Orthodox believers are celebrating the Holy Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, today.
Orthodox believers are celebrating the Holy Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, today.
The holiday is established in memory of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. It is known from the Gospel that John the Baptist, calling people to repentance, baptised people in the waters of the Jordan. The Saviour, being sinless, did not need it, but out of humility, He accepted baptism by water, thereby sanctifying it Himself.
The holiday is also called Epiphany. It is known that during the baptism of the Saviour, God revealed Himself to the world in the three persons of His Divinity: God the Son – Jesus Christ was being baptised in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and God the Father testified of Jesus Christ with a voice from heaven. The Sacrament of Baptism is vividly depicted in all four Gospels and represents the manifestation of the Lord to the world as the Son of God.
The holiday begins on the evening of January 18, when all Orthodox Christians celebrate the Epiphany Eve, during which, after the liturgy in churches, water is consecrated. Water is consecrated for the second time on the Epiphany holiday itself. While consecrating the water, the priest lowers the 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.
The tradition of plunging into an ice-hole on Epiphany has survived to this day. However, it should be remembered that one must enter the Epiphany ice-hole with an awareness of the religious significance of this act, as immersion in Epiphany water does not cleanse from all sins "automatically".
The holiday of Epiphany unites people with God. During the rite in water, which is the source of new life, a person dies to sin and is resurrected for God.