Orthodox holidays - Holy Epiphany (Epiphany)congratulate →

On January 19, the entire Orthodox world celebrates the most important Christian holiday - Epiphany, or Epiphany The day when Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River is rightfully one of the most sacred church holidays On the eve of Epiphany, January 18, there is a strict fast Water holds a special meaning for believers; all life on the planet arose from water consecrated by the Holy Life-giving Spirit Water is the beginning of life, the source of life With His Baptism, the Savior sanctified simple Jordanian water, and since then, every year throughout the Christian world there has been a blessing of water - the consecration of water The ceremony begins in the church, during the service, and then the clergy and parishioners go in procession to the nearest body of water, where ice holes in the shape of a cross - Jordan - have been cut in advance After this, traditional bathing begins Believers prepare for this day in advance, because not everyone has the courage to plunge into an ice hole in winter However, every year there are more and more people who want to wash away their sins with holy water, although the weather in January is usually frosty It is believed that after the consecration of the Jordan, all water in the Orthodox world is holy, even that which comes from the tap Therefore, people who were unable to come to church for services can draw baptismal water without leaving home The secret meaning of the ritual of people is washing with water It was believed that just as the flesh gets rid of dirt with the help of water, so the soul is able to cleanse itself of sins before the Almighty After Baptism, Jesus revealed the secret that he is the Son of God, who came to Earth to help humanity earn the forgiveness of the Father On January 19, Christmastide ends, and therefore it is believed that all the evil spirits that had previously been rampant on the territory of the earth are drowning in the hacked-out Jordans Since Baptism, it is strictly forbidden to guess; it is believed that, apart from troubles, such a procedure does not foreshadow anything Epiphany is a major religious holiday, believers wait for it and prepare according to all the rules