On Lake Svyatoye, on the day of the Twelfth Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, a festive concert and immersion into the Christian tradition of plunging into the baptismal font took place.
On Lake Svyatoye, on the day of the Twelfth Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, a festive concert and immersion into the Christian tradition of plunging into the baptismal font took place.
This was preceded by the Divine Liturgy and the rite of the great sanctification of water in Orthodox churches.
For many years now, organised immersion into the baptismal font has been held in our district. This year was no exception. It should be noted that an ice-hole was cut in advance and equipped with a ladder, and a covering was laid. A warm changing area was also provided. For this purpose, soldiers from the 231st Artillery Brigade, stationed in the village of Borovka, set up two large heated tents on the lake shore – a kind of changing rooms for men and women, and a field kitchen provided hot tea with sweets.
A medical worker and rescuers from OSVOD with all the necessary equipment were present during the immersion, as well as employees of the Department of Internal Affairs, who ensured safety. Employees of KUPP "Borovka" installed gangways, organised a large bonfire to warm those immersing themselves, and improved the area near Lake Svyatoye. Firewood for the bonfire was provided by the Lepel Forestry.
The vocal group "Campanella" of the "Zaslonovskaya Children's Art School" branch of the Lepel Children's Art School performed kind and bright songs, and cultural workers of the Lepel District House of Culture provided musical accompaniment.
The dean of the Lepel district, Archpriest Sergey Leshkevich, addressed all those present with a welcoming speech.
While sanctifying the water, the priest lowers a cross into a special Epiphany ice-hole. People believe that at this time the water acquires healing properties and retains them throughout the year. It is given to drink to the seriously ill, and it is used to sanctify churches and homes.
Thus, on this day, Father Sergey congratulated everyone and sanctified the baptismal font, and also noted:
- The tradition of believers immersing themselves is associated with the sacrament of the baptism of the Son of God in the waters of the Jordan River. Like Christ, on January 18 and 19, Orthodox Christians immerse themselves in baptismal fonts or open bodies of water. But without faith in the heart and spiritual understanding, Epiphany bathing is meaningless.
Some believe that by immersing themselves in cold water on the Epiphany, they cleanse themselves of sins. But we understand that this is not the case. Sins cannot be washed away in an ice-hole. The main factor for an Orthodox person on this day should be attending the service,purification through sacraments such as confession and communion, followed by a procession and the blessing of water in honour of the Lord granting the opportunity for the whole world to be baptised, – the priest emphasised.
We remind you that even on such a holy holiday, one should not forget about safety and choose a place for the ceremony only in specially designated water areas.
Natalia Khrapovitskaya.