trousers with a shirt or golf for a boy. When choosing an outfit Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to the comfort of the child, because there is absolutely no need for him to distract you or other guests from the ceremony. Girls do not cover their heads. And shoes for kids can be open. Recent times it became fashionable to use folk motifs. Baptism is an ancient Russian custom. Therefore, to give a special flavor to the holiday, relatives and guests can dress up in clothes with folk ornaments. Such an outfit is beautiful, original and meets all the requirements of the church. And finally, a few general recommendations:- All visitors to the temple must be with a consecrated pectoral cross.
- Godparents should think about a change of clothes: a naked godson can give you an unexpected "gift".
- Turn off your phone completely. Thanks to the special acoustics in the temples, even a vibrating alert is perfectly audible.
- Don't overdo it. You will be in the company of a newborn and young children who may have allergic reactions to perfume.
Christening is milestone in the life of a little man and his parents. Share this joyful event with them and become part of the spiritual birth.
At the godparents must be pectoral crosses. Clothes for the godmother should be neat and not cause embarrassment to those present in the temple. A stole, scarf or scarf for the godmother is required. The skirt, dress or suit must cover the shoulders and cover the knees. The height of the heel of shoes can be any, but it is difficult to stand 40 minutes (so long the Sacrament of Baptism lasts) in high heels. From repeated experience, it is known that children in other people's hands are capricious and can pull hair or beads. Also with a brooch or massive jewelry - it can injure a child. When going to baptize a child, one should not use perfumes or deodorants with a pronounced smell. This can not only irritate the baby, but during the chrismation the aroma of the world will not be felt!
The godfather on the day of christening should dress cleanly and solemnly. In clothes, it is better to avoid T-shirts in bright colors or with ambiguous prints and inscriptions. It is also better not to wear sneakers, sneakers and jeans. It is not customary to wear a tie to the temple - baptism is not an official reception. In the temple, you will need to hold the baby in your arms, wear a simple shirt that does not restrict the movement of your hands or a sweater.
This question is asked by many parents who baptize their first child. The child is still so small that it is difficult to find something comfortable and, at the same time, warm, something that can be easily removed from the baby and put back on.
What to consider when choosing clothes
During the sacrament, the priest will cut off a small tuft of the baby's hair, you need to be able to quickly remove the cap.
If baptism is performed with full immersion, then you will need to remove all clothes from the baby, and then, taking him in a baptismal towel, quickly dress him.
After baptism, the baby will be anointed: the priest will anoint the hands, legs, chest, forehead, nose, ears, eyes of the baby with myrrh, so you should not wrap yourself too much after baptism: not everything is over yet. After chrismation and prayer, the myrrh is washed off with a special sponge: after that, you can already close the baby.
What clothes are suitable for baptism
For the baptism of a baby, loose clothing is suitable that does not require much time to dress: a vest with laces, a hat or cap with ties, panties without galoshes. Button-on overalls that have become familiar to parents are not suitable: it takes a lot of time to fasten and unfasten them, and it is very difficult to fasten the buttons when the baby is crying. To prevent the child from being cold, it can be wrapped in a diaper or blanket.
Today you can choose special clothes for the baptism of an infant - a set for the baptism of a boy or a girl. In the store on the site, the baptismal set for a boy consists of an undershirt or a long dress, a diaper, a bonnet, booties and sometimes panties. A christening set for a girl includes a dress, booties, a bonnet or bandage and a diaper. All clothes in the sets are very beautiful and comfortable, easy to put on and take off, made with love from natural materials.
When to dress your child in christening clothes
It is best to dress the child in a baptismal set at home, you can put on a blouse, overalls, and, if necessary, a warm hat. It will be possible to leave only the baptismal kit and diapers in the temple and wrap the baby in a blanket. In extreme cases, if it is very cold in the temple, you can dress the child warmly, undress only for baptism, after immersion, change him into a baptismal shirt or dress until anointing, wrap him in a blanket. After washing off the world, you can “warm up” again.
At the sacrament of baptism, the priest will tell you what he will do, make the necessary explanations and wait until you dress or undress the baby, so do not worry if you do not know something.
01.03.2014
Baptism is an important church ritual that helps a child or adult become a member of the Church. This event plays one of the important roles in the life of both Catholics and Orthodox. If a woman goes to church to baptize her child or godmother then she must choose the appropriate clothing.
What can be worn to the rite of baptism in the church for women
Good for visiting the temple long dress or a skirt. Clothing should be modest with no cutouts or short sleeves. Pants and short skirts may not be worn to church. The color of the clothes does not matter, but it is still better if they are neutral shades. In addition, according to church rules, a woman cannot enter the temple with her head uncovered, so it is necessary to wear either a headscarf or a scarf.
It is best to visit the walls of the temple without bright makeup, especially lipstick. The rite includes kissing the cross by the godmother, and it is strictly forbidden to do this with painted lips. It is also impossible to wear jewelry in the form of bracelets, massive earrings, beads and other things, there must certainly be only a cross around the neck. To fully feel the rite, you need to feel comfortable and not be distracted by clothes. So, you need to go to church:
- in modest clothes, but not trousers;
- with a covered head and a cross;
- no make up;
- without decorations.
What clothes can a child wear to baptism
According to tradition, the future godmother should take care of the child's outfit. The clothes for the ceremony should be new and it is desirable that its color be white or light colors. The outfit should provide that the arms, as well as the legs of the baby, will need to be bare for spreading. For girls, a light-colored dress and a scarf are suitable, and for boys, a suit or shirt. If the rite is subjected to infant, then it must be wrapped with kryzhma. It can be a white diaper or a towel with symbolic embroidery.
What clothes are suitable for baptism for an adult
If an adult has decided to undergo the rite of baptism, then he needs to purchase a long shirt or a loose-fitting shirt. The robe can be sewn on your own or purchased at the church shop. In addition, you will need a towel and rubber shoes, as the ceremony involves immersion in water.
Clothing in which an adult or child undergoes a rite of baptism must be kept throughout life.
After describing the structure of the services, it is worth asking one extremely important question - perhaps the central one for this book. The question was formulated by one of the readers of the first version of this book before its release...
