One of the main Orthodox holidays is approaching - the Epiphany. It is celebrated every year on January 19. His second name is the Epiphany of the Lord.
At the heart of the holiday, as always in Orthodoxy, is an event from the Gospel. On this day, January 19, the Baptism of Jesus of thirty years took place in the waters of the Jordan River. The Rite of Baptism was performed by John the Baptist. During the baptism, the Spirit of God in the form of a dove descended on Jesus Christ. At the same time, a voice sounded from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." From that moment everyone knew that Jesus is the Son of God, therefore the second name of the holiday is the Epiphany. It is curious that during the Baptism of Jesus Christ the Holy Trinity appeared: the Voice of God the Father spoke of the Son, the Son of God was baptized at the hands of John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit descended to his son in the form of a dove.
God commanded John to baptize people, cleansing human souls from sins. So Jesus laid the foundation for one of the great Orthodox church holidays, celebrated to this day. And one of the seven great church sacraments is baptism.
During the rite of Baptism, it is customary to immerse yourself in water three times with your head - this symbolizes the death of Christ on the cross for our sins, the descent from the water - the resurrection of Christ.
In memory of those Gospel events, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Epiphany every year. Remembering that after the baptism of Jesus, the water in the Jordan became holy, on the eve of the holiday they hold a rite of blessing of the water, sanctify the water in all temples. After that, the water becomes "holy", acquires unusual life-giving, one might say, wonderful properties.
It is customary to stock up with this water, drink a spoon on an empty stomach in the morning, wash children from their unclean eyes, and sprinkle it on the house. This water is kept reverently for a whole year because its power is tremendous. And you do not need to put it in the refrigerator, Epiphany water does not deteriorate.
Another tradition is dipping in an ice hole. In honor of the Jordan River, the Epiphany ice hole is called Jordan. Three dipping with a head is not just a symbol of purification, it is a renewal of the soul, absolution of sins in which a person repented, enlightenment. In no case is not welcome to do this naked. Men have enough swimming trunks, women should have a chaste nightgown. Before dipping, you need to cross three times with the words "In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit." It is advisable to treat the dipping not as a tribute to fashion, but as a great purification. Ideally, before baptism, one should defend the service in the church, confess sins and take communion.
