Baptism is a church ceremony in which a person joins the church. In Orthodoxy, there are seven sacraments, among which there is also baptism. A person must come to this rite himself, but if he is too small, then to baptize or not to baptize - his parents decide.
Each person has a twofold nature: physical and spiritual, that is, he has a body and a soul. So, the initial preparation for baptism should take place in two stages. To begin with, you must mentally come to this, that is, go to church not because "you need to", but because "the soul asks." For example, if you are an atheist, then the sacrament of baptism is clearly not for you. You must believe in God, pray daily, and try not to commit sinful deeds. Visit an Orthodox church initially, talk to priests, and attend a service.
As a rule, in order to be baptized, you must discuss a date with the priest. For baptism, in no case wear provocative clothes, do not put on too bright makeup. A woman's hair should be covered with a scarf. Take a towel with you, it will come in handy after the sacred pouring of holy water. Also, you must purchase a pectoral cross, you can buy it in any store or in a church. Be sure to take the cross for baptism, as it needs to be consecrated. For adults, it is not necessary to have godparents, since they themselves can answer for their step and go to church.
And what does it take to baptize a very young child? Of course, you should choose godparents, and not based on personal considerations (for example, best friends, relatives), but on their participation in spiritual education. Godparents must be believers, it will be good if on the eve of the wedding they go to the service, pass confession and, along with the baby's parents, talk to the clergyman. On the day of baptism, take the baby's pectoral cross, a large towel.
As a rule, babies are very difficult to endure the process of baptism - it is stuffy, cramped and smells of incense, so one of the parents can go outside with the child until the moment of baptism, while the other will be in the process at that time. At the time of pouring (dipping), the child must be present in the church.
