Baptism facts for kids

Baptising by immersion, Odessa.

Baptism is a special ceremony or ritual that most Christian churches do. It's like a symbolic washing. This ceremony shows that a person has decided to follow Jesus. It also means they are joining the big Christian family.

How Baptism is Done

Different Christian groups perform baptism in various ways.

Baptism for Babies and Adults

The Roman Catholic Church baptizes infants (babies). This marks them as members of the church from a very young age. For Catholics, baptism is a very important religious act called a sacrament. A priest usually performs it.

In many other Christian churches, people are baptized when they are older. This is so they can choose to be baptized themselves. They decide when they feel ready to follow Jesus.

Different Ways to Use Water

There are two main ways water is used in baptism:

• Some churches sprinkle a small amount of water on the person's head.
• Other churches use full immersion. This means the whole person is dipped completely into the water.

Baptism in early Christian art. This is a fresco in the catacombs of Rome.

Baptism in Bible Times

In the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible), there was a similar washing ceremony. This was done when priests were officially chosen for their roles.

Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist. This happened before Jesus started his public work. Among the very first Christians, people were often fully or partly dipped in water. However, sprinkling or pouring water was also done. This happened especially for people who were sick or dying, when full immersion wasn't possible.

Images for kids

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  Masaccio (1425–1426). Baptism of the Neophytes [it]. Brancacci Chapel, Florence. This painting shows baptism by pouring water.

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  Catacombs of San Callisto: a 3rd-century painting of baptism.

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  The ruins of Al-Maghtas on the Jordanian side of the Jordan River. This is believed to be where Jesus was baptized.

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  An excavated mikveh (a Jewish ritual bath) in Qumran, Israel.

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  A christening photograph in an Orthodox Church. This shows the moment of Catechism.

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  Baptism by submersion in the Eastern Orthodox Church (Sophia Cathedral, 2005).

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  Men waiting to be baptized by immersion in the River Jordan.

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  Baptism of a child by pouring water.

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  A long laced gown worn at a typical Lutheran baptism in Sweden in 1948.

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  Baptism of Augustine of Hippo shown in a sculpture in Troyes cathedral (1549).

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  The baptistry at St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque, Iowa.

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  A Baptism Jar, used in Portuguese Ceylon.

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  A Russian Orthodox priest greeting an infant and its godparents before the Baptism ceremony.

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  A river baptism in North Carolina around 1900.

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  A baptistry in a Methodist church.

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  Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop crowning a baby after baptism.

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  An Orthodox baptism ceremony.

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  A Mormon baptism, around the 1850s.

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  The christening of USS Dewey.

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  Mandaeans undergoing baptism (masbuta) in the Karun River, Ahvaz, Iran.

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  Baptism of a Yazidi child in Lalish.

See also

In Spanish: Bautismo para niños