When to baptize a child in 2024: auspicious days, at what age is better

It is worth noting that unbaptized people are not allowed to receive communion in church and cannot perform the wedding ceremony. SSPDaily tells about it.

When can a child be baptized in 2024?

According to church rules, the rite of baptism can be performed on any day of the year. Neither strict fasting nor church holidays are an obstacle to the sacrament.

Our ancestors believed that if you baptize a child on Christmas or Epiphany, it will give him or her a happy life, health, and prosperity.

However, some churches may not perform baptisms on certain days due to the absence of a priest or other rites, so you need to check in advance.

Most often, modern parents choose a day off from work to celebrate the sacrament of baptism, when they do not have to go to work. Tuesday and Thursday are also popular. Some believe that this tradition has developed because Wednesday and Friday are fast days for believers, and therefore it would be wrong to have a feast after baptism.

It is also common to choose a date according to the Saints' or Monthly Calendar, which are Orthodox calendars with dates when the memory of certain saints is honored. For example, if you named your son Michael, he can be baptized on his name day: January 11, February 14, March 10, 14, April 16, May 2, 7, 21, 23, June 15, 31, July 4, 7, 29, August 12, September 6, October 2, 8, 17, November 22, December 18.

If the name is not listed in the holy days, you can choose a name that sounds similar and set the date of baptism accordingly. These rules are not mandatory, but you can rely on them.

At what age is it better to baptize a child?

Traditionally, the rite of baptism is performed after the child has turned 40 days old. However, this rule is only due to the fact that, according to church traditions, a woman in labor is considered "unclean" and cannot enter the church. However, these restrictions are refuted by the modern church.

If a child is seriously ill, the church calls for the rite of baptism as soon as possible. Here the mother can choose whether to be present during the baptism or not. You can also invite a priest to your home.

According to the Bible, a person must understand that he or she wants to be Orthodox and consciously accept the faith. For these reasons, some parents postpone baptism until a more conscious age, so that the child can choose his or her own path in life. Church rules allow baptism at any age.

But psychologists say that the best time to baptize a child is 1.5-2 months. During this period, the baby has already adapted after birth, but spends most of his or her life sleeping, and is not yet wary of strangers. Therefore, at this age, children usually tolerate baptism better.