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A person may not serve as a godparent if his or her [[marriage]] has not been blessed by the Orthodox Church, or, if civilly divorced, he or she has not been granted an ecclesiastical divorce, or if for any other reason he or she is not in communion with the Orthodox Church.<ref name=GOARCH>''[http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/outreach/resources/pastoralresources/pastoral Instructions for Weddings, Divorces, Baptisms, Funerals, and Memorials].'' Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.</ref> In addition, they cannot be a minor, the parent of the child, or a non-Orthodox Christian.
Baptisms may not be performed from [[Nativity|Christmas Day]] through the Feast of [[Theophany]] (December 25 - January 6), during [[Holy Week]], or on any of the [[Great Feasts|Great Feastdays]] of the [[Lord]].<ref name="GOARCH"/><ref group="note">This was not always the case. In 447 AD Pope [[Leo the Great|Leo I]] wrote to the bishops of Sicily, rebuking them for permitting [[baptism]] at [[Theophany|Epiphany]], as the Greeks did, and ordering them to observe the [[Roman rite|Roman custom]] of baptizing on [[Pascha|Easter]] and [[Pentecost|Whitsunday]]. Indicating that at least in the Nicean/Early Byzantine period baptisms ''were'' in fact performed on major feast days, in both the Roman and Byzantine Rites.<br>:* White, Lynn, Jr.. ''"The Byzantinization of Sicily."'' '''The American Historical Review.''' Vol. 42, No. 1 (Oct., 1936). p.5.</ref>
In some Orthodox churches (i.e. [[Church of Serbia|Serbian]], [[Greek Orthodox|Greek]]), usually the best man (''кум'', ''koumbaros'') or the bridesmaid (''kuma'', ''кума'', ''koumbara'') at a couple's wedding are the ones to act as godparents to the first child, or to all of the children of the marriage. In some instances, the godparent has also been given the responsibility for naming the child.<ref>J. K. Campbell. ''Honour, Family and Patronage: A Study of the Institutions and Moral Values in a Greek Mountain Community.'' Oxford, 1964.</ref>
