To mark Easter weekend, Le Monde traces the history of this symbol-laden ritual.

15 1220 If water springing up from the earth symbolizes ... the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark ( character ) of his ...

Baptism, administered with water and the words "I baptize you in ... a person becomes a member of the Christian community. They become part of the Body of Christ, which is the Church, and gain ...

It's a way of expressing publicly that you're a Christian. There are lots of symbols in a baptism ceremony. The water can represent coming clean to God and starting a new life. For a Christian the ...