Epiphany or Epiphany is one of the most important twelve holidays of Orthodoxy. Read all about the history of this event in the article!

Epiphany, or Epiphany - January 19, 2020

What holiday is it?

Forefeast of Epiphany

Since ancient times, Epiphany has been one of the great twelve holidays. Even in the Apostolic Constitutions (Book 5, Chapter 12) it is commanded: “Let you have great respect for the day on which the Lord revealed the Divinity to us.” This holiday in the Orthodox Church is celebrated with equal grandeur as the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Both of these holidays, connected by “Christmastide” (from December 25 to January 6), constitute, as it were, one celebration. Almost immediately after the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (from January 2), the Church begins to prepare us for the solemn feast of the Epiphany of the Lord with stichera and troparions (at Vespers), three songs (at Compline) and canons (at Matins) specially dedicated to the upcoming holiday, and church hymns in The honor of the Epiphany has been heard since January 1: at Matins of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, the irmos of the canons of the Epiphany are sung: “He opened the depths, there is a bottom...” and “A stormy storm is moving in the sea...”. With its sacred memories, following from Bethlehem to the Jordan and commemorating the events of Baptism, the Church in the pre-festive stichera calls on the faithful:
“We will go from Bethlehem to the Jordan, for there the Light is already beginning to illuminate those who are in darkness.” The coming Saturday and Sunday before Epiphany are called Saturday and the Week before Epiphany (or Enlightenment).

Eve of Epiphany

The eve of the holiday - January 5 - is called the Eve of Epiphany, or Christmas Eve. The services of the Vigil and the holiday itself are in many ways similar to the service of the Vigil and the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.

On the Eve of Epiphany on January 5 (as well as on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ), the Church prescribes strict fasting: eating food once after the blessing of water. If the Vespers happen on Saturday and Sunday, the fast is made easier: instead of once, eating food is allowed twice - after the liturgy and after the blessing of water. If the reading of the Great Hours from the Vespers, which happened on Saturday or Sunday, is postponed to Friday, then there is no fasting on that Friday.

Features of the service on the Eve of the holiday

On all weekdays (except Saturday and Sunday), the service of the Vesper of Epiphany consists of the Great Hours, Fine Hours and Vespers with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great; After the liturgy (after the prayer behind the pulpit), the water is blessed. If Christmas Eve happens on Saturday or Sunday, then the Great Hours take place on Friday, and there is no liturgy on that Friday; the liturgy of St. Basil the Great is moved to the day of the holiday. On the very day of Christmas Eve, the liturgy of St. St. John Chrysostom occurs in due time, followed by Vespers and after it the Blessing of Water.

The Great Hours of the Epiphany and their contents

The troparia point to the division of the waters of the Jordan by Elisha with the mantle of the prophet Elijah as a prototype of the true Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, by which the watery nature was sanctified and during which the Jordan stopped its natural flow. The last troparion describes the tremulous feeling of Saint John the Baptist when the Lord came to him to be baptized. In the parimia of the 1st hour, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, the Church proclaims the spiritual renewal of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Is. 25).

The Apostle and the Gospel proclaim the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who testified to the eternal and Divine greatness of Christ (Acts 13:25-32; Matt. 3:1-11). At the 3rd hour, in special psalms - 28 and 41 - the prophet depicts the power and authority of the baptized Lord over water and all the elements of the world: “The voice of the Lord is on the waters: the God of glory will roar, the Lord on many waters. The voice of the Lord in the fortress; The voice of the Lord is in splendor...” These psalms are also joined by the usual 50th psalm. The troparia of the hour reveal the experiences of John the Baptist - awe and fear at the Baptism of the Lord - and the manifestation in this great event of the mystery of the Trinity of the Divinity. In parimia we hear the voice of the prophet Isaiah, foreshadowing spiritual rebirth through baptism and Calling for the acceptance of this sacrament: “Wash yourself, and you will be clean” (Is. 1: 16-20).

The Apostle talks about the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:1-8), and the Gospel talks about the Forerunner who prepared the way for the Lord (Mark 1:1-3). At the 6th hour, in Psalms 73 and 76, King David prophetically depicts the Divine greatness and omnipotence of the One who came to be baptized in the form of a servant: “Who is a great God like our God? You are God, work miracles. You saw the waters, O God, and were afraid: the abyss was crushed.”

The usual 90th psalm of the hour is also added. The troparia contain the Lord’s answer to the Baptist to his bewilderment about Christ’s self-abasement and indicate the fulfillment of the Psalmist’s prophecy that the Jordan River stops its waters when the Lord enters it for Baptism. The parimia talks about how the prophet Isaiah contemplates the grace of salvation in the waters of baptism and calls on believers to assimilate it: “Draw up water with joy from the source of fear” (Is. 12).

The Apostle encourages those baptized into Christ Jesus to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-12). The Gospel preaches about the appearance of the Holy Trinity at the Baptism of the Savior, about His forty-day labor in the desert and the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel (Mark 1:9-15). At the 9th hour, in Psalms 92 and 113, the prophet proclaims the royal greatness and omnipotence of the baptized Lord. The third psalm of the hour is the usual 85th. With the words of parimia, the prophet Isaiah depicts the inexpressible mercy of God towards people and the gracious help for them revealed in Baptism (Is. 49: 8-15). The Apostle announces the manifestation of the grace of God, “saving for all men,” and the abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit on believers (Tit. 2, 11-14; 3, 4-7). The Gospel tells about the Baptism of the Savior and the Epiphany (Matthew 3:13-17).

Vespers on the day of the Vespers of the holiday

Vespers on the Vespers of the Feast of the Epiphany is similar to what happens on the Vespers of the Nativity of Christ: entrance with the Gospel, reading of parimia, Apostle, Gospel, etc., but the parimia at Vespers of the Epiphany Vigil is read not on 8, but on 13.
After the first three paremias to the troparion and verses of prophecy, the singers chorus: “May you enlighten those who sit in darkness: Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.” After the 6th parimia - the chorus to the troparion and verses: “Where would Your light shine, only on those who sit in darkness, glory to You.”
If on the Eve of Epiphany Vespers is combined with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday), then after the reading of the proverbs there follows a small litany with the exclamation: “For art thou holy, our God...”, then the Trisagion and other sequences of the liturgy are sung. At Vespers, performed separately after the liturgy (on Saturday and Sunday), the parimia, the small litany and the exclamation: “For thou art holy...” are followed by the prokeimenon: “The Lord is my enlightenment...”, Apostle (Cor., part 143) and the Gospel (Luke, 9th).
After this - the litany “Rtsem all...” and so on.

Great Blessing of Water

The Church renews the memory of the Jordan event with a special rite of the great consecration of water. On the Eve of the holiday, the great consecration of water occurs after the prayer behind the pulpit (if the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is being celebrated). And if Vespers is celebrated separately, without connection with the liturgy, the consecration of the water occurs at the end of Vespers, after the exclamation: “Be the power...”. The priest, through the royal doors, while singing the troparia “The Voice of the Lord on the Waters...” comes out to the vessels filled with water, carrying the Honorable Cross on his head, and the consecration of the water begins.

The blessing of water also takes place on the holiday itself after the liturgy (also after the prayer behind the pulpit).

The Orthodox Church has been performing the great consecration of water on Vespers and on the holiday itself since ancient times, and the grace of consecrating water on these two days is always the same. At the Forever, the consecration of water was performed in remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord, which sanctified the watery nature, as well as the baptism of the orphans, which in ancient times was performed at the Forever of Epiphany (Lent. Apost., book 5, chapter 13; historians: Theodoret, Nicephorus Callistus). On the very holiday, the consecration of water occurs in memory of the actual event of the Baptism of the Savior. The blessing of water on the holiday itself began in the Jerusalem Church in the 4th - 5th centuries. took place only in it alone, where there was a custom of going out to the Jordan River for the blessing of water in memory of the Baptism of the Savior. Therefore, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the blessing of water on Vecherie is performed in churches, and on the holiday itself it is usually performed on rivers, springs and wells (the so-called “Walk to the Jordan”), for Christ was baptized outside the temple.

The great consecration of water began in the early times of Christianity, following the example of the Lord Himself, who sanctified the waters by His immersion in them and established the sacrament of Baptism, in which the consecration of water has been taking place since ancient times. The rite of blessing of water is attributed to the Evangelist Matthew. Several prayers for this rite were written by St. Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople. The final execution of the rite is attributed to St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. The blessing of water on the holiday is already mentioned by the teacher of the Church Tertullian and St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Apostolic Decrees also contain prayers said during the blessing of water. So, in the book. The 8th says: “The priest will call on the Lord and say: “And now sanctify this water, and give it grace and strength.”

St. Basil the Great writes: “According to what scripture do we bless the water of baptism? - From Apostolic tradition, by succession in secret" (91st canon).

In the second half of the 10th century, Patriarch of Antioch Peter Foulon introduced the custom of consecrating water not at midnight, but on the Eve of Epiphany. In the Russian Church, the Moscow Council of 1667 decided to perform double blessing of water - on Vespers and on the very feast of Epiphany and condemned Patriarch Nikon, who prohibited double blessing of water. The sequence of the great consecration of water both at Vespers and on the holiday itself is the same and in some parts is similar to the sequence of the small consecration of water. It consists of remembering the prophecies relating to the event of Baptism (parimia), the event itself (the Apostle and the Gospel) and its meaning (litany and prayers), invoking the blessing of God on the waters and immersing the Life-giving Cross of the Lord in them three times.

In practice, the rite of water blessing is performed as follows. After the prayer behind the pulpit (at the end of the liturgy) or the petitionary litany: “Let us perform the evening prayer” (at the end of Vespers), the rector is in full vestments (as during the liturgy), and the other priests are only in the epitrachelion, shoulder straps, and the rector is carrying the Holy Cross on an uncovered chapter (usually the Cross is placed in the air). At the site of the blessing of water, the Cross is placed on a decorated table, on which there should be a bowl of water and three candles. During the singing of troparions, the rector and the deacon cense the water prepared for consecration (around the table three times), and if the water is consecrated in the church, then the altar, clergy, singers and people also cense.

At the end of the singing of the troparions, the deacon exclaims: “Wisdom,” and three parimia are read (from the book of the prophet Isaiah), which depict the gracious fruits of the Lord’s coming to earth and the spiritual joy of all who turn to the Lord and partake of the life-giving sources of salvation. Then the prokeimenon “The Lord is my enlightenment...” is sung, the Apostle and the Gospel are read. The Apostolic Reading (Cor., section 143) speaks of persons and events that in the Old Testament, during the wanderings of the Jews in the desert, were a prototype of Christ the Savior (the mysterious baptism of the Jews into Moses among the clouds and the sea, their spiritual food in desert and drinking from the spiritual stone, which was Christ). The Gospel (Mark, part 2) tells about the Baptism of the Lord.

After reading the Holy Scriptures, the deacon pronounces the great litany with special petitions. They contain prayers for the sanctification of water by the power and action of the Holy Trinity, for sending down the blessing of the Jordan on the water and giving it grace for the healing of mental and physical infirmities, for driving away all slander of visible and invisible enemies, for the sanctification of houses and for all benefits.

During the litany, the rector secretly reads a prayer for the purification and sanctification of himself: “Lord Jesus Christ...” (without exclamation). At the end of the litany, the priest (rector) loudly reads the consecration prayer: “Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works...” (three times) and so on. In this prayer, the Church begs the Lord to come and sanctify the water so that it will receive the grace of deliverance, the blessing of the Jordan, so that it will be a source of incorruption, the resolution of ailments, the cleansing of souls and bodies, the sanctification of houses and “for all good.” In the middle of the prayer, the priest exclaims three times: “You Yourself, O Lover of Mankind, come now through the influx of Your Holy Spirit and consecrate this water,” and at the same time each time he blesses the water with his hand, but does not immerse his fingers in the water, as happens in the sacrament of Baptism. At the end of the prayer, the abbot immediately blesses the water crosswise with the Honorable Cross, holding it with both hands and immersing it three times straight (lowering it into the water and raising it), and with each immersion of the Cross he sings the troparion with the clergy (three times): “I am baptized in the Jordan, O Lord...”

After this, while the troparion is sung repeatedly by the singers, the abbot with the Cross in his left hand sprinkles a cross in all directions, and also sprinkles the temple with holy water.

Glorification of the holiday

On Vecherye, after the dismissal of Vespers or Liturgy, a lamp (not a lectern with an icon) is placed in the middle of the church, before which the clergy and choristers sing the troparion and (on “Glory, and now”) the kontakion of the holiday. The candle here means the light of Christ’s teaching, Divine enlightenment given in the Epiphany.

After this, the worshipers venerate the Cross, and the priest sprinkles each with holy water.

Nowadays, the Orthodox Church celebrates many major holidays. The most important among them are Easter, that is, the Resurrection of Christ, twelve “great twelves” and five more “great non-twelves”. In addition to them, the days of remembrance of especially revered saints are celebrated with great solemnity. For each celebration, the day, the form of worship, and sometimes even everyday details are firmly established: what color should the clergy’s robes be, what food is allowed at the festive table...

But in early Christianity, all these holidays, besides Easter, did not exist. And later they “wandered” from one date to another, then merged, then found themselves separated, and the traditions of celebrating were very different in different places. Simply put, church holidays did not immediately become established and took their modern form.

Most of them were born slowly, in disputes and agreements that could drag on for decades or even centuries. All this happened mainly between the 4th and 10th centuries, in a huge, long-vanished country. It is called the Eastern Roman Empire or, more simply, Byzantium. And from there, church regulations regarding holidays diverged to different parts of the Christian world.

The Feast of the Epiphany has a difficult fate.

"We must fulfill all righteousness..."

Today, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Epiphany on January 19 according to the new style (January 6 according to the old style), and its meaning is now transparent to every believer. This holiday is a remembrance of how Jesus Christ appeared on the banks of the Palestinian River Jordan and asked for baptism from the prophet John the Baptist. He, seeing the essence of Christ, was surprised and asked whether he himself should be baptized by Christ? John baptized people for the remission of sins, but why should a being who has a sinless divine essence be cleansed of sins? And is it appropriate for the Master to receive baptism from His servant? To this the answer was received: “We must fulfill all righteousness.” Then John the Baptist bowed his head before the will of God, and Jesus entered the green, opaque waters of the Jordan, which had been revered as a sacred river since ancient times. John the Baptist performed the rite of baptism, which became the prototype of the modern sacrament.

Schema-Archimandite John Maslov wrote the following about the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River: “By being baptized by John, Christ fulfilled “righteousness,” i.e. fidelity and obedience to the commandments of God. Saint John the Baptist received the command from God to baptize the people as a sign of 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 John’s actions, and gave Christians an example of obedience to the will of God and humility for eternity.”

During Baptism, a miracle happened: the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in the guise of a dove, “And there was a voice from heaven, saying: Thou art my beloved Son; I am well pleased with You!”(Luke 3:21-22). Thus it was revealed to all the people that Jesus was not only the Son of Man, but also the Son of God. Therefore, the holiday now has a second name - Epiphany.

In the old days in Rus', every hole in the ice of a river or lake, created for the sake of Epiphany consecration of water, was called Jordan. Even though the Jordan River carries waves in warm places, there are palm trees along its banks, and the water in it never freezes, but an Orthodox person can still see it somewhere near Ryazan or Belozersk, in twenty-degree frost, among snowdrifts blown by a blizzard. At this moment, time disappears, space disappears, thousands of waters from different centuries and countries merge into a single symbol of Jordanian water, sanctified by the presence of Christ.

White Robe Day

They began to celebrate the Baptism of the Lord very quickly - even during the lifetime of the apostles. But at that time it was called differently and had a different meaning.

The disciples of Christ and the disciples of His disciples indulged in memories of how the living God appeared in the world of people, how the Magi bowed to Him, how He taught and how He showed an essence higher than human. Therefore, three different events - the incarnation of God in the human body (Christmas), the Adoration of Him by the Magi and the first signs of His true origin (Baptism) - were united in their imagination. Three different, according to modern concepts, holidays remained, as it were, a single celebration. Initially, the general name of this identity was “Epiphany” (in Greek, “Appearance”), later another, now well-known, version prevailed - “Theophany” (that is, “Epiphany”). The ancient Apostolic Constitutions said: “May you have great respect for the day on which the Lord revealed the Divinity to us.” The clergy - the heirs of the true witnesses of the Epiphany, the apostles - have served on this day in white robes since ancient times.

Nowadays, signs of the ancient unity of Christmas and Epiphany are barely discernible. For example, both holidays have Evecherie (Christmas Eve) with strict fasting, and there are some similarities in the divine service.

But some churches, such as the Ethiopian Orthodox and Armenian Gregorian, still celebrate a single holiday.

"Drawing water at midnight..."

It is not at all a simple question when Epiphany became an independent holiday. This did not happen all over the vast Christian world at the same time. But from the second half of the 5th century, Epiphany is almost universally celebrated as a separate holiday, and the word “Epiphany” becomes its synonym, no longer relating to Christmas.

The Church Council of the mid-6th century officially called the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany festive - from December 25 to January 6, but these two great celebrations were already distinguished.

The main distinguishing feature of Baptism is the consecration of water. This custom arose in ancient times and over time turned into a kind of “calling card” of the holiday.

For a long time there was debate about how many times the blessing of water should be carried out - once or twice? For example, it was only in 1667 that the Russian Church finally decided to bless water twice - both on Vespers and on the feast of Epiphany itself. As a rule, the first time consecration takes place in churches, and the second time - on rivers, lakes, and ponds.

Moreover, the two blessings of water go back to two different church traditions.

The first of them is connected with the order established by the early Christians: to baptize converts on the Eve of the holiday. That is why the holiday once had a third name: it was called the “day of Enlightenment” - as a sign that the Sacrament of Baptism cleanses a person from sin and enlightens him with the light of Christ.

But subsequently there were so many who wanted to accept the faith of Christ that one day was clearly not enough for this. Baptisms began to be performed on other dates. The custom of consecrating water on Evening Day - even if none of the converts are in the temple - has been preserved.

At first she was blessed only once, at midnight. Back in the 4th century, Saint John Chrysostom wrote about the blessing of water like this: “Christ was baptized and sanctified the nature of the waters; and therefore, on the feast of Epiphany, everyone, having drawn water at midnight, brings it home and keeps it all year round. And so the water in its essence does not deteriorate from the continuation of time, drawn now for a whole year, and often two and three years remains fresh and undamaged, and after such a long time is not inferior to the waters just drawn from the source.”

It was only in the 10th century that the blessing of water was moved from midnight to Vespers.

The tradition of consecrating water a second time has different roots.

Initially it concerned only the Jerusalem church. There, the second consecration of water began to be performed in the 4th - 5th centuries, since there was a custom of going out to the Jordan River to bless water in memory of the Baptism of the Savior himself. From there, the custom of the second consecration of water gradually spread throughout the Orthodox world.

Since time immemorial, there has been a custom of drinking Epiphany water for health and sprinkling it in all the corners of the house - to “drive away evil spirits.”

Bishop Hilarion (Alfeev) explains this custom as follows: “The Lord Jesus Christ Himself came to the Jordan to John to plunge into the waters of the Jordan - not to cleanse them from sin, but in order to sanctify them, transform them, fill them with life... And He descended into the waters of the Jordan to take upon Himself the burden of sin and death and the water element again to be the element of life. Since then, every year we consecrate the water, and this water becomes a great shrine. This water, in which God Himself is present, sanctifies everything that is sprinkled with it, it heals people from illnesses.”

On the night of January 18-19, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Epiphany (Holy Epiphany). What should you do at Epiphany? How to celebrate the holiday correctly? What rituals need to be performed? What signs should you pay attention to? How to congratulate your family and friends?

Epiphany is one of the main Christian holidays. The holiday of Epiphany ends the Christmas holidays, which last from January 7 to January 19.

This holiday was established in memory of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, when he was 30 years old. It is known from the Gospel that John the Baptist, calling the people to repentance, baptized people in the waters of the Jordan. The Savior, being sinless from the beginning, had no need for John’s Baptism of repentance, but out of His humility accepted Baptism with water, thereby sanctifying His watery nature.

The Feast of Epiphany is also called the Feast of Epiphany, because at the Baptism of the Lord the Holy Trinity appeared to the world: “God the Father spoke from heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by the holy Forerunner of the Lord John, and the Holy Spirit descended on the Son in the form of a dove”.

Epiphany. Holy Epiphany

On the eve of Epiphany, January 18, believers fast- they don’t eat anything until the evening, and in the evening they celebrate the second Holy Evening or “Hungry Kutya”. Lenten dishes are served for dinner - fried fish, dumplings with cabbage, buckwheat pancakes with butter, kutya and uzvar.

The whole family, as before Christmas, gathers at the table, to which Only Lenten dishes are served; kutia (sochivo) is prepared from rice, honey and raisins..

That evening, returning from church from a prayer service, people placed crosses over all windows and doors with chalk or soot from candles.

After dinner, all the spoons are collected in one bowl, and bread is placed on top - “so that bread is born.” The girls used these same spoons to tell fortunes: they went out on the threshold and knocked with them until a dog barked somewhere - the girl would go in that direction to get married.

The main tradition of the Epiphany holiday is the blessing of water.

On the morning of January 19, water is blessed - either in a church, or, where possible, near a lake, river or stream. It is believed that on Epiphany, from midnight to midnight, water acquires healing properties and retains them throughout the year. It is given to seriously ill people to drink, and temples, houses and animals are blessed with it. It remains a mystery to science that Epiphany water does not spoil, has no odor and can be stored for a year or longer.

In the old days, on the eve of Jordan, a large cross (“Jordan”) was cut out in the ice and installed vertically next to the hole. The ice cross was decorated with periwinkle and pine branches or doused with beet kvass, which turned it red.

Water is sanctified in springs, and where this is not possible - in the courtyard of the temple. Blessing the water, the priest lowers the cross into a special baptismal hole called the “Jordan”; the blessed water is called the “great agiasma,” that is, the great shrine.

It is believed that Epiphany water has the same miraculous power as the waters of the Jordan into which Jesus Christ entered.

On the day of Epiphany, after a prayer service, the sick bathe in the ice hole - to recover from illness, and those who dress up in masks for the New Year - to cleanse themselves of sin.

On the day of the holiday and on the day of Epiphany Eve, the Great Blessing of Water is performed. There are long queues for holy water in the courtyards of temples.

If a person for some serious reason cannot go to the service, he can resort to the healing power of simple water taken from an ordinary reservoir on Epiphany night. It is believed that Epiphany water gains special strength and healing properties. They treat wounds with Epiphany water, sprinkle every corner of their home - there will be order and peace in the house.

Has survived to this day tradition of plunging into an ice hole at Epiphany- the one who dared to do this believed that the healing Epiphany water would give him health for the whole year. And today there are brave souls who, even in severe frost, jump into icy water. Everyone who wants to join them should remember that they need to plunge into the Epiphany ice hole, not trying to “accomplish a feat,” but remembering the religious meaning of this action - it is best to take a blessing from the priest before doing this. You also need to know that washing in Epiphany water does not “automatically” cleanse you of all sins.

After the celebration of Epiphany, a new wedding season begins, which continues until Lent. In the old days it was a time of fun and leisure. Young people gathered for evening parties, families organized pools and visited each other.

Epiphany holy water

On Epiphany you can drink Epiphany water all day long. But then it should be consumed on an empty stomach or for special needs (for example, in case of a sudden illness). In addition, on the day of the holiday, we sprinkle holy water throughout the entire home, including latrines and those rooms where our pets live. You can sprinkle your office, your place of study, and your car.

And if you see that there is not as much water as you would like, you can dilute it with simple clean water, and it will all be as full of grace as before, and will not spoil.

Therefore, there is no need to strain yourself by taking a canister of a dozen or two liters from the temple on this day. It is enough to take a small bottle and there will be enough water for you and your loved ones until the next Epiphany.

But the miraculous preservation of Epiphany water is not guaranteed to a person who does not treat it reverently.

It is better to pour the water from a plastic container into a glass one and store it next to the icons. Also You should drink this water with prayer so that this gift of the Lord will be to us for the health of soul and body.

Epiphany water can stand for years without spoiling.

Fortune telling for Epiphany

On Epiphany evening, the girl must leave the house and walk down the street. If she meets the first young and handsome man on her way, there is a high probability that she will get married this year. If the passerby is old, then marriage is not soon.

At Epiphany, in addition to traditional New Year's and Christmas fortune-telling, from ancient times they practiced special fortune-telling - with kutya.

Its essence was that the fortune tellers, having captured hot kutia in a cup and hidden it under an apron or scarf, ran into the street and threw the kutia in the face of the first man they came across, asking his name.

Another type of special Epiphany fortune-telling is even more original: on Christmas Eve, after sunset, the girls went out naked into the street, “hoeed” the snow, threw it over their shoulders and then listened - in which direction they heard something, in that direction and they would marry them off.

Epiphany signs

♦ If the trees are covered with frost at Epiphany, in the spring you need to sow winter wheat on the same day of the week - the harvest will be rich.

♦ If there is a shovelful of snow on Epiphany, it means a good harvest.

♦ If it’s clear and cold on Epiphany, it means a bad harvest, a dry summer.

♦ If there is a starry night on Epiphany, there will be a good harvest of nuts and berries.

♦ If a lot of fish are visible at Epiphany, bees will swarm well.

♦ If after Baptism there is a full month in the sky, a flood is possible in the spring.

♦ If dogs bark a lot - there are a lot of animals and game in the forest.

♦ To find out how warm the rest of the winter will be, on the night of Christmas Eve before Epiphany, you just need to look at the sky. If the stars shine brightly, then summer will be dry and hot, and spring will begin early. Moreover, autumn will also be warm and long. Also, bright stars in the sky on Epiphany indicate that the year will be calm, without political or economic turmoil.

♦ If there is a full moon on the night of Epiphany, then in the spring you should be wary of strong river floods.

♦ It’s not very good if it’s warm at Epiphany: signs indicate that there will be health problems in the coming year. On the contrary, if there is a lot of snow on Epiphany, this means good health.

♦ If you hear dogs barking on Epiphany, this promises good financial condition in the coming year. It is believed that dogs call for a hunt, which promises excellent prey.

Congratulations on the Epiphany of the Lord

♦ May it be frosty at baptism
Bring blessings
Warmth, comfort, your home -
Let it be filled with goodness
Thoughts, feelings and hearts.
Let the relatives gather.
Let the fun come to the house
On this holiday at Epiphany.

♦ Let the Epiphany frosts
They will carry away trouble and tears
And they will add fun to life,
Happiness, joy, luck!
Get ready for the holiday -
Very cheerful, healthy,
To swim in an ice hole
And stay healthy!

♦ Let the Epiphany frosts
Your sorrows will go away.
Let there be only tears of happiness,
Let the good news come.
I want you to laugh more often
And they were never sad!
To be admired by love,
And they were always happy!

♦ For the people at Epiphany
Renewal is coming.
Jumped into the hole headlong -
Life becomes different.
And then you step onto the ice,
You will turn towards the sunrise.
Raise your hands in the air boldly,
So that your soul sings.

♦ I would like to wish you a holiday on Epiphany,
There are more poems, less prose in life,
Let life be such that you don’t suffer,
Love is stronger than Epiphany frost.
Hope, beauty and kindness,
And, of course, a sea of ​​positivity,
Strive for the heights of your dreams
For life's eternal motives.

♦ With Holy Epiphany
Congratulations, friends!
Cast away all doubts
Be happy, love!
Don't be afraid of all sorts of wickedness,
And wash yourself with holy water!
Tell your fortune for love...
The holiday is coming to us again!

♦ I hasten to congratulate you on your Baptism
And wish you purity
All thoughts and all aspirations,
Health, happiness and love!
May the Angels protect you
And guard your sound sleep
Let loved ones not know grief
And the Lord will be nearby!

♦ On the bright day of the Epiphany of the Lord
I wish you all earthly bounties.
May souls and bodies be cleansed
On this day it will come down to you from heaven.
The blessings of earthly and God's grace
I want to wish you now.
Let everything be on time and by the way,
May the Lord protect you.
May everything in life be easy for you,
And may the Epiphany water
What is pouring from everywhere today,
Will wash away all the bad forever!

♦ Let holy water
Your sin will be washed away by any
Let any trouble
Will bypass.
Let it be revealed to you
Pure light and love
And the temple of your soul
Reborn again.

♦ Happy Epiphany Day
Congratulations today!
Let the house not become scarce,
The world will become kinder for you.
Let the help be noticeable,
Your happiness will not fade.
Love from loved ones and support
Let them become stronger over the years!

Ecology of life: Epiphany is one of the great twelve 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 holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany of the Lord are interconnected by Christmastide and constitute a single celebration - the Feast of Epiphany.

The Essence of the Holiday

Epiphany is one of the great twelve 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 holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany of the Lord are interconnected by Christmastide and constitute a single celebration - the Feast of 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 on 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.”

Divine service

The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated in the same way as the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. The day before, the Royal Hours, the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and the All-Night Vigil are celebrated, beginning with Great Compline.

The special feature of this Holiday is two great blessings of water.(small blessing of water can be performed at any other time). The first great blessing of water takes place on the eve of the Holiday in the temple. The second - on the very holiday in the open air 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 catechumens and, subsequently, was converted into remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord. The second probably came from the ancient custom of Jerusalem Christians, on the day of Epiphany, to go out 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.

Biblical events

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

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

But before that moment, according to the prophetic word, the Forerunner had to appear to Israel, who had the task of preparing the people of Israel to receive 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 the paths of God in the desert.” 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, while still in the womb of his mother, the righteous Elizabeth, jumped joyfully, welcoming his Savior, about whom no one in the world had yet known except Him. The 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 testify to the Light, so that everyone would believe through him.

The Jews coming to John had a natural question: Isn’t he, the Savior desired by everyone, the Consolation of Israel? The Baptist answered: “He who is mightier than I is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down to untie; 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 near the Jordan River in Bethabara (John 1:28), with the goal of being baptized. John, who preached a lot about the imminent coming of the Messiah, saw Jesus and was surprised and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” To this Jesus replied that “we must fulfill all righteousness,” and received baptism from John.

Jesus Christ had no need for this baptism, as he was sinless and immaculate, born of the Most Pure Virgin Mary and Himself, according to His divinity, the source of 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, who commanded him to come out of the wilderness: “On 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 accepted Him into its waters, by whose command it began its course. As the Gospel tells us, after receiving baptism the Lord immediately came out of the water. Church tradition tells about this “immediately” that Saint John the Baptist immersed every person baptized by him up to the neck and held him there until he confessed all his sins. Only after this was the person allowed to come out of the water. Christ, however, did not He who had sins could not stay in the water, so he immediately left the river.

During baptism, “the heavens were 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; I am well pleased with You!” (Luke 3:21-22).

After his baptism, Jesus Christ, led by the Spirit, withdrew into the desert in order to prepare in solitude, prayer and fasting to fulfill the mission with which he came to Earth. Jesus Christ for forty days “was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during those days, but at the end of them he was hungry” (Luke 4:2). Then the devil approached him and, with three seductions, tried to tempt him to sin, like any other person.

Location of Holy Baptism

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

The exact location of Bethawara, possibly Beit Awara, is uncertain. 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 who flocked here to bathe in the waters of the Jordan.

It was along this path, 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 rebelled against him. In the same place, the prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed the river, and already in the Christian era, the Venerable Mary of Egypt went to the Trans-Jordanian desert along the same route to mourn her sins.

Orthodox Christmastide

Christmastide in Orthodoxy is the twelve holiday days between Christmas (January 7) and Epiphany (January 19). In Catholic Christianity, Christmastide corresponds to twelve days of Christmas, lasting from noon on December 25th to the morning of January 6th. Christmastide is also often called holy evenings, in memory of the events of the Nativity and 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 in ancient times. An indication of this was the 13 conversations of St. Ephraim the Syrian, spoken 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 Christmastide is confirmed by the spiritual charter of St. Savva the Sanctified.

The same is confirmed by the Code of Justinian, published in 535. The Second Council of Turon, in 567, designated all days from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany as holidays. Meanwhile, the sanctity of these days and evenings was violated at many points by fortune telling and other superstitious customs that survived from the pagan celebrations of the same time.

There is an Orthodox law that prohibits “on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and during Christmastide, according to old idolatrous legends, starting games and, dressing up in idol robes, dancing through the streets and singing seductive songs.” published

Every year on January 19, the entire Orthodox world celebrates a great holiday - the Epiphany of the Lord. This day ends the Christmas holidays and is one of the most important holidays of the Orthodox Church, the symbol of which is water. the site talks about history and traditions holiday.

history of the holiday

The Orthodox Church celebrates Epiphany (or Epiphany) on January 19, while the Catholic Church celebrates January 6 (like, this is due to the divergence of the Julian and Gregorian calendars). The holiday of the Epiphany of the Lord is the twelfth immutable holiday - it is one of the twelve Orthodox holidays dedicated to the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God and having a fixed date.

The celebration of Epiphany on January 19 is associated with events described in the Bible. The Gospel says that on this day Jesus Christ was baptized in the waters of the Jordan River by the prophet John the Baptist. John led an ascetic life in the desert, preached repentance and baptized people so that they would be cleansed of sins. John predicted the coming of the Savior to the world, which is why he is also called John the Baptist.

After baptism, Jesus sanctified the waters of the Jordan and at the same moment the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove and everyone who was nearby heard a voice from heaven

3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.

3:14 But John restrained Him and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?

3:15 But Jesus answered and said unto him, Leave it now: for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then John admits Him.

3:16 And having been baptized, Jesus immediately went up out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending upon Him.

3:17 And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Gospel of Matthew

Source: drive2.ru

The word “Baptism” itself comes from the Old Slavonic word “baptism” (“to wash, wash, immerse”). In the Gospel, water baptism is called by the Greek word “baptizo” (βάπτισμα), also meaning “immersion, washing, pouring, sprinkling.”

Rituals of immersion in water were practiced by the Old Testament Church and were called “mikvah,” a special water washing that a believing pagan or Jew had to perform after any desecration. Immersion in water was not only purification, but also the main way to enter the Church.

Moreover, already in the New Testament Baptism has two meanings - this is the baptism of John and Christian baptism. John's baptism is a baptism of repentance, which does not free a person from sins, but Christian Baptism gives forgiveness of all sins and renews a person.

It is believed that the water at the Epiphany becomes life-giving and those who plunge into it will be healed and delivered from all sins.

How to celebrate Epiphany

The day before, January 18, Epiphany Eve is celebrated. On this day, Orthodox Christians observe fasting in the same way as before Christmas. It is allowed to eat only juice and uzvar. Uzvar is a drink made from dried fruits and honey, and sochivo is cereal grains boiled in honey. It is believed that the word “Christmas Eve” itself comes from the name of this dish.