The rite of baptism is wholly spiritual, but the baptism ceremony contains an element of symbolic beauty that makes the occasion truly special. Many orthodox Christian religions, including the Roman Catholic Church, maintain the practice of baptizing infants. Older children and adults are also baptized when they accept Christ as their savior and repent of their sins. When a person is ready to be baptized, they usually request a priest, minister or pastor perform the ceremony. Depending on the church, it may be a private ceremony or performed in front of a congregation.
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For the ceremony, babies are often dressed in a white christening dress or suit. The color white represents the regained purity after baptism. During the ceremony, the infant is brought to the church and delivered to the officiate to be cleansed of his or her original sin and receive blessings. The child is either immersed in the baptismal font or the water is poured over the child's head.
The video below shows a traditional Catholic christening ceremony.
Older children and adults are also baptized, in fact many churches require a better understanding of what the ceremony means before baptism can take place. The video below shows a ceremony at a Baptist church where an adult is baptized by full immersion.
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