Being godparents for a child is very honorable, and on the other hand, very responsible. The main duty of godparents is the spiritual education and support of the godson throughout his life. If you have not yet happened to attend the baptismal ceremony, then you will probably have a lot of questions, one of which is what to give for christening?
There are a number of traditional gifts required by church traditions.
First, let's figure out what to give to the christening should the godmother. According to church customs, she must buy a kryzhma (it is also called “rizka”), a special cloth (usually an ordinary towel), in which the child will be wrapped after it is removed from the font. According to tradition, Kryzhma after baptism is not erased and the child is wrapped in it when he is sick. Also, the godmother for the baptism of a baby should give a baptismal shirt, as well as a bonnet with ribbons (for a girl with pink, for a boy with blue). The shirt in which they were baptized, like kryzhma, must be stored throughout life. Now you can buy a ready-made baptismal set.
Now we find out what to give to the christening of the child should the godfather. According to the same church customs, the godfather should buy a chain and a baptismal cross. Many believe that the cross for the baby should not be made of precious metal and should be worn on a ribbon or rope. However, now the tradition is spreading to give small children a baptismal cross and a chain of silver or gold for baptism. Moreover, quite often children are given “adult” jewelry with which they can walk their whole life. The godfather must also pay for the baptismal rite and set the festive table.
There are other traditional gifts for christening a child. One of them is a small silver spoon. This gift is called "by tooth". This is the symbolic first spoon that will be fed to the baby in the future. To make this gift special, you can use the engraving to write the name of the child on a spoon. According to custom, they also give an icon with the patron saint of the child, which they then hang on the wall or put near his crib so that the holy spirit guards the baby. It is also customary for a child to give the Children's Bible and the Gospel to christenings.
Now, as for the "optional" gifts for the christening of the baby, which can give relatives and friends of the family. For both the girl and the boy, jewelry can be a good gift, which they can wear when they become older. You can give a girl, for example, earrings or a ring, for a boy - a medallion or a bracelet. Quite often they give clothes and baby bedding for baptism of children . However, one should be careful with the choice of clothes. Children grow up very quickly, so giving costumes and dresses of the size that the child is wearing at the moment is not advisable (such a gift can only be made when the child's parents ask you to). It’s better to play it safe and buy clothes “for growth”. Frequent gifts are also soft and educational toys. You can also consult with the baby's parents what to present for christening. Perhaps they will need some kind of children's furniture (playpen, changing table or high chair) or children's dishes (all kinds of bottles and bowls).
If you still haven’t figured out what an original or useful gift you can make, there is such an emergency option - give money that the parents of the child can spend on what they need at the moment most.
However, the main gift that can be given to the baby for baptism is given by parents, choosing worthy godparents, who should become the second mom and dad in life for the child.