Video: Orthodox Christians prepare for the feast of the Epiphany
2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00
Today, January 18, Orthodox Christians are preparing for the great feast of the Epiphany. On Epiphany Eve, solemn services are held in all churches, during which they will bless the water. It is believed that after this it acquires special miraculous power, and believers try to stock it up for a whole year.
The Baptism of the Lord, or Epiphany, is one of the twelve major Orthodox holidays. There is a tradition among believers to plunge into the ice hole on the night of January 19 and during the day when all the water is considered holy. On Epiphany Christmas Eve, priests and parishioners of many churches go to a reservoir, where ice is cut in advance, usually in the shape of a cross. The ice-hole is called Jordan - in memory of the Jordan River, in the waters of which Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist.
It was believed that on Epiphany night one can safely make any wish, because at this time the sky seems to open, turning into a gate leading to the Lord.
As on Christmas Eve, on the eve of Epiphany they fast until the first star, but the further meal should be much more modest than on Christmas Eve. It is no coincidence that she was called "hungry kutya". In addition, it was necessary to carry out a general cleaning at home before the meal.
There is a tradition among believers to plunge into the ice hole on the night of January 19 and during the day when all the water is considered holy. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, it is assumed that the most massive place for Epiphany bathing this year in Moscow will be the lake with the self-explanatory name Svyatoe, which is located in the east of the city. In the center of the capital, it will be possible to swim in only one open reservoir - in the Andreevsky pond of Neskuchny Sad, where, as expected, about 400 people will come for Epiphany.
Meanwhile, forecasters do not exclude that it is on Epiphany that the frost will get stronger to minus 30 degrees - for the first time this winter.
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Orthodox Christians prepare for Epiphany
Orthodox believers are preparing for an important holiday - tomorrow, according to the church calendar, the Baptism of the Lord. On this day, the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist the Baptist in the Jordan River is remembered. On the feast of Epiphany (Epiphany), celebrated on January 19, believers remember how, at the age of 30, Jesus Christ from Galilee came to the Jordan River to receive baptism with water from John the Baptist.
Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany Eve
Almost every Orthodox Christian is preparing to plunge into the ice hole tonight. On the night of January 19, we celebrate one of the twelve major Christian holidays - the Baptism of the Lord, or Epiphany. According to an ancient tradition that spread in Russia with the adoption of Christianity, tonight many believers, regardless of weather conditions, bathe in fonts and reservoirs, the water in which at this time is considered holy and helps to heal diseases.