The Orthodox holiday of the baptism of the Lord is the history of the holiday. The meaning of the baptism of the Lord

The Orthodox feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 19. Why is this holiday extremely important for Christians? The thing is that on this day Christians remember the event recorded in the Gospel - the baptism of Christ. This happened in the waters of the Jordan River, where at that time the Jews were baptized by John the Baptist or the Baptist.

history of the holiday

The Orthodox feast of the Baptism of the Lord is also called Theophany as a reminder of the miracle that happened: the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and touched Jesus Christ as soon as he came out of the water after immersion and a loud voice said: “Behold my Beloved Son” (Matt. 3:13 -17).

Thus, during this event, the Holy Trinity appeared to people and it was testified that Jesus is the Messiah. That is why this holiday is also called the Epiphany, which refers to the twelfth, i.e. those celebrations that are designated by the doctrine of the Church as events connected with the life of Christ.

The Orthodox Church always celebrates Epiphany on January 19 according to the Julian calendar, and the holiday itself is divided into:

• 4 days of pre-feast - before the Epiphany, in which liturgies dedicated to the upcoming event are already heard in the temples;
• 8 days of afterfeast - days after the great event.

The first celebration of the Epiphany began in the first century in the early apostolic church. The main idea of ​​this holiday is the memory and glorification of the event in which the Son of God appeared in the flesh. However, there is another purpose of the celebration. As you know, in the first centuries there arose many sects that differed in dogmatic principles from the true church. And the heretics also celebrated Epiphany, but they explained this event differently:

• Ebionites: as the union of the man Jesus with the Divine Christ;
• docets: they did not consider Christ a half-man and spoke only about His Divine essence;
• Basilidians: did not believe that Christ was a half-god half-man and taught that the dove descended was God's mind that entered into a simple man.

The teachings of the Gnostics, who had only half-truth in their teachings, were very attractive to Christians, and a large number of them turned into heresy. To stop this, Christians decided to celebrate Epiphany, along the way explaining in detail what kind of holiday it was and what happened at that time. The Church called this holiday Theophany, confirming the dogma that then Christ revealed himself to be God, being originally God, One with the Holy Trinity.

In order to finally destroy the heresy of the Gnostics about Baptism, the Church combined Epiphany and Christmas into a single holiday. It is for this reason that until the 4th century, these two holidays were celebrated by believers on the same day - January 6, under the common name of Epiphany.

For the first time they were divided into two different celebrations only in the first half of the 5th century by clergy under the leadership of Pope Julius. Christmas began to be celebrated on January 25 in the Western Church, so that the pagans would turn away from the celebration of the birth of the sun (there was such a pagan celebration in honor of the sun god) and begin to cling to the Church. And Epiphany began to be celebrated a few days after, but since the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas in a new style - January 6, then Epiphany is celebrated on the 19th.

Important! The meaning of the Epiphany remained the same - this is the appearance of Christ as God to his people and reunion with the Trinity.

Icon "Baptism of the Lord"

Developments

The Feast of Baptism is timed to coincide with the events that are set forth in the 13th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew - the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River, as it was written by the prophet Isaiah.

John the Baptist taught the people about the coming Messiah, who would baptize them in the fire, and also baptized those who wished in the Jordan River, which symbolized their renewal from the old law into the new one that Jesus Christ would bring. He spoke about the necessary repentance and washing in the Jordan (which the Jews used to do) became a type of Baptism, although John did not suspect this at the time.

Jesus Christ at that time began his ministry, He was 30 years old, and he came to the Jordan to fulfill the words of the prophet and announce to everyone about the beginning of His ministry. He asked John to baptize Him too, to which the prophet, very surprised, replied that he was not worthy to take off his shoes from Christ, and He asked him to be baptized. John the Baptist already knew then that the Messiah himself was standing before him. Jesus Christ replied that they should do everything according to the law so as not to embarrass people.

During the immersion of Christ in the waters of the river, the sky opened up, and a white dove descended on Christ, and everyone nearby heard the voice "Behold my Beloved Son." Thus, the Holy Trinity appeared to the people in the form of the Holy Spirit (dove), Jesus Christ and the Lord God.

After that, the first apostles followed Jesus, and Christ himself went into the wilderness to fight temptations.

Holiday traditions

The Epiphany service is very similar to the Christmas one, since when the Church adheres to strict fasting until the very blessing of the water. In addition, a special liturgy is served.

Other church traditions are also observed - the consecration of water, the procession to the reservoir, as did the Palestinian Christians, who went in a similar way to baptism to the Jordan River.

Liturgy on the day of the Epiphany

As on any other important Christian holiday, a festive liturgy is served in the temple, during which the clergy put on festive white robes. The main feature of the service is the blessing of water, which occurs after the service.

On Christmas Eve, the liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served, after which the font in the church is blessed. And at Baptism, the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, after which communion is performed and the water is re-blessed and the procession to the nearest reservoir for consecration is performed.

About other significant Orthodox holidays:

The troparions that are read tell about the division of the Jordan by the prophet Elijah and about the baptism of Jesus Christ all in the same river, and also point to the fact that believers are spiritually renewed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Scriptures are read about the greatness of Christ (Act, the gospel of Matthew), the power and authority of the Lord (28 and 41, 50, 90 psalms), as well as about spiritual rebirth through baptism (prophet Isaiah).

Episcopal Service at the Baptism of the Lord

folk traditions

Today, Orthodoxy resembles the mixing of two rivers with clean and muddy water: clean is doctrinal Orthodoxy, and muddy is folk Orthodoxy, in which there are extremely many admixtures of completely non-church traditions and rituals. This happens because of the rich culture of the Russian people, which is mixed with the theology of the church, and as a result, two lines of traditions are obtained - church and folk.

Important! Knowing folk traditions is worth it, because they can be separated from the true, church ones, and then, knowing the culture of your people is simply a must for everyone.

At Baptism, according to folk traditions, the end of Christmas time fell - at this time the girls stopped fortune-telling. Scripture forbids divination and any witchcraft, so Christmas divination is only a historical fact.

On Epiphany Christmas Eve, a font in the temple was consecrated, and on the 19th, reservoirs were consecrated. After the church service, people went to the hole in the procession and after prayer dipped into it to wash away all sins from themselves. After the ice-hole was consecrated, people collected water from it in containers to take the consecrated water home, and then dipped themselves.

Bathing in an ice hole is a purely folk tradition, unconfirmed by the doctrinal teaching of the Orthodox Church.

What to put on the holiday table

Believers do not fast at Epiphany, but do it in advance - on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the eve of the holiday. It is on Epiphany Christmas Eve that it is necessary to observe strict fasting and eat only lenten dishes.

Articles about Orthodox cuisine:

On Epiphany, you can put any dishes on the table, and on Christmas Eve only lenten ones, and the presence of sochi is mandatory - a dish of boiled wheat grains mixed with honey and dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, etc.).

Lenten pies are also baked, and everything is washed down with uzvar - dried fruit compote.

water for baptism

Water has a special meaning during the Epiphany holiday. People believe that she becomes pure sanctified and holy. The church says that water is an integral part of the holiday, but you can consecrate it with prayer anywhere. Priests bless the water twice:

• on Epiphany Christmas Eve a font in the temple;
• water brought by people to temples and reservoirs.

In the troparion of the Epiphany, the necessary consecration of the dwelling with holy water is recorded (a church candle is also used for this), but swimming in the hole is a purely folk tradition, optional. You can consecrate and drink water for a whole year, the main thing is to store it in glass containers so that it does not bloom and deteriorate.

According to Tradition, all water on the night of Epiphany is sanctified and, as it were, acquires the essence of the waters of the Jordan, in which Jesus Christ was baptized. All water is sanctified by the Holy Spirit and it is considered holy at that moment.

Advice! It is recommended to drink water during communion along with wine and prosphora, as well as to drink several sips daily, and especially on sick days. It should be remembered that, like any other object, it is consecrated in the temple and requires a respectful attitude towards itself.

Is it holy water for baptism

Priests answer this question ambiguously.

The consecrated water brought to temples or in reservoirs before bathing, according to the Traditions of the elders, is consecrated. Traditions say that on this night the water becomes like the water that flowed in the Jordan at the moment when Christ was baptized there. As Scripture says, the Holy Spirit breathes where he wants, so there is an opinion that at Baptism, holy water is everywhere where they pray to the Lord, and not just in the place where the priest performed the service.

The process of consecrating water itself is a church celebration that tells people about the presence of God on earth.

Epiphany hole

Swimming in the hole

Previously, on the territory of the Slavic countries, the Epiphany was called (and continues to be called) "Vodohreschi" or "Jordan". The Jordan is the name given to an ice-hole, which is carved with a cross in the ice of a reservoir and which was consecrated by a clergyman for Baptism.

From ancient times, there was a tradition - immediately after the consecration of the hole, take a dip in it, because people believed that in this way it was possible to wash away all sins from oneself. But this refers to worldly traditions,

Important! Scripture teaches us that our sins are washed away by the Blood of Christ on the Cross and people can only receive salvation through repentance, and swimming in an icy pond is only a folk tradition.

This is not a sin, but there is no spiritual meaning in this action. And bathing is only a tradition and should be treated accordingly:

• it is optional;
• but the performance can be held reverently, because the water was consecrated.

Thus, it is possible to swim in the hole, but this must be done with prayer and after the festive service in the Church. After all, the main sanctification occurs through the repentance of the sinner, and not through bathing, so do not forget about personal relationships with the Lord and visiting the temple.

Watch a video about the feast of the baptism

Water baptism from the Old Testament times was a symbol of not only physical, but also moral cleansing. The baptism of Christ in the Jordan River was the first appearance of the Trinity to the world - the Epiphany. In baptism, a person is adopted by the Lord, puts off the old person and puts on the new one, redeemed by Christ, becomes a particle of the one Body of Christ, a member of the Mother Church.

The Baptism of the Lord in 2016, when to draw water

The Baptism of the Lord in 2016 is celebrated on January 19. On the morning of this date, everyone goes to church and collects blessed water. Some say that water from the church should be brought first, although in fact, this is nothing more than a stupid omen. It is very unpleasant to watch when people try to get water as soon as possible and push right into the church. There is enough consecrated water in the church for everyone.
You can also collect blessed water on January 18, this day is called Epiphany Christmas Eve. On this day, there is also a service in the church.
Many are interested in the Epiphany of the Lord in 2016, when is it better to draw water, on the 18th or 19th? The priests say that there is no difference, this water is sanctified in the same way.
Such water is used to consecrate their homes, and the remains are stored in the house all year in a dark place.
If you can't go to church, you can get water from the tap. In this case, you need to know when to draw water from the tap at the Epiphany of the Lord in 2016. This is done at night from the 18th to the 19thin the time interval from 00.10 to 01.30. In principle, many believe that it is possible later, but this time is still considered the best.

The baptism of the Lord in 2016, when to bathe

Most often, the liturgy in churches is performed on January 19, after which the bathing ceremony is performed. But in some churches, night services are held, the ice holes are consecrated, and on the night of January 18-19, people bathe in these holes.
The church itself says that bathing is not a canonical setting, but has already become a tradition. Therefore, for Epiphany 2016, it is not so important when the bathing will be, from 18 to 19 or in the morning of the 19th.
Also, many are interested in the question of where to swim at the Epiphany in 2016. Each city has its own places where such rituals are performed. Find out in advance where your bathing will take place, you can also find out about it in the church.

Read more interesting traditions for Baptism in our article about.


Water is the basis of everything


The Savior consecrated water baptism by accepting it in the waters of the Jordan. It is water that reveals the meaning of Baptism in Orthodoxy, being the oldest religious symbol. The basis of life on earth and the destructive force, the basis of death - in Christian theology, water has a dual image. And, of course, water - symbolizes purification, rebirth and renewal.

Purpose of Baptism

The very word "baptism" means washing through immersion, dousing. The first Christians performed Baptism in open water. In later times, Baptism was performed in fonts and baptismal places. Orthodox baptism, performed in a font, is a necessary condition for the liberation of a person from demonic forces and the subjugation of fallen sinfulness.

As a result of sanctification, water returns to its original purpose: to be the source of Eternal Life, the environment of God's presence, the destroyer of demons. In Baptism, the redeemed soul receives the revelation of the Triune God and is united with Him.

Epiphany Eve - Epiphany Christmas Eve

Christmas time lasts until candles, as they said in the old days, because after the Great Consecration of Water on the eve of Theophany, candles intertwined with colored threads or ribbons were placed next to a vessel with consecrated water. This custom already shows the importance and solemnity of the blessing of water. All this day, indeed, they spend in a very strict fast (even children try not to eat until the “first star”), and during Vespers, churches do not always accommodate all the worshipers.

Great agiasma (baptismal holy water) has a special grace, it is collected and carried to every home. First, the whole family drinks several sips with reverence, and then - according to custom - they must take a sacred willow from behind the icon and sprinkle the whole house with holy water in order to protect themselves from troubles and misfortunes. In some villages, moreover, holy water was poured into the wells so that evil spirits would not climb there and spoil the water.

Upon completion of all these and other rites, holy water usually stood next to the icons. In order for baptismal water to be enough for the whole year, it did not have to be a lot: with a single drop, it sanctifies any other.

Approximately the same power is attributed not only to water consecrated in the church, but also to plain water from rivers, in which, according to popular belief, on the night of January 19, Jesus Christ himself takes a bath. The water that was taken into the hole on the eve of the Epiphany is considered healing and helping the sick.

Epiphany Day

On the day of Epiphany, as soon as the bell strikes for matins, some pious parishioners lit sheaves of straw in front of their houses (so that Jesus Christ, after baptism in the river, could warm himself by this fire). Others, having asked for blessings from the priest, were on the river, arranging a "Jordan" - a cruciform wormwood, near which both old and young gathered for worship.

When the holy cross was immersed in water, everyone was united by prayer and the desire to drink water of baptism and wash their faces with it. There have always been brave souls who, despite the Epiphany frosts, bathe in icy water. For many centuries there is no record of anyone getting sick or drowning.

The celebration of the Baptism of the Lord and Theophany, combining two great events in one feast, ends holy days and evenings.

What is the Baptism of the Lord
The Baptism of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is one of the most important Christian holidays. On this day, Christians around the world remember the gospel event - the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. The Savior was baptized by the prophet John the Baptist, who is also called the Baptist.

The second name, Epiphany, is given to the holiday in memory of the miracle that happened during baptism. The Holy Spirit descended on Christ from heaven in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven called him the Son. The Evangelist Luke writes about this: The sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you! (Matthew 3:14-17). Thus, the Holy Trinity was revealed in visible and accessible to man images: the voice is God the Father, the dove is God the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is God the Son. And it was testified that Jesus is not only the Son of Man, but also the Son of God. God appeared to people.

The Baptism of the Lord is the twelfth feast. The Twelfth are called holidays that are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Mother of God). Epiphany - Lord's holiday.

When is the Baptism of the Lord celebrated?
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord on January 19 according to the new style (January 6 according to the old style).
The Feast of the Epiphany has 4 days of forefeast and 8 days of afterfeast. Prefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the divine services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, the afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.

The celebration of the holiday takes place on January 27 according to the new style. The celebration of the holiday is the last day of some important Orthodox holidays, celebrated with a special service, more solemn than on ordinary days of the afterfeast.

Events of the Baptism of the Lord
After fasting and wandering in the desert, the prophet John the Baptist came to the Jordan River, where the Jews traditionally performed religious ablutions. Here he began to speak to the people about repentance and baptism for the remission of sins and baptize people in the waters. It was not the Sacrament of Baptism as we know it now, but it was a type of it.

The people believed the prophecies of John the Baptist, many were baptized in the Jordan. And then, one day, Jesus Christ himself came to the banks of the river. At that time He was thirty years old. The Savior asked John to baptize Him. The Prophet was surprised to the depths of his soul and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Christ assured him that "it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness." At the time of baptism the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you! (Luke 3:21-22).

The Baptism of the Lord was the first appearance of Christ to the people of Israel. It was after the Epiphany that the first disciples followed the Teacher - the apostles Andrew, Simon (Peter), Philip, Nathanael.

In two Gospels - from Matthew and Luke - we read that after Baptism the Savior withdrew into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days in order to prepare for a mission among people. He was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days, and after the end of them he became hungry (Luke 4:2). The devil approached Christ three times and tempted Him, but the Savior remained strong and rejected the evil one (as the devil is called).

Epiphany Christmas Eve
The Feast of the Epiphany is preceded by Epiphany Christmas Eve, or the Invocation of the Epiphany. On the eve of the holiday, Orthodox Christians observe a strict fast. The traditional dish of this day is sochivo, which is made from cereals (such as wheat or rice), honey and raisins.

Sochivo

To prepare juicy you will need:

Wheat (grain) - 200 g
- peeled nuts - 30 g
- poppy - 150 g
- raisins - 50 g
- fruits or berries (apple, blackberry, raspberry, etc.) or jam - to taste
- vanilla sugar - to taste
- honey and sugar - to taste
- cream - 1/2 cup.

Rinse the wheat well, pour hot water over it, covering the grain, and cook in a saucepan over low heat until soft (or in a clay pot, in the oven), periodically adding hot water. Rinse the poppy seeds, steam with hot water for 2-3 hours, drain the water, grind the poppy seeds, add sugar, honey, vanilla sugar or any jam, crushed nuts, raisins, fruits or berries to taste, add 1/2 cup of cream or milk or boiled water, and combine all this with boiled wheat, put in a ceramic bowl and serve chilled.

The Baptism of the Lord - the history of the holiday
They began to celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, even when the apostles were alive - we find a mention of this day in the Decrees and Rules of the Apostles. But at first, Epiphany and Christmas were a single holiday, and it was called Epiphany.

Since the end of the 4th century (in different places in different ways), the Baptism of the Lord has become a separate holiday. But even now we can observe echoes of the unity of Christmas and Baptism - in worship. For example, both holidays have an eve - Christmas Eve, with strict fasting and special traditions.

In the first centuries of Christianity, new converts were baptized on Theophany (they were called catechumens), so this day was often called the “Day of Enlightenment”, “Feast of Lights”, or “Holy Lights” - as a sign that the Sacrament of Baptism cleanses a person from sin and enlightens with the Light of Christ . Even then there was a tradition to consecrate the waters in reservoirs on this day.

Iconography of the Baptism of the Lord
In the early Christian images of the events of the Baptism of the Lord, the Savior appears before us young and without a beard; later He was portrayed as a grown man.

From the 6th-7th centuries, images of angels appear on the icons of Baptism - most often there are three of them and they stand on the opposite bank of the Jordan from the prophet John the Baptist. In memory of the miracle of the Epiphany, an island of heaven is depicted above Christ standing in the water, from which a dove descends in rays of light to the Baptized - a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The central figures on all the icons of the holiday are Christ and John the Baptist, who lays his right hand (right hand) on the head of the Savior. The right hand of Christ is raised in a blessing gesture.

Features of the service of the Baptism of the Lord
The clergy on the feast of the Epiphany are dressed in white robes. The main feature of the Epiphany service is the blessing of water. The water is blessed twice. On the eve of January 18, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the Rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is also called the Great Agiasma. And the second time - on the day of the Epiphany, January 19, at the Divine Liturgy.

The first tradition goes back, most likely, to the ancient Christian practice of baptizing catechumens after the morning service of Theophany. And the second is connected with the custom of Palestinian Christians to march on the day of Theophany to the Jordan to the traditional place of the baptism of Jesus Christ.

Holy Epiphany water
Water on the Epiphany is consecrated twice. On the eve of January 18, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the Rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is also called the Great Agiasma. And the second time - on the day of the Epiphany, January 19, at the Divine Liturgy. The first tradition goes back, most likely, to the ancient Christian practice of baptizing catechumens after the morning service of Theophany. And the second is connected with the custom of Christians of the Jerusalem Church to march on the day of Theophany to the Jordan to the traditional place of the baptism of Jesus Christ.

By tradition, Epiphany water is kept for a year - until the next Epiphany holiday. They drink it on an empty stomach, reverently and with prayer.

When to collect baptismal water?
Water on the Epiphany is consecrated twice. On the eve of January 18, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the Rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is also called the Great Agiasma. And the second time - on the day of the Epiphany, January 19, at the Divine Liturgy. When to sanctify water, it does not matter at all.

Is all water for baptism holy?
Archpriest Igor Fomin, rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church at MGIMO, answers:

I remember that in childhood we left the church for Epiphany and carried a three-liter can of Epiphany water with us, and then, already at home, we diluted it with tap water. And the whole year they accepted water as a great shrine - with reverence.

On the night of the Epiphany of the Lord, indeed, as Tradition says, the entire watery nature is sanctified. And it becomes like the waters of the Jordan, in which the Lord was baptized. There would be magic if the holy water became only where the priest consecrated it. The Holy Spirit breathes wherever it wants. And there is an opinion that at any moment of Baptism, holy water is everywhere. And the consecration of water is a visible, solemn church rite that tells us about the presence of God here on earth.

Epiphany frosts
The time of the feast of the Epiphany in Russia usually coincided with severe frosts, so they began to be called "Epiphany". People used to say: "Crack frost, don't crack, but Vodokreschi passed."

Swimming in the hole (Jordan) for Epiphany
In Russia, ordinary people called the Epiphany "Water Baptism" or "Jordan". Jordan - an ice hole in the shape of a cross or a circle, cut in any reservoir and consecrated on the day of the Baptism of the Lord. After the consecration, the daring guys and men took a dip and even swam in the icy water; It was believed that in this way one could wash away one's sins. But this is just a popular superstition. The Church teaches us that sins are washed away only by repentance through the sacrament of Confession.

And swimming is just a tradition. And here, firstly, it is important to understand that this tradition is completely optional for execution. Secondly, one should remember the reverent attitude towards the shrine - baptismal water. That is, if we still decide to bathe, then we must do it reasonably (taking into account the state of health) and reverently - with prayer. And, of course, not replacing the presence of a festive divine service in the temple with bathing.

Ecology of life: The Baptism of the Lord is one of the great twelfth holidays celebrated in honor of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The Baptism of the Lord is celebrated no less solemnly than the Nativity of Christ. The feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord are interconnected by Christmas time and constitute a single celebration - the feast of the Epiphany.

Essence of the Holiday

The Baptism of the Lord is one of the great twelfth holidays celebrated in honor of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The Baptism of the Lord is celebrated no less solemnly than the Nativity of Christ. The feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord are interconnected by Christmas time and constitute a single celebration - the feast of the Epiphany. In the unity of these holidays are all three persons of the Holy Trinity:

in the Bethlehem den the Son of God was born in the flesh;

at the baptism of the Son of God, from the open heavens "the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form, like a dove" (Luke 3:22);

and a Voice was heard from Heaven proclaiming, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

worship

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated in the same way as the feast of the Nativity of Christ. On the eve, the Royal Hours, the Liturgy of Basil the Great and the All-Night Vigil, beginning with Great Compline, are celebrated.

The peculiarity of this Feast is made up of two great blessings of water(a small consecration of water can be performed at any other time). The first great blessing of water takes place on the eve of the Feast in the temple. The second - on the very Holiday in the open air on rivers, ponds, wells.

On the day of Epiphany, the rite of consecration of water is performed in an ice hole made in the form of an Orthodox cross. The first, in ancient times, was performed for the baptism of the catechumens, and already, later, it was turned into a remembrance of the baptism of the Lord. The second, probably, came from the ancient custom of Jerusalem Christians, on the day of Theophany, to go to the Jordan River and here remember the baptism of the Savior. Therefore, the Epiphany procession has the name of the procession to the Jordan.

Bible Events

Jesus Christ, who returned after the death of King Herod from Egypt, grew up in the small city of Nazareth, located in Galilee. With His Blessed Mother, He stayed in this city until His thirtieth birthday, earning a living for Himself and the Blessed Virgin by carpentry.

When the thirtieth year of His earthly life was fulfilled, that is, the time until which, according to Jewish law, no one was allowed to teach in synagogues and take the priesthood, the time came for His appearance to the people of Israel.

But before that moment, according to the word of the prophet, the Forerunner was to appear to Israel, on whom lay the task of preparing the people of Israel for the acceptance of the Messiah, the one about which the prophet Isaiah predicted: “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths in the steppe for God ours."

Far from people, in the depths of the harsh Judean desert, there was a word of God to John, the son of Zechariah, a relative of the Blessed Virgin, who, while still in the womb of his mother, the righteous Elizabeth, joyfully jumped up, greeting his Savior, about whom no one in the world knew but Him The Most Pure Mother, who received the gospel from the Archangel. This word of God commanded John to go out into the world preaching repentance and baptize Israel to bear witness to the Light, so that all would believe through it.

The Jews who came to John had a natural question: Isn't he the Redeemer, longed for by all, the Comfort of Israel? The Baptist said in response: “The strongest of me is coming after me, in whose presence I am not worthy, bending down to untie the strap of His shoes; I baptized you with water, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

According to the gospel story, Jesus Christ came to John the Baptist, who was at the Jordan River in Bethabara (John 1:28), in order to be baptized. John, who preached a lot about the imminent coming of the Messiah, when he saw Jesus, was surprised and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” To this, Jesus replied that "it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness" and was baptized by John.

Jesus Christ had no need for this baptism, as sinless and blameless, born of the Most Pure Virgin Mary and Himself, according to His divinity, being the source of all purity and holiness. But, since He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world, He came to the waters of the Jordan to cleanse them through baptism.

He came to be baptized in order to sanctify the watery nature with Himself, in order to give us the font of holy baptism. He also came to be baptized so that John would see the fulfillment of the word of God that commanded him to come out of the wilderness: “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Baptist obeyed the word of Christ, and the Jordan received into its waters the One by whose command it began its course. As the Gospel tells, after being baptized, the Lord immediately came out of the water. The church tradition tells about this "immediately" that St. John the Baptist immersed each person baptized by him up to the neck and held him until he confessed all his sins. Only after that the person was allowed to get out of the water. Christ, not who had sins, could not keep himself in the water, so he immediately went out of the river.

At the time of baptism, “the sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!” (Luke 3:21-22).

After his baptism, Jesus Christ, led by the Spirit, withdrew into the wilderness in order to prepare in solitude, prayer and fasting for the fulfillment of the mission with which he came to Earth. Jesus Christ “was tempted by the devil for forty days and did not eat anything during these days, but after they had passed, he became hungry at last” (Luke 4:2). Then the devil came to him and tried to tempt him to sin with three seductions, just like any other person.

Location of Holy Baptism

The place where John the Baptist preached and baptized, according to church tradition, was called Bethabara (the area beyond the Jordan, where there was a crossing over the river, which explains the name of the city - the house of the crossing.

The exact location of Bethavara, possibly Beit Awara, has not been determined. Since the 16th century, it has been considered the place where the Greek monastery of St. John the Baptist is now located, a kilometer from modern Beit Avara, about 10 km east of Jericho and 5 kilometers from the confluence of the Jordan River into the Dead Sea. Already in the time of King David, a ferry was arranged here, and in the 19th century this place was called the “Pilgrimage Ford”, because of the many pilgrims flocking here to bathe in the waters of the Jordan.

It was this way, 12 centuries before the Nativity of the Savior, that ancient Israel, led by Joshua, entered the Promised Land. Here, a thousand years before the Incarnation, King David crossed the Jordan, fleeing from his own son Absalom, who had rebelled against him. In the same place, the prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed the river, and already in the Christian era, the Monk Mary of Egypt went to the desert beyond the Jordan by the same way to mourn her sins.

Orthodox Christmas time

Christmas time in Orthodoxy is twelve holidays between Christmas (January 7) and Epiphany (January 19). In Catholic Christianity, Christmas time corresponds to twelve days of Christmas, lasting from noon on December 25 to the morning of January 6. Often, Christmas time is also called holy evenings, in remembrance of the events of the Nativity and the baptism of the Savior, which took place at night or in the evening.

The church began to sanctify twelve days after the celebration of the Nativity of Christ from ancient times. This was indicated by 13 conversations of St. Ephraim the Syrian, uttered by him from December 25 to January 6, as well as the "words" of St. Ambrose of Milan and St. Gregory of Nyssa.

The ancient twelve-day celebration of Christmas time is confirmed by the spiritual charter of St. Savva the Sanctified.

The same is confirmed by the code of Justinian, published in 535 by the Second Turonian Council, in 567, all the days from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany are called holidays. Meanwhile, the sanctity of these days and evenings was violated at many points by divination and other superstitious customs that had survived from the pagan celebrations of the same time.

There is an Orthodox law that forbids "on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and during Christmas time, according to old idolatrous legends, games and, dressing up in idol robes, dance through the streets and sing seductive songs." published

Good day, my dear friends! What is your weather like? And we have real Epiphany frosts. You go out into the street in the evening, the sky is all strewn with stars, the air rings directly, and around everything crackles from the frost! They are ending, and the Baptism of the Lord will soon come. I love this magical, fabulous time!

As a child, my grandmother told me many interesting stories about these divine holidays. She had a very believing friend, Baba Manya, and so she came to visit and retold Bible stories to us in the evenings. They are all so kind and bright, I listened with an open mouth. Now I remember more and more, they seemed like magic to me then. Perhaps that is why I adore these winter Divine holidays.

This day is also called Theophany, which means that when Christ appeared on our sinful earth, he gave the opportunity to all sinful people to be baptized and become better, kinder, brighter.

Water taken for Baptism in any body of water is considered healing, baptismal. It can be stored for a whole year, until the next holiday. For those people who cannot draw water from the springs illuminated by the servants of the temple, live far away or simply cannot go for physical reasons, they are blessed to draw water from a tap or a well.

• Whoever has the opportunity, be sure to draw water in the temple or church. One liter of holy water is enough for you and your family for a whole year.
• In simple words, holy water is "concentrated". It is enough to add a few drops to the usual one and the water container will be illuminated.
• Water is collected in glassware, it is not recommended to use plastic bottles. Collected water is not placed on the floor and stored in a clean and bright place. Well, if there are icons in your house, keep water close to this place.
• You can sprinkle things with this water, a room, take a sip during an illness.
• There are many stories when holy water helped to heal from many diseases. The main thing is to believe in it.

Swimming in the hole

Before Epiphany, ice holes are made in frozen reservoirs. On Epiphany night, the water is blessed. Such an ice-hole is called "Jordan" - this is in honor of the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River.

In Russia, it is believed that having bathed in this hole, a person is cleansed of sins and gains health of spirit and body. Only the church does not call for this and does not forbid it.

You can simply wash yourself from the hole, wash your hands and feet. Read a prayer, be sure to believe in a miracle and think only about the good and the good.

There are no specific rules and requirements for prayer, it can be "Our Father" or just the words "Lord have mercy." This must be read or said while you plunge into the hole or wash your face and hands.

They plunge into the hole three times with their heads and then go out and wrap themselves in a sheet or towel.

Traditions, customs and signs

• January 18, before Epiphany - Christmas Eve. People fast for a day, and the first meal occurs with the first star or from the moment when holy water was brought into the house.
• On the table should be, oily, honey. It is good to bake a hill of pancakes and serve them with butter, caviar, sour cream. Pork and various delicious meat dishes and sausages are welcome.
• It would be nice to bake square pancakes, this is for money and well-being.
• They also say that wishes made on Epiphany night come true. Only the desire should come from the soul, from the heart. I'll tell you a secret, I've been making a wish this night for many years and it comes true for me. Try it, only the desire should be real, not transcendental.

In no case should a drunk person visit a temple, draw holy water in a drunken state, or swim in an ice hole.

And also, do good deeds, love and help your neighbors!

My dear friends, I want to congratulate you on the feast of the Epiphany. Good to you and health!

Let in Epiphany frosts
Your sorrows will go away.
Let there be tears only from happiness
Let the good news come.

I want you to laugh more often
And never be sad!
To admire love
And they were always happy!