KRIKSTYNOS

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KRIKSTYNOS
LITHUANIA
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Christening sacrament is very important because
we cleanse and the person becomes the member of
Catholic church taking the catholic moral and
belief teaching. The child is taken to the life
everlasting with the help of christening. So
christening is a very special gift of parents to
their child. Christenig is a cleansing with water
ceremony that is used in many religions as well
as in Christianity. Christening is one of the
seven sacraments and symbolizes the cleanse and
making the convergence with Christ. The name is
given during this ceremony.
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Rituals and things used during christening has
symbolic meaning Christening signs Water
(cleans the sins and gives life) Unction
(makes stronger) White clothes
(innocence) Candle (the light of Christ)
Christening is the background of christian life
and entryway to the life in Spirit (vitae
spiritualis ianua) also it is the gates to the
other sacraments. Christening sacrament is the
rebirth through the water and word.
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GODPARENTS
Godparents govern all the future life of a child.
All the character features they have they give to
the child. So they must be diligent, respectable,
wise and tidy. It was said that it is not good to
take old maid or old bachelor as godparents
because the child will be the same. It was not
considered the relationships but the most
respectful people of the village were taken as
godparents.
Grandparents also were able to christen but more
younger persons were asked to do that because
they were able to look after the child longer.
Better that godparents were not a family. Because
of that the child had two caring families. If the
child was very weak midwife christened the child.
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After church Exported the pagan brought bach
John or Ann With tese words godparents came
back home after church. They declared the childs
name and undressed him very quickly (to start
runing as quickly as possible), tokk him to the
fire place and put his hand on it (not to move
away from home). Then brothers and sisters
greated a new christian and got some treats for
it. All the meal was brought by guests.
Godparents sat at the table very close to each
other for childs teeth to be dense.
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GODPARENTS DUTIES
The ties between gadparents and their child were
very intense. They took part in all big family
parties. During Easter party they had to paint
egg for their God child. Godparents often took
their child the first eucharist or confirmation.
In one Lithuanian region it was a tradition that
godparents were matchmakers in their God childs
wedding.