Baptism is the first sacrament that accompanies a person who wishes to become a Christian and become a member of the Church of Christ. Baptism is performed at the command of Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself told the apostles to baptize the nations in the name of the Holy Trinity.
The sacrament of baptism in modern times is most often performed in the temple (there are some rare cases of mass adoption of the sacrament in the river). In Orthodox churches there are special baptisms or baptisteries (in the baptisteries, baptism is performed by complete immersion).
Baptism begins with a prayer for a name. Sometimes children are called non-Orthodox names, so during the sacrament a name is given to the child, which is available in the holy calendar. Next, the priest reads a special prayer over the mothers (if the baptism is performed on babies). This prayer is to be read by the priest on the 40th day after the birth of the child.
A special place at the beginning of baptism is occupied by prayers for the catechumens - those people who have not yet accepted the sacrament directly, but who wish to become Orthodox. Then the priest recites prayers for the vowels, in which he forbids evil spirits (demons) to exert influence over those who have come to faith. After these prayers of prohibition comes the important part. Those who wish to receive the sacrament, as well as godmothers of the babies, pronounce the words of renunciation of Satan. By this, a person shows his will and disposition to leave evil deeds. After renouncing all evil, the participants in the sacrament pronounce words about the combination of Christ and faith in Him, as in the "king and God" (a required consequence of the sacrament of baptism). Following is the Creed - the Orthodox confession of Christian doctrine.
Baptism takes place in water, so the priest reads prayers for the blessing of water and adds holy oil (oil) to it. This holy oil is anointed for those who wish to receive the sacrament, and then the baptism takes place directly in the font or the baptistery. The Orthodox are baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, while water is poured on the head of the baptized (if the sacrament takes place in a font). From this moment, a person becomes a Christian and a cross is laid on him.
Following baptism, the sacrament of anointing takes place, when a person is anointed with the holy world with the words "the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit." In this sacrament, the original Christian receives divine grace, which strengthens his spiritual strength on the path to striving for holiness.
At the end of baptism and anointing, shearing is performed. A small part of the hair is cut crosswise from the head of the newly baptized person in the order of man’s dedication to God.
The end of baptism is churching. The original Christians come to the iconostasis, impose a sign of the cross and kiss the images of the Savior and the Virgin. Sometimes in the churching of men they carry out along the altar of the temple.
After the sacrament is accepted, the believer must take communion. Sometimes this is done immediately after baptism. In other temples, it is blessed to begin communion in the following days when the divine liturgy is performed.
The sacrament of baptism can be performed by the priest and at home. This applies to sick or dying people. Depending on the situation, the follow-up can be significantly reduced. The main thing is that a mysterious formula be uttered and the Christian accepts the anointing.
