Christening (Baptism) Traditions in Russia

Christening is the ancient rite, which in the Orthodox as well as the Catholic Church belongs to the category of sacraments. It means accepting people by Christian church. After christening a person gets closer to the God.

The first be christened in Orthodox church are infants who are dipped into water three times. The priest says the catechetical prayer, blesses the water, dresses the baby in the christening shirt, gives it the pendant cross while carrying out the rite of chrismation and christening. The rite has been preserved in its original version.

It is a tradition in Russia to invite relatives and friends and lay the holiday table. For baby christening a godfather and a godmother are chosen, who are later called “koum” and “kouma” and supposed to help their godson to cope with difficulties.