Any adult who has completed catechism studies gets baptised at Debre Selam St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo order, the catechumen arrives at the sanctuary early in the morning when the date of baptism has been certified by the competent authority in the Church. The priest presents the Holy Meron after the deacons have filled the baptismal vessel with water. The catechumen sits in the centre of the baptismal area with his family. The celebration then resumes as the officiating priest begins to address the litany, a baptismal prayer. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church baptises male infants on the forty-first day following birth and females on the eighty-first. Godparents or the biological parents of a baby accept the given name and recite the creed on their behalf. The candidate takes off his clothes towards the conclusion of the event and is baptised by the priest. The imposition of hands or breathing and unction of the Holy Meron will then end the rebirth process.After saying this, he breathed on them and addressed them. The Orthodox Churches baptise children while placing them in the care of biological and godparents, entrusting them with the responsibility of passing on Christian theology and morality to their offspring. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church law prohibits men from becoming godparents to women, and vice versa, due to the possibility of incest exposure brought on by excessive contact.
