By tradition, the Church of the infant should be baptized on the eighth or fortieth day of life. It is clear that at this age require him to repentance and faith - the two main conditions for union with God is impossible. Therefore, since ancient times there were "godfathers" - people of faith that baptized infants (it should be noted in passing that at the baptism of adults over the age of 18 do not need the cross).

Крестным может быть только по-православному верующий человек, способный дать отчет в своей вере. Собственно, мальчику нужен только крестный отец, а девочке - только крестная мать. Но по древней русской традиции приглашают и того, и другого. Родители не могут быть крестными своего ребенка; муж и жена крестными одного младенца. Бабушки, дедушки, братья и сестры вполне годятся в крестные родители.

After immersing the baby in the baptismal font baptismal procession takes it out of the hands of a priest. Hence, a Slavic name - the godfather. Thus, it is for life takes the responsibility to educate the child in the Orthodox spirit, and the answer for this training will be given at the Last Judgment.

Godparents always, until his death, praying for godchildren, teach them the faith and piety, ascribe to the sacraments. The relationship between the recipients and their children of the eternal and more profound than that of parents in the flesh. From the careful execution of duties depends the fate of the cross and him, and perceived from the font of the baby.

In addition, there is another possible function of godparents, which opens only in the event of death of both parents in the flesh. It consists in the fact that the godparents are required to take care of all of the cross children, as their loved ones.

According to the laws of the Orthodox Church the recipients (the cross) can not be:

1) children (under decrees of the Holy Synod of the 1836-1837 years. godfather must be at least 15 years, and Receptacle at least 13 years old) because they are not able to vouch for the faith the baptized, and do not know the Orthodox faith;

2) people are immoral and insane: first, because they own way of life does not deserve to be godparents, and the second - because of illness can not vouch for their faith or baptized, or to teach him the faith;

3) non-Orthodox - recipients of the Orthodox;

4) parents - the recipients of their children.