During the morning dew ceremony, the priest lights the baptismal candle, with children and adults in the background.

Baptism is the child’s first celebration

When a person is baptised, they become a member of their home parish and the church. Remarkable life is celebrated by the baptismal font. A newborn baby is often given a name during the baptism ceremony. Every life is precious and baptism reminds of this during all stages of life.

If the baptised is under 12 years old, the child’s other guardian must be a member of the church. Over 12-year-olds can be baptised with the consent of the guardians. Over 15-year-olds are required to attend confirmation class and to be confirmed in addition to guardians’ consent. Over 18-year-olds are required to attend confirmation class and to be confirmed.

Scheduling a baptism

The baptism can take place either at the family home, a church, or other parish’s venue.

If you have a specific pastor you would like to perform the baptism, you can contact them directly.

Your home parish’s office will help with booking a pastor and a venue. For Tampere parishes, you can contact the Service Center: p. 03 219 0705 (Mon-Fri 9 am to 3 pm).

Registering the child’s name and baptism

The baptism is good to schedule in good time, preferably soon after the child is born.

When the child is baptised, the child is also registered to the population information system. The name must be registered within three months after the child is born. Usually, the child is baptised before the three-month limit, but the baptism can also be conducted later.

The pastor can help with matters related to naming the child if there are any uncertainties. The central registry verifies the legality of the chosen name, so the name should be notified to the central registry well ahead of time.

Godparents

A godparent is someone carefully chosen by a child’s parents to be a trusted person for the child. A godparent gives support and security for both the child and the parents. There are many ways of being a godparent. The relationship between a child and a godparent changes when the child grows, and is a life-long friendship at the best.

The baptised must have at least one godparent who is a confirmed member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Additionally, the baptised can have a godparent who is for example Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, or Methodist. Persons who are not members of any church cannot act as godparents.

The baptism must have at least two witnesses. If there is only one godparent, another witness is required.

To register the godparents, the parish needs their names and personal identity codes. This information is good to have in hand before meeting with the pastor.

For godparents who live abroad, the parish needs the following information: name, date of birth, home parish, religion, city, and country. Foreign godparents will need to have a certificate that states their membership of a church.