On January 19, Orthodox believers in Russia will celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The holiday is considered one of the 12 main Christian holidays after Easter. On this day (January 6, according to the old style), the church remembers the baptism of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River by the prophet John the Baptist. This event is described in all four Gospels - from Matthew, Luke, John and Mark. Initially, the holiday was called the Epiphany. It arose in memory of a miracle that, according to the Bible, happened during baptism: the Holy Trinity (God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit) appeared to the world for the first time. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven on Jesus Christ in the form of a dove and a voice was heard saying: "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."

At first, the early Christians celebrated the feast of the Nativity and the feast of Epiphany (Theophany) on the same day - January 6th. Starting from the 4th century, Christmas and Epiphany began to be celebrated on different dates.

Today Russian, Georgian, Jerusalem, Serbian Orthodox Churches, Athos monasteries in Greece, Eastern Catholic Churches and Old Believers celebrate Epiphany (Epiphany) on January 19th. Roman Catholic, Protestant and 11 Orthodox churches, including Alexandria, Constantinople and a number of others - January 6. The difference in dates is due, in part, to the difference in Gregorian and Julian calendars held by the Church. Epiphany as a single holiday of Christmas and Epiphany has been preserved in the ancient Eastern churches - the Armenian Apostolic (January 6) and the Coptic Orthodox (January 7). In some Catholic countries, the holiday is called the Day of the Three Kings - and the adoration of the Magi is remembered on the holiday.

The eve of the holiday (January 18) is called Epiphany Christmas Eve. On this day, a one-day fast is established, during which believers are ordered not to eat until the end of the liturgy and communion with blessed water. The main dish of this day is sochivo. It is prepared from boiled cereals with honey, nuts or raisins. After Baptism, "wedding weeks" come, during which you can get married, since you can't get married on Christmas Lent and Christmas time after Christmas.

During the Epiphany service, Epiphany water is consecrated - in memory of the fact that Christ blessed the Jordan River with his baptism.

The rite of the Great Blessing of Water is performed on the eve of the holiday on January 18 and on January 19 after the liturgy. According to church canons, after the clergy read prayers and immerse the cross three times in consecrated water, she is endowed with special power and becomes a saint. It is believed that on the day of Epiphany, all the water on the planet acquires healing properties. You can store baptismal water for a whole year, up to next holiday. It should be drunk on an empty stomach, after reading a prayer. It is interesting that for the first time the veneration of baptismal water was mentioned in the sermons of St. John Chrysostom (4th century).

Every year on January 19, our most courageous fellow citizens plunge into the so-called "Jordan" - into the holes cut in the frozen rivers, lakes and ponds in the form of a cross or a circle, the water in which is consecrated. This tradition is connected with the fact that in the first centuries of Christianity, the baptism of believers was carried out just on the feast of the Epiphany.

The Church does not consider demonstration swimming in the hole on a holiday mandatory. You can be cleansed from sins through the sacrament of Baptism or confession.

Ecology of life: The Baptism of the Lord is one of the great twelfth holidays celebrated in honor of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The Baptism of the Lord is celebrated no less solemnly than the Nativity of Christ. The feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord are interconnected by Christmas time and constitute a single celebration - the feast of the Epiphany.

Essence of the Holiday

The Baptism of the Lord is one of the great twelfth holidays celebrated in honor of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The Baptism of the Lord is celebrated no less solemnly than the Nativity of Christ. The feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord are interconnected by Christmas time and constitute a single celebration - the feast of the Epiphany. In the unity of these holidays are all three persons of the Holy Trinity:

in the Bethlehem den the Son of God was born in the flesh;

at the baptism of the Son of God, from the open heavens "the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form, like a dove" (Luke 3:22);

and a Voice was heard from Heaven proclaiming, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

worship

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated in the same way as the feast of the Nativity of Christ. On the eve, the Royal Hours, the Liturgy of Basil the Great and the All-Night Vigil, beginning with Great Compline, are celebrated.

The peculiarity of this Feast is made up of two great blessings of water(a small consecration of water can be performed at any other time). The first great blessing of water takes place on the eve of the Feast in the temple. The second - on the very Holiday under open sky on rivers, ponds, wells.

On the day of Epiphany, the rite of consecration of water is performed in an ice hole made in the form of an Orthodox cross. The first, in ancient times, was performed for the baptism of the catechumens, and already, later, it was turned into a remembrance of the baptism of the Lord. The second, probably, came from the ancient custom of Jerusalem Christians, on the day of Theophany, to go to the Jordan River and here remember the baptism of the Savior. Therefore, the Epiphany procession has the name of the procession to the Jordan.

Bible Events

Jesus Christ, who returned after the death of King Herod from Egypt, grew up in the small city of Nazareth, located in Galilee. With His Blessed Mother, He stayed in this city until His thirtieth birthday, earning a living for Himself and the Blessed Virgin by carpentry.

When the thirtieth year of His earthly life was fulfilled, that is, the time until which, according to Jewish law, no one was allowed to teach in the synagogues and take the priesthood, the time came for His appearance to the people of Israel.

But before that moment, according to the word of the prophet, the Forerunner was to appear to Israel, on whom lay the task of preparing the people of Israel for the acceptance of the Messiah, the one about whom the prophet Isaiah predicted: “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths in the steppe for God ours."

Far from people, in the depths of the harsh Judean desert, there was a word of God to John, the son of Zechariah, a relative of the Blessed Virgin who is still in his mother's womb, righteous Elizabeth, jumped joyfully, greeting his Savior, whom no one in the world knew yet, except for His Most Pure Mother, who received the gospel from the Archangel. This word of God commanded John to go out into the world preaching repentance and baptize Israel to bear witness to the Light, so that all would believe through it.

The Jews who came to John had a natural question: Isn't he the Redeemer, longed for by all, the Comfort of Israel? The Baptist said in response: “The strongest of me is coming after me, in whose presence I am not worthy, bending down to untie the strap of His shoes; I baptized you with water, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

According to the gospel story, Jesus Christ came to John the Baptist, who was at the Jordan River in Bethabara (John 1:28), in order to be baptized. John, who preached a lot about the imminent coming of the Messiah, when he saw Jesus, was surprised and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”. To this, Jesus replied that "it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness" and was baptized by John.

Jesus Christ did not need this baptism, as sinless and blameless, born of the Most Pure Virgin Mary and Himself, according to His divinity, former source all purity and holiness. But, since He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world, He came to the waters of the Jordan to cleanse them through baptism.

He came to be baptized in order to sanctify the watery nature with Himself, in order to give us the font of holy baptism. He also came to be baptized so that John would see the fulfillment of the word of God that commanded him to come out of the wilderness: “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Baptist obeyed the word of Christ, and the Jordan received into its waters the One by whose command it began its course. As the Gospel tells, after being baptized, the Lord immediately came out of the water. Church tradition tells of this “immediately” that St. John the Baptist immersed each person baptized by him up to the neck and held him until he confessed all his sins. Only after that the person was allowed to get out of the water. who had sins, could not keep himself in the water, so he immediately went out of the river.

At the time of baptism, “the sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!” (Luke 3:21-22).

After his baptism, Jesus Christ, led by the Spirit, withdrew into the wilderness in order to prepare in solitude, prayer and fasting for the fulfillment of the mission with which he came to Earth. Jesus Christ “was tempted by the devil for forty days and did not eat anything during these days, but after they had passed, he became hungry at last” (Luke 4:2). Then the devil came to him and tried to tempt him to sin with three seductions, just like any other person.

Location of Holy Baptism

The place where John the Baptist preached and baptized, according to church tradition, was called Bethabara (the area beyond the Jordan, where there was a crossing over the river, which explains the name of the city - the house of the crossing.

The exact location of Bethavara, possibly Beit Awara, has not been determined. Since the 16th century, it has been considered the place where the Greek monastery of St. John the Baptist is now located, a kilometer from modern Beit Avara, about 10 km east of Jericho and 5 kilometers from the confluence of the Jordan River into the Dead Sea. Already in the time of King David, a ferry was built here, and in the 19th century this place was called the “Pilgrimage Ford”, because of the many pilgrims flocking here to bathe in the waters of the Jordan.

It was this way, 12 centuries before the Nativity of the Savior, that ancient Israel, led by Joshua, entered the Promised Land. Here, a thousand years before the Incarnation, King David crossed the Jordan, fleeing from his own son Absalom, who had rebelled against him. In the same place, the prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed the river, and already in the Christian era, the Monk Mary of Egypt went to the desert beyond the Jordan by the same way to mourn her sins.

Orthodox Christmas time

Christmas time in Orthodoxy is twelve public holidays between Christmas (January 7) and Epiphany (January 19). In Catholic Christianity, Christmas time corresponds to twelve days of Christmas, lasting from noon on December 25 to the morning of January 6. Often, Christmas time is also called holy evenings, in remembrance of the events of the Nativity and the baptism of the Savior, which took place at night or in the evening.

The church began to sanctify twelve days after the celebration of the Nativity of Christ from ancient times. This was indicated by 13 conversations of St. Ephraim the Syrian, uttered by him from December 25 to January 6, as well as the "words" of St. Ambrose of Milan and St. Gregory of Nyssa.

The ancient twelve-day celebration of Christmas time is confirmed by the spiritual charter of St. Savva the Sanctified.

The same is confirmed by the code of Justinian, published in 535 by the Second Turonian Council, in 567, all the days from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany are called holidays. Meanwhile, the holiness of these days and evenings was violated at many points by divination and other superstitious customs that had survived from the pagan celebrations of the same time.

There is an Orthodox law that forbids "on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and during Christmas time, according to old idolatrous legends, games and, dressing up in idol robes, perform dances in the streets and sing seductive songs." published

Every year on January 19, the entire Orthodox world celebrates a great holiday - Epiphany . This holiday is one of the most significant in the church calendar.

Epiphany is always celebrated on January 19, but church services begin on Christmas Eve, the eve of Epiphany, January 18. Even on this day in the morning they do a big cleaning in the house. In 2018, the holiday falls on a Friday.

When is Epiphany from 18 to 19 or from 19 to 20: when, what kind of holiday, should I go to church?

The most important thing you need to know about the Baptism of the Lord is that on this day the Lord Jesus Christ himself was baptized, so on January 18 in the evening and January 19 in the morning it is important to be in the church at the service, confess, take communion and take holy water. It is believed that baptismal water has healing properties that can heal many ailments. It also helps to protect oneself from damage and the evil eye, failures and bad events in life.

It is possible to sprinkle the house with holy water at the Baptism of the Lord 2018. According to, popular belief, this will help protect all households from failure.

The water over which the prayer was read is considered to be consecrated, therefore, in order not to be tormented by doubts, it is better to collect holy water in Jordan at the Baptism of the Lord 2018 or take it in the temple.

They bathe, according to tradition, after the evening service on January 18 and on the night of January 18-19. Access to the fonts is open, as a rule, on January 19 throughout the day.

In any church holiday it is necessary to distinguish between its meaning and the traditions that have developed around it. In the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the main thing is the Epiphany, this is the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, the voice of God the Father from heaven “This is my beloved Son” and the Holy Spirit descending on Christ. The main thing for a Christian on this day is the presence at the church service, confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, communion of baptismal water.

When Epiphany is from 18 to 19 or from 19 to 20: is it necessary to bathe?

The established traditions of swimming in cold holes are not directly related to the very Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, are not obligatory and, what is especially important, do not cleanse a person from sins, which, unfortunately, is much talked about in the media.

Such traditions should not be treated as magical rites- The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated by the Orthodox in hot Africa, America, and Australia. After all, the palm branches of the feast of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem were replaced by willows in Russia, and the consecration of vines on the Transfiguration of the Lord was a blessing for the harvest of apples. Also on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, all waters are consecrated, regardless of their temperature.

On Epiphany Christmas Eve, the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and the rite of the great consecration of water.

On the very day of the feast of the Epiphany, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

After the prayer behind the ambo, a great consecration of the water was performed.

The consecration of water was performed throughout the day of Christmas Eve and the feast of the Epiphany itself, and also, according to tradition, will be performed as needed until the day the feast of Epiphany is given.

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

An incomprehensible mystery reveals to the mind now enlightened by the light of Truth the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The incarnate God - the Lord Jesus Christ, descends into the waters of the Jordan, sanctifying and restoring the watery nature once corrupted by human sin, imparting to him the Power and grace of the Holy Spirit, perceiving which in the baptismal font every Christian becomes a participant in imperishable eternity in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father.

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, or Theophany, is also called the Day of Enlightenment and the Feast of the Lights - from ancient custom to perform on the eve of it (on Eve) the baptism of the catechumens, which is, in essence, spiritual enlightenment.

The description of the event of Baptism is given by all four Evangelists (Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-23; John 1:33-34), as well as in many stichera and troparia of the feast. “Today, Heaven and earth, the Creator comes in flesh to the Jordan, asking for the baptism of the sinless ... and is baptized from the servant of the Lord of all ...”. “To the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord (i.e., to John), thou hast come, Lord, we accept the form of a slave, asking for baptism, knowing no sin.” The baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ is in the closest connection with all His divine-human work of saving people, it constitutes a decisive and full start this ministry.

When John the Baptist preached on the banks of the Jordan and baptized people, Jesus Christ was thirty years old. He also came from Nazareth to the Jordan River to John to be baptized by him. John, however, considered himself unworthy to baptize Jesus Christ and began to hold Him back, saying: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus said to him in response: “leave me now,” that is, do not hold me back now, “because this is how we need to fulfill all righteousness” - to fulfill everything in the Law of God and set an example for people. Then John obeyed and baptized Jesus Christ. After the completion of baptism, when Jesus Christ came out of the water, the heavens suddenly opened up (revealed) over Him; and John saw the Spirit of God descending on Jesus in the form of a dove, and the voice of God the Father was heard from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The Baptism of the Lord in the work of redemption human race had a deep ontological significance. Baptism in the Jordan exudes forsaken mortals, remission of sins, enlightenment, the restoration of human nature, light, renewal, healing, and, as it were, a new birth. “Newly created earthly, New Adam was the Sodetel, by fire and Spirit and water, making a strange rebirth and a wonderful renewal ...”. The baptism of Christ in the waters of the Jordan had not only the meaning of a symbol of purification, but also a transforming, renewing effect on human nature. By plunging into the waters of the Jordan, the Lord sanctified “the whole nature of the waters” and the whole earth. The presence of Divine power in the watery nature transforms our corruptible nature (through Baptism) into incorruptible. Baptism had a beneficial effect on the whole dual human nature - on the body and soul of man. The baptism of Christ the Savior was in fact a prefiguration and foundation given after His Resurrection and Ascension of the mysteriously grace-filled way of rebirth by water and the Spirit in the sacrament of Baptism. Here the Lord reveals Himself as the Founder of a new, gracious Kingdom, into which, according to His teaching, one cannot enter without Baptism.

The threefold immersion in the sacrament of Baptism depicts the death of Christ, and the coming out of the water represents the communion of His three-day Resurrection.

At the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, true worship of God (religion) was revealed to people, the hitherto unknown mystery of the Trinity of the Godhead was revealed, the mystery of the One God in three Persons, worship was revealed Holy Trinity. The hymns comprehensively and touchingly describe the experiences that the Forerunner experiences when he sees Christ coming to be baptized by him. John the Baptist to the people listening to him points to the coming Jesus as the Christ expected by all Israel - the Messiah: "This, deliver Israel, free us from destruction." And when the Lord asked him to be baptized, “The Forerunner trembled and exclaimed loudly: how can a lamp shine light? How will a servant lay his hand on the Master? Savior, who took upon himself the sins of the whole world, You Yourself sanctify me and the waters. “Although You are the Child from Mary,” says the Forerunner, “but I know You, the Eternal God.” And then the Lord says to John:

“Prophet, come and baptize Me, who created you, and who enlightens with grace and purifies all. Touch My Divine top (head) and do not hesitate. Leave the rest now, for I have come to fulfill all righteousness.”

By being baptized by John, Christ fulfilled “righteousness,” that is, faithfulness and obedience to the commandments of God. Saint John the Baptist received from God the command to baptize the people as a sign of the cleansing of sins. As a man, Christ had to "fulfill" this commandment and therefore be baptized by John. By this He confirmed the holiness and greatness of the actions of John, and to Christians on eternal time gave an example of obedience to the will of God and humility.

Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian celebrations, celebrated already in the 3rd century. At first, in various local Churches, memories of various events associated with the birth of the Savior, His coming into the world, baptism in the Jordan by John and the first miracle at the marriage in Cana of Galilee were associated with this holiday. in the liturgical calendar Armenian Church this practice persists to this day, and in the Latin liturgical tradition, on the day of Theophany, the adoration of the Magi to the Divine Infant Christ is commemorated, and the baptism of the Savior in the Jordan is commemorated on the next Sunday after January 6th. The Feast of the Epiphany, as a memory of the baptism of the Savior in the Jordan, acquired significance after the feast of the Nativity of Christ was established on December 25, the day of the December calendars. Christmas was first celebrated in Rome (no later than 354), under Pope Julius, and later in the East. The "Apostolic Ordinances", a canonical monument of Syrian origin and dated by researchers around 380, commands to celebrate Christmas (December 25) and "The Day of the Appearance, on which the Lord showed us His Divinity" (January 6). In Constantinople, the feast of the Nativity was introduced by St. Gregory the Theologian in 379 during his short reign in the metropolitan see. Thus, the feast of the Epiphany, as a memory of the baptism of Christ and the appearance of the Holy Trinity, with which the emergence of the custom to bless water on this day, was established no earlier than the end of the 4th century.

In Jerusalem, the separation of the feasts of Christmas and Epiphany occurred somewhat later. Fragmentary information about the liturgical rite of the Epiphany consecration of water in the Jerusalem Church is given to us by the "Jerusalem Cannonary" (VII century), which has come down to our time in a Georgian translation. According to legend, the current liturgical rite of the Great Blessing of Water was composed by St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (c. 560-638).

The great consecration of water, according to the church charter, is performed twice - on the day of eve (Epiphany Christmas Eve) and on the day of the holiday itself, it is performed in conjunction with the Divine Liturgy. Contrary to popular misconception, there is no difference in the "power of grace" between water blessed on a given day. Firstly, water is consecrated according to the same liturgical rite. Secondly, initially the consecration of water was performed on the eve of the feast, as evidenced by St. John Chrysostom, as well as the Typicon. Double consecration of water has become a practice Orthodox Church after the 12th century However, it is interesting to note that the very tradition of consecrating water for purposes not related to the Sacrament of Baptism arose in ancient times, at the dawn of the history of the Church, long before the formation of rites. For example, the Holy Martyr Alexander, Pope of Rome (II century), introduced the custom of consecrating water so that believers would sprinkle their homes with it.

19.01.2018 09:17

On January 19 (January 6, old style), believers celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, or Epiphany. Epiphany, like Easter, is considered the most ancient holiday in Christian culture. This day is associated with gospel event- baptism by John the Forerunner of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

About the history, meaning and traditions of the holiday.

The meaning of the name

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is closely connected with the event of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, described by the evangelists - the baptism performed in the Jordan River by the prophet John the Baptist, who is also John the Baptist. The second name of the holiday is Epiphany. This name recalls the miracle that happened during the baptism of Christ: the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven called Jesus a son.

This day was also often called the "Day of Enlightenment", "Feast of Lights" or "Holy Lights" - as a sign that the Sacrament of Baptism cleanses a person from sin and enlightens with the Light of Christ.

history of the holiday

According to the Gospel, after wandering in the desert, the prophet John the Baptist came to the Jordan River, in which the Jews traditionally performed religious ablutions. Here he began to speak to the people about repentance and baptism for the remission of sins and to baptize people in the waters.

When Jesus was 30 years old, he also came to the waters of the Jordan River and asked John to be baptized. After the baptism, the heavens "opened" and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. At the same time, everyone heard the words of God the Father: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).

They pointed John the Baptist and the people present to the Divine dignity of the baptized Jesus Christ. It is believed that in this event the Holy Trinity was revealed to people: God the Father - by a voice from heaven, God the Son - by baptism from John in the Jordan, God the Holy Spirit - by a dove descending on Jesus Christ.

How to celebrate

On this day, divine services and Epiphany bathing in ice holes (Jordans) are held throughout Russia. To do this, special ice holes are made on reservoirs, and fonts are installed on the squares of cities and towns. It is believed among the people that swimming in an ice-hole gives a cleansing power for the soul and body.

Meanwhile, swimming in Jordan remains exclusively for believers. volunteer. For Christians, the main thing on this day is to attend a service in the church, confess, take communion and take baptismal water.

On the eve of January 18, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the Orthodox observe a strict fast, eating a traditional lean cereal dish - juicy. You can have a meal only after taking out the candle after the liturgy in the morning and the first communion with baptismal water.

Consecration of water

The main tradition of the holiday is the blessing of water, which takes place in temples and on reservoirs. Water is consecrated twice. The day before, January 18, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, and directly on the day of Theophany, January 19, at the Divine Liturgy.

Baptized water is called "agiasma" and is considered a shrine that heals the soul and body. Epiphany water can be consumed throughout the year. Holy water can be sprinkled on living quarters, things, taken during illness, applied to sore spots, and also given to drink to those who cannot be admitted to Holy Communion.

According to church ministers, even tap water is blessed on this day. The water consecrated in the temple cannot be used for domestic needs, washing or washing. It is recommended to store holy water in the house, preferably near the icons.